Fabric Of Success
The Golden Threads Running Through The Tapestry Of Every Great Business
I'm thrilled to announce the release of my new book, Fabric of Success, now available at Amazon. It's taken two years to write and hasn’t been easy, but the positive feedback from critics makes it all worthwhile.
The book is written to challenge the conventional thinking of business leaders and to provide a blue-print for success. But it is equally valuable for investors because the single most important ingredient in any business is its leader, so understanding what success looks like will aid in the selection of the best investments of tomorrow.
Here is an excerpt from the book that sums it up well:
The 1970s witnessed a new era when computers were becoming generally accessible in terms of size and affordability. Hundreds of companies established themselves in this new hi-tech market, which met both of my prior investment criteria – revolutionary technology and a huge addressable market. But most of these businesses failed.
Apple was among the few that thrived, but it wasn’t always plain sailing. Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder, was initially young, naïve and inexperienced in business administration. Recognizing the need for seasoned leadership, John Sculley, a former PepsiCo executive, was appointed as CEO. He clashed with Jobs, fired him, and then largely mismanaged the business in the years that followed.
As detailed in subsequent chapters, Sculley's leadership nearly drove Apple into insolvency in the late 1990s. However, a pivotal moment arose when Jobs returned to the helm, completely transforming the company's trajectory. Under his visionary leadership, Apple not only recovered but also flourished, ultimately becoming America's first trillion-dollar business.
The point being made is that Apple was always the same company, but it was the person in charge that made all the difference.
The book offers nuanced perspectives on every aspect of running a public company and sheds light on the commercial achievements of icons such as Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Henry Singleton, Herb Kelleher, Alfred Sloan and over a hundred others including very inspirational characters that you may never have heard of: Bruce Plested, Jack Taylor, Mark Leonard, Sol Price, Edwin Land, Yvon Chouinard and Richard Farmer. It also takes an alternative perspective on Warren Buffett - while others focus on his investment prowess, far fewer focus on his commercial acumen as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He transformed Berkshire Hathaway from a failing textile mill teetering on the brink of insolvency in the mid-1960s into one of the world's most prosperous conglomerates, presently valued at over $775 billion.
The book offers insights into what sets these people apart from their peers, but more remarkably, it pulls out the common golden threads that run through the methods of these people. There is a pattern to be discovered.
Although only published at the beginning of the month, one reader has already devoured the 382 pages of content, and has published the first review on Amazon which made me smile:
Check it out for yourself. Let me know what you think, and more importantly, let others know by reviewing it on Amazon. Thank you in advance.