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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: Sam Walton & Maersk
> High-performance: How to email like a boss
> Insights: Making oneself indispensable
> Tactical: Factors behind humanity's rise to dominance
> 1 Question: Hidden costs
Cheers,
Alex
P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.
Stories of Excellence
Person: Sam Walton
Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, revolutionized retail with his relentless focus on low prices and customer service. Born in 1918, he opened his first store in 1945 and grew Walmart into the world's largest retailer. Walton's success stemmed from his innovative practices like computerized inventory systems and his willingness to learn from competitors. "I had to think about it all the time," he said of his goals. Despite becoming one of the richest people in America, Walton maintained his down-to-earth approach, driving an old pickup truck and living modestly. His legacy continues to shape the retail industry today, with Walmart remaining a dominant force in global commerce.
Key Lessons from Sam Walton:
On customer focus: "There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."
On empowering employees: "Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves it's amazing what they can accomplish."
On taking action: "What we guard against around here is people saying, 'Let's think about it.' We make a decision. Then we act on it."
Company: Maersk
Maersk, a global shipping and logistics giant, was founded in 1904 by A.P. Møller and his father, Captain Peter Mærsk Møller, in Svendborg, Denmark. The company started as Steamship Company Svendborg with just three ships. A.P. Møller's entrepreneurial spirit led to rapid expansion, establishing the Odense Steel Shipyard in 1918 and opening the first overseas office in New York in 1919. By 1920, the fleet had grown to 17 steamships. The company's growth was fueled by A.P. Møller's strategic decisions, including the transition from sail to steam and the combination of shipping with shipbuilding. Today, Maersk is a conglomerate with operations in transport, logistics, and energy sectors, with revenue of over $81.5 billion.
Key Lessons from Maersk:
On family business: Leverage generational knowledge. A.P. Møller built on his father's 20 years of experience as a sailing ship captain. This blend of traditional wisdom and modern innovation became a cornerstone of Maersk's success.
On long-term thinking: Plan for decades, not quarters. Maersk's success stems from its ability to think long-term. The company's investments in shipyards and infrastructure took years to pay off.
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Accelerants
High-performance tool
⎯
How To Email Like A Boss
Insights
Michael Bloomberg on making oneself indispensable:
"I came in every morning at 7am, getting there before everyone else except Billy Salomon. When he needed to borrow a match or talk sports, I was the only other person in the trading room, so he talked to me. At age twenty-six, I became a buddy of the managing partner. I would stay later than everyone else except for John Gutfreund. When he needed someone to make an after-hours call to the biggest clients, or needed someone to listen to his complaints, I was the someone. And I got a free cab ride uptown with him, the No. 2 guy in the company. Making myself omnipresent wasn't exactly burdensome – I loved what I was doing. I never understood why everybody else doesn't do the same thing – make himself indispensable on the job."
Tactical reads
⎯
> When exploring the factors behind humanity's rise to dominance
What explains the rise of humans? | TED Talk (Read it here)
> When visualizing cellular processes at the microscopic level
The Inner Life of the Cell (Read it here)
1 question
What are the opportunity costs behind X decision?
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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