Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.
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Today’s edition:
> Stories: Janice Bryant Howroyd & McDonald's
> High-performance: Christopher Nolan's hand drawn plot map for his film Inception
> Insights: “Enough” story
> Tactical: Internal obstacles to progress
> 1 Question: Extreme curiosities
Cheers,
Alex
P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.
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Stories of Excellence
Person: Janice Bryant Howroyd
"Janice Bryant Howroyd is a trailblazing entrepreneur and the founder of ActOne Group, a global workforce solutions company. Born in North Carolina, she faced racism and sexism but refused to let them define her. ""Racism and sexism depend on lies to be persistent,"" she says. In 1978, Howroyd started her business with $900 borrowed from her mother. Today, ActOne operates in 35 countries and generates over $1.8 billion in annual revenue. Howroyd became the first Black woman to build a billion-dollar company. She sits on several boards and believes in ""giving forward."" Her success formula? ""Doing well and doing good at the same time."" Howroyd's journey from a small-town girl to a global business leader inspires many. She continues to innovate and lead ActOne Group, focusing on technology and talent solutions.
Key Lessons from Janice Bryant Howroyd:
On resilience: ""While I didn't know it then, it was to some degree just my sassy resistance to facing defeat that provided me the oomph to get started.""
On vision: ""Everyone knows something of value to me that I don't already know. With respect, I try to always show humanity, and embrace and invite them.""
On growth: ""Doing well and doing good at the same time, I believe it sincerely is a fail-proof formula for self-healing, self-generation, and selflessness."""
Company: McDonald's
"McDonald's was founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Initially a drive-in barbecue restaurant, they streamlined their menu to focus on burgers, fries, and shakes in 1948. Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman, joined as a franchise agent in 1954 and opened the first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers in 1961 for $2.7 million and aggressively expanded the business. By 1965, there were 700 restaurants. McDonald's went public in 1965 and has since grown to over 39,000 locations in more than 100 countries, serving 69 million customers daily.
Key Lessons from McDonald's:
On franchising: Empower your franchisees, but maintain control. McDonald's found a sweet spot in franchising. They give franchisees enough autonomy to feel like business owners, but maintain strict control over key aspects like menu and branding. This balance fuels growth while preserving consistency. Kroc's philosophy: ""The organization cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization.""
On real estate: Location, location, location isn't just a mantra, it's a business model. McDonald's isn't just a fast food company. It's a real estate company. They own prime locations and lease them to franchisees. This provides a steady income stream and control over their locations. Kroc's insight: ""We are not technically in the food business. We are in the real estate business."""
Something New
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High-performance tool
⎯
Christopher Nolan's Hand Drawn Plot Map For His Film Inception
Insights
Kurt Vonnegut's "Enough" Story:
True story, Word of Honor:
Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer
now dead,
and I were at a party given by a billionaire
on Shelter Island.
I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel
to know that our host only yesterday
may have made more money
than your novel ‘Catch-22’
has earned in its entire history?”
And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.”
And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?”
And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”
Not bad! Rest in Peace!
Tactical reads
⎯
> When overcoming internal obstacles to progress
Overcoming Resistance (Read it here)
> When learning how great leaders motivate others
How great leaders inspire action | TED Talk (Read it here)
1 question
What are you excessively curious about — curious to a degree that would bore most other people?
That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.
Have a wonderful rest of week, all.
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