Most people fear a $43 million debt. Harvey Firestone called it “invigorating.” When his company faced collapse in 1920 and his executives panicked, Firestone seized control. He fired the sales manager, slashed prices 25%, and personally ran the sales department. It worked—not because he managed through fear, but through clarity.
Firestone was the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company—an outsider who built one of America’s iconic industrial empires by doing the opposite of what everyone else did. This episode isn’t about tires. It’s about how Firestone quietly built one of the great businesses of the 20th century by asking two deceptively simple questions: Is it necessary? Can it be simplified?
This episode breaks down the invisible principles behind Firestone’s success: positioning over talent, inputs over outcomes, discipline over drama. If you lead a team or simply want to lead yourself better, this story is a masterclass in building enduring advantages.
This episode is for informational purposes only and is based on Men and Rubber: The Story of Business by Harvey Firestone.
Check out highlights from these books in our repository, and find key lessons from Firestone here—https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/outliers-harvey-firestone/
(03:00) PART 1: The Best Businessman I Ever Knew
(06:50) The Vanilla Extract Lesson
(10:23) When Premium Doesn’t Matter
(12:05) PART 2: Right Beneath the Wheels
(14:21) The Back of an Envelope
(16:36) If Two of Us Stay, Neither Makes Money
(18:39) Betting on what Doesn’t Change
(20:55) The Accidental Breakfast
(24:53) The Third Option
(28:19) PART 3: The Innovators Dilemma: Pneumatic Tires
(32:24) The Ford Connection: A Partnership of Outsiders
(35:23) Navigating the Crisis
(37:17) The Underdog’s Advantage
(39:24) The Million Dollar Milestone
(43:10) Weathering the Panic of 1907
(45:55) The Simplicity Imperative
(51:25) PART 4: The Ship-by-Truck Revolution
(54:31) The Boom That Hid Everything
(56:11) The 25% Solution
(01:01:42) Cutting to the Bone
(01:04:25) PART 5: Why He Never Stopped
(01:06:54) The Human Element
(01:08:09) The Legacy
(01:10:05) Reflections, afterthoughts, and lessons
Upgrade—If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of all episodes, join our membership: fs.blog/membership and get your own private feed.
Newsletter—The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at fs.blog/newsletter
Follow Shane on X at: x.com/ShaneAParrish
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#122 Robert Cialdini – The Principles of Persuasion
What are the best strategies to get people to say “Yes” to your requests in life? Acclaimed psychologist Robert Cialdini dives deep into the seven small things that make a huge impact in influencing others,…
#121 Walter Isaacson: Curiosity Fuels Creativity
What do Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Jennifer Doudna all have in common? Celebrated journalist and author Walter Isaacson calls upon his years of research to explain how curiosity has always fueled…
#120 Chris Bosh: Hunger and Greatness
Two-time NBA champion and 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Chris Bosh goes in-depth on the skills it takes to become a winner on the basketball court and in life. On this episode Bosh discusses…
#119 Todd Simkin: Making Better Decisions
Todd Simkin calls on experiences from his lengthy career in financial services and educating traders to help Shane understand how to make better decisions. Simkin breaks down all the influences that go into how and…
#118 Doug Conant: Leadership With Integrity
Doug Conant breaks down how putting his employees first made him an internationally renowned business leader atop both the Nabisco Foods Company and the Campbell Soup Company. On this episode Doug discusses why you can’t…
#117 Kat Cole: The Power of Possible
Kat Cole discusses how “the power of possible” guided her from a part-time job as a hostess at a Hooters restaurant to one of the most respected business leaders in America. In this wide-ranging episode…
#116 Jeff Immelt: Leadership In A Crisis
Former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt looks back on his two decades with the company and the strategies he used to lead during three separate crises. In this episode, Immelt discusses what happened during those…
#115 Danny Meyer: Hospitality and Humanity
Celebrated restaurateur Danny Meyer discusses the intersection between hospitality and humanity, and why we are all in the hospitality business regardless of where we work. Meyer defines hospitality and how to deliver it with every…
#114 Noreena Hertz: The Crisis of Loneliness
Acclaimed economist and author Noreena Hertz breaks down the world’s loneliness crisis, and what it means for the well-being of our minds, bodies, economies and democratic institutions. In this episode we define loneliness and how…
#113 Sarah Tavel: The Value of Intellectual Rigor
Sarah Tavel has spent the past four years as a general partner at venture capital firm Benchmark, after previously serving in the same role with Greylock Partners and as the first-ever product manager at Pinterest.…