logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
53m 17s

#289 Brunello Cucinelli

David Senra
About this episode

What I learned from reading The Dream of Solomeo: My Life and the Idea of Humanistic Capitalism by Brunello Cucinelli.

This episode is brought to you by: Tiny: Tiny is the easiest way to sell your business. Quick and straightforward exits for Founders.

----

Follow one of my favorite podcasts Invest Like The Best and listen to episode 293 David Senra Passion and Pain !

[4:00] I am reminded of Machiavelli: during his exile, he too spent his afternoons playing board games and drinking wine, while at night, in the austere silence of his studio, he engaged in solitary, literary conversations with the ancient scholars.

[6:00] The true meaning of my life seems to be a spontaneous drive and energy.

[7:00] I am driven by an immense desire: that my life, when it reaches its end, will not have been useless.

[7:00] Brunello Cucinelli by Om Malik 

[8:00] God assigns to all of us a mission to fulfill. Our task is first to discover the nature of our summons, then to follow it.

[11:00] We schedule time to think. Most people schedule themselves like a dentist. It's so easy to get so busy that you no longer have time to think- and you pay a huge price for that. —— All I Want To Know Is Where I'm Going To Die So I'll Never Go There: Buffett & Munger – A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense by Peter Bevelin. (Founders #286)

[14:00] Try to be your son's teacher until he's ten years old; his father, until he's twenty; and his friend, for the rest of his life.

[14:00] The problem is not getting rich, it's staying sane. —Charlie Munger

[18:00] What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic. —Carl Sagan

[23:00] Postponing the reward increases the appreciation, a fact that has been forgotten in the current culture of impatience.

[29:00] I could see the humiliation in my father's eyes. His teary eyes were the source of inspiration for my life.

[33:00] I have always been firmly convinced that in order to successfully stand out you need to focus on one single project representing the dream of your life.

[36:00] A young man with no money and tons of enthusiasm.

[41:00] Ralph Lauren: The Man Behind the Mystique by Jeffrey Trachtenberg. (Founders #288) 

[43:00] One thing I never did—which I’m really proud of—was to push any of my kids too hard. I knew I was a fairly overactive fellow, and I didn’t expect them to try to be just like me. — Sam Walton: Made In America by Sam Walton. (Founders #234)

[48:00] Invention: A Life by James Dyson. (Founders #205)

[49:00] The greatest minds can convey deep and complex thoughts with words that are understandable to everyone.

[50:00] Enthusiastically build an extraordinary reality day after day.

----

Subscribe to listen to Founders Premium to listen to Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes + ask me questions directly. 

----

Join my free email newsletter to get my top 10 highlights from every book

----

I use Readwise to organize and remember everything I read. You can try Readwise for 60 days for free here.  

----

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

Up next
Jul 3
#393 The Marketing Genius of the Michelin Brothers
Your family asks you to take over a failing factory in a remote part of France. This “family business” comes with a stack of unpaid bills, a small team of workers who haven’t been paid in months, and a banker refusing to extend any more credit. You cut every unprofitable product ... Show More
55m 7s
Jun 23
#392 Michele Ferrero and His $40 Billion Privately Owned Chocolate Empire
You take over the family pastry shop and transform it into one of the most valuable privately held businesses in the world. Your father dies young. Your uncle does too. Everyone is relying on you and this keeps you up at night. You insist on differentiation and refuse to make me ... Show More
55m 10s
Jun 13
#391 Jimmy Iovine
You grow up in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn. You drop out of college. Your dad is your best friend but you don’t want to work the docks like him. You’re determined to “do something special.” You get a job sweeping the floor at recording studio. You get fired—twice. You’ll do ... Show More
57m 20s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
115: Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
"The tragedy of this world is that no one is happy, whether stuck in a time of pain or of joy. The tragedy of this world is that everyone is alone. For a life in the past cannot be shared with the present. Each person who gets stuck in time gets stuck alone.” Welcome back to anot ... Show More
47m 26s
May 2020
100. 100 Episodes - 1 Big Insight
It is amazing to realize that we have been together now for 100 episodes and that by the time this comes out there will be more than 180,000 downloads in over 150 countries. It is a significant understatement to say that the podcast has far exceeded my expectations for what it co ... Show More
31m 15s
Jun 2024
A Powerful Insight to Grow Your Possibility, Mastery and Serenity
When I enter the homes of the best producers on the planet for a day of advisory, my eyes always note that though they might have big TVs in their abodes they inevitably have massive libraries. Books upon books upon books.   Buffett keeps his calendar clear each day so he can rea ... Show More
3m 17s
Jun 2024
#372 — Life & Work
Sam Harris speaks with George Saunders about his creative process. They discuss George’s involvement with Buddhism, the importance of kindness, psychedelics, writing as a practice, the work of Raymond Carver, the problem of social media, our current political moment, the role of ... Show More
41m 32s
Sep 2023
How Anyone Can Become a Great Public Speaker w/ Keith Ferrazzi | EP #65
In this episode, Peter and Keith discuss the art and business of public speaking. Keith Ferrazzi, a renowned executive coach and speaker, shares his insights on building a successful speaking career.  15:33 | Transforming Lives Through Speaking 31:11 | Get Good at Speaking Quickl ... Show More
1h 25m
Jun 2024
Outcast of the Stars by Ray Bradbury - Science Fiction Short Story From the 1950s
To the mighty lords of infinity he sent a burning message–“You can deny a man everything–everything but his heritage… the stars!” Outcast of the Stars by Ray Bradbury, that’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. One of the most celebrated writers of science fiction returns to the pod ... Show More
26m 28s
Mar 2024
Short Snorter by Charles Einstein - Short Sci Fi Story From the 1950s
His saucer was parked in the woods, and Mr. Steariot (from Venus) was parked in the lobby.... Short Snorter by Charles Einstein, that’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. What does Willie Mays, Curb Your Enthusiasm, stuntman Super Dave Osborne and the 1991 movie Defending Your Life ... Show More
19m 29s
Feb 2024
TIP609: Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb
On today’s episode, Clay reviews Nassim Taleb’s book – Fooled by Randomness.Nassim Taleb is a Lebanon-born American mathematician and statistician whose work concerns problems of randomness, probability, and uncertainty. He’s very well known for his popular books, including The B ... Show More
1 h
May 2023
The Psychology Of Persuasion: The 6 Universal Laws To Maximize Your Sales, Business, And Life w/ Dr. Robert Cialdini
Robert Cialdini is the author of the highly-acclaimed and groundbreaking book, Influence: Psychology of Persuasion. The book is a New York Times Business bestseller. Fortune Magazine lists Influence in their “75 Smartest Business Books.” CEO Read lists Influence in their “100 Bes ... Show More
57m 47s
Jun 2024
#263 – Laurent Gounelle, Auteur bestseller – “Le plaisir dans l’incertitude”
Aujourd’hui j’accueille sur le Podcast, Laurent Gounelle, l’un des romanciers les plus lus en France. Je dois vous dire que j’avais envie d’avoir Laurent sur le podcast depuis trèès longtemps. J’apprécie beaucoup ces ouvrages parce que je trouve qu’il a une manière d’amener des c ... Show More
58m 21s