The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
Bernie Marcus is the co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot.
This is how he built a culture of ownership, kept going when everyone turned him down, nearly lost it all, and created one of the most successful retailers in history.
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Approximate Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:00) Part 1: An Accidental Miracle
(09:29) Part 2: A Golden Horseshoe Kick
(25:49) Part 3: Building From Nothing
(38:53) Part 4: Orange Everywhere
(49:40) Part 5: The Legacy
(54:17) Lessons
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Sources:
Marcus, Bernie, and Arthur Blank. Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion. New York: Crown Business, 1999.
Best Practice Institute. “Bernie Marcus Interview.” YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNP0YYDi1FY.
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This episode is for informational purposes only.
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