The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish Podcast By Shane Parrish cover art

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

By: Shane Parrish
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 Master the best of what other people have already figured out. Each week, I learn from the best so you can apply their insights to your life. No fluff, no filler, just timeless conversations that make you smarter. Inspired by Charlie Munger's timeless advice: "I believe in the discipline of mastering the best that other people have ever figured out. I don't believe in just sitting down and trying to come up with everything on your own. Nobody's that smart." Subscribe now and start mastering what works.Farnam Street Media Inc. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Harley Finkelstein: You Must Requalify for Your Role, Every Year

    Harley Finkelstein: You Must Requalify for Your Role, Every Year
    Jul 8 2025
    Shopify President Harley Finkelstein talks with Shane Parrish about treating every role in your life like a job you have to earn again each year. Harley shares why stepping down as COO was his hardest choice, the family motto that guides his daughters, and what makes someone good at storytelling. They discuss AI's real advantage, the calendar system that keeps him accountable, and how he maintains high standards. Approximate timestamps: (00:02:10) Living With Unreasonably High Standards (00:03:40) Generational Trauma and Family Relationships (00:07:52) Growing Up With Adverse Circumstances (00:14:42) Prioritizing In Life And Becoming World Class (00:24:45) Requalifying For Your Job (00:30:05) Mindset for Professional Growth and Success (00:31:33) How To Find A Great Business Partner (00:32:57) Switching From COO Of Shopify To President/Chief Storyteller (00:40:34) How Storytelling Impacts Shopify (00:42:00) How To Get Better At Storytelling (00:46:13) Shopify And How Commerce Has Evolved (00:49:27) Forced Entrepreneurship Vs Passion-Based Entrepreneurship (00:51:34) Mentorship (00:59:41) Overcoming Failure And Rejection (01:02:46) Out Caring Is More Important Than IQ, EQ, Raw Talent (01:06:07) Parenting And Teaching A Hardwork Ethic (01:11:23) Teaching Resilience Thanks to our sponsor for supporting this episode: SHOPIFY: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/knowledgeproject MINT MOBILE: Get your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/knowledgeproject 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 Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of the episode, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Watch on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tkppodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 50 mins
  • #235 Outliers: Jimmy Pattison — Building a $16B Empire Without Connections, Capital, or Credentials

    #235 Outliers: Jimmy Pattison — Building a $16B Empire Without Connections, Capital, or Credentials
    Jul 1 2025
    At 96 years old, Jimmy Pattison still runs his $16 billion empire personally. He’s built it over 63 years without outside capital or a college degree. He owns 100% of car dealerships, billboards, radio stations—even Ripley’s Believe It or Not—with a philosophy of: "No partners, no shareholders, no relatives." This episode reveals the principles behind one of North America’s great private empires: how to build and compound a reputation, why the best deals happen in silence, and what a Japanese bicycle taught him about operational excellence. You’ll learn the hidden advantage of selling “souvenir editions” instead of newspapers, how he turned a ghost radio station into a ratings leader overnight, and why he once fired the entire bottom 10% of his staff—then took them out for steak. Most people play for approval. Pattison plays for permanence through reputation, relentless clarity, and never mistaking flash for fundamentals. This episode is for informational purposes only and is based on Jimmy: An Autobiography by Jim Pattison and Paul Grescoe. Check out highlights from these books in our repository, and find key lessons from Pattison here—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/outliers-jimmy-pattison/ Approximate timestamps: Subject to variation due to dynamically inserted ads: （00:00) How a Teen Sold Yesterday’s News（01:10) Jimmy Pattison’s Billion-Dollar Playbook（03:24) The Debt That Built Character（05:41) Part 1: Foundations - The Boy Who Sold Seeds Door-To-Door（06:52) When Victory Becomes a Liability（08:46) The University of Used Cars（10:02) The Art of the Close（13:30) When Business Becomes Theater（15:22) The Price of Independence（16:36) The Pattern（17:44) Part 2: Starting to Build - Back to Zero（18:09) The Price of Independence（20:08) Bleeding Money（21:11) The Secret Weapon（22:11) The Main Street Disaster（23:09) Dead Air to Hot Air（24:33) The Ghost Station（25:40) The Conglomerate Dream（27:03) The Target（28:24) Cold Calling Wall Street（29:35) The Silent Hunt（30:49) The Takeover（31:36) Part 3: Neonex International - Perfect Timing, Wrong Direction（32:09) The Magic Money Machine（34:17) The Toast Order（35:06) The Forbidden Target（36:15) The Christmas Surprise（37:27) The Bluff（38:07) The Unraveling（39:07) The Education（40:27) Part 4: The Jim Pattison Group of Companies - Returning the Paintings（40:49) The Corporate Confession（42:08) The New Operating System（44:01) The Dinner That Changed Everything（46:23) The Great Escape（47:31) The Boy and the Bicycle（49:07) The Quality Revolution（51:14) Part 5: The Empire Builder - Still at the Wheel（51:47) The New Playbook（54:17) The Grocery Gambit（55:13) The Media Monopoly（55:52) The Numbers Game（57:20) The Ultimate Lesson（59:15) Reflections 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
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • #234 Indra Nooyi: Lessons from the Top of PepsiCo—and the Cost of Getting There

