What I learned by reading The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by TJ Stiles.

---

Subscribe to listen to Founders Premium — Subscribers can listen to Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes and every bonus episode.

---

His life spanned from the days of George Washington to John D. Rockefeller [0:01]

$1 out of $20 in circulation [4:35]

an overview of his life [5:35]

the environment Vanderbilt was raised in [14:10]

love of competition / dislike of school / first jobs [18:00]

action for actions sake [22:00]

an entrepreneur from the beginning [23:06]

expansion fueled by aggressiveness, action, and constraints [30:00]

partnering with the rich and powerful Thomas Gibbons [35:00]

the solo founder [46:34]

starting up with an eye on getting acquired [50:00]

frugality wins [56:20]

entrepreneurs vs large companies [1:03:45]

more frugality and decentralized company structure [1:12:00]

the size of his ambition was difficult for others to comprehend [1:19:25]

—

“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth

Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast