Execution
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The Toyota Production System
Introduction The Toyota Production System (“TPS”) is a precursor to the concept of “lean management”. It was codified by Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990), who joined Toyota’s textile operations before moving to the automotive operations, where he worked his way up from shop-floor supervisor to Vice President. The focus of TPS is to produce many models, in… Continue reading
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Lessons from Amazon – Principles and Practices
There’s certain people that you do not want to try to beat at their own game, and certainly Jeff Bezos would be number 1. (…) Jeff has just shown amazing talent in figuring out how to please customers. Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, a former senior… Continue reading
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Who to Hire – Wise Advice from Jethro and Buffett
Jethro and Moses In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the burnout syndrome in its list of diseases. The term used to be restricted to business, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, testimonies of “parental burnout” have abounded. Parents with experience of long-distance flights with toddlers or of driving their (often ungrateful) preteens to their… Continue reading
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Management Tips From a Legendary CEO
The Real-Life MBA, by Jack and Suzie Welch Jack Welch (1935-2020) was an American business executive, who led General Electric as Chairman and CEO over 1981-2001, and wrote several management books. Though criticized for some practices, he was considered one of the best CEOs of recent decades. Below are the lessons from his book The… Continue reading
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The Quick & Easy Guide To Boosting Your Profits
Double Your Profits In Six Months Or Less, by Robert Fifer This book was recommended to me by a friend, who applied the principles to his family business upon becoming CEO and was indeed able to double profits. Author Robert Fifer (born in 1956) is a retired business consultant. His book Double your profits in… Continue reading
BLOG CONTENTS
- Insights from the smartest investors, founders, leaders, management consultants, salespeople, advertisers, marketers, negotiators, economists, psychologists, academics, etc.
- Successes you can learn from.
- Mistakes you can avoid.
- Useful investing and business frameworks (I wish someone had told me about them when I started out!)
- Book recommendations for aspiring and experienced investors.
- Industry reviews.
- Case studies.
- Unrelated stuff I found interesting.
About THE AUTHOR
- I have been a private equity investor for 17 years, and prior to that, a leveraged finance banker for 3 years. During the past 20 years, I have worked on transactions with a cumulated value of €13 billion, alongside talented founders, managers, investors, bankers, and advisors.
- I have served on the board of private European companies of various sizes (from €5 million to €200 million of EBITDA) in various industries (food, wealth management, education, access control, dental services, real estate financing, publishing, building materials, capital equipment).
- I teach an Introduction to Private Equity course at my alma mater, HEC Paris, hold a CFA charter, and am passionate about investing (I manage a portfolio of listed stocks on the side for my own account), business, social sciences, and mental models.
- I am blessed with a wonderful wife and three amazing children.