    #234 Indra Nooyi: Lessons from the Top of PepsiCo—and the Cost of Getting There
    Jun 24 2025
    On her first day as CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi fired her general counsel. Then rehired him before dinner. It wasn’t a stunt. It was a signal. She ran a $200 billion empire the same way she ran her life: with surgical precision, uncompromising standards, and an allergy to corporate theater. But here's what separates this conversation from every other CEO interview: she tells you what her massive ambition cost her and her family. What it means to carry the hopes of millions who look like you. What happens when a strategy you bet your career on starts to crumble. She reveals her private system for tracking 400 rising stars inside of a corporate giant and the advice Steve Jobs gave her that changed everything. If you’ve ever felt the pull between ambition and identity, this one’s for you. Indra doesn’t just talk about power. She shows what it costs. Approximate timestamps: Subject to variation due to dynamically inserted ads: （03:53）Growing Up In India （11:07） Lessons From Working In Consulting （21:36） Being Direct As A Leader / Delivering A Message That Gets Heard （24:14） Developing Talent （26:42）How To Minimize Office Politics （32:56）Prioritizing Work / Finding Balance （37:30）Turnover After A CEO Change （42:10） CEO Vs Board Member （46:22）Implementable Change In A Company （48:17） Removing Friction Instead Of Using Force （48:34）How To Be A Good Board Member （49:47）Lessons From Amazon （51:36） Leading Through Crisis （55:18） Dealing With Activist Investors （59:13） Women As CEOS / Biases In The Workplace （01:00:42) Equality of Opportunity / How To Hire The Best （01:03:50）Bias In Performance Reviews （01:05:27）Almost Quitting PepsiCo （01:07:05）What I Learned From Steve Jobs （01:11:51）Lessons From Costco And Walmart （01:20:00）Secrets to PepsiCo Merchandising （01:21:01）Outsourcing Bottlers At PepsiCo Then Reversing The Decision （01:22:16）Making Decisions At A Multi-Billion Dollar Company （01:23:56）Lessons From Acquisitions （01:27:09) Traits Of A High Performing Employee （01:29:01） Remote Work Vs In Office Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this episode: NORDVPN: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan go to ⁠⁠⁠nordvpn.com/KNOWLEDGEPROJECT⁠⁠. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! MINT MOBILE: Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MINTMOBILE.COM/KNOWLEDGEPROJECT. MOMENTOUS: Head to ⁠www.livemomentous.com⁠ and use code KNOWLEDGEPROJECT for 35% off your first subscription. 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 Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of the episode, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Watch on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@tkppodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 37 mins
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Shane gets amazingly interesting people on his podcast and is a great interviewer. He never interrupts, and gets people to share their knowledge.

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