Founders #237 Julio Lobo (Cuba's Last Sugar Tycoon)
Early Focus
- Find your focus early in life and dedicate yourself to it relentlessly.
- Lobo’s early passion for sugar shaped his entire career trajectory.
Building vs. Speculating
- Focus on building businesses that improve lives rather than solely speculating.
- Speculation offers less control and a lower probability of lasting wealth, unlike business building.
Early Mistakes
- Encourage early mistakes in your career while mentors can guide you.
- Lobo's father promoted him quickly, believing early failures were less damaging.
What I learned from reading The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo, Cuba's Last Tycoon by John Paul Rathbone.
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[2:02] Beyond Possible: One Man, Fourteen Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime (Founders #236)
[3:22] This is a cautionary tale.
[6:18] One of the main lessons of the book is just how fast things can change.
[6:25] The History of Cuba in 50 Events
[10:14] Lobo walked with a limp due to a murder attempt 14 years before that had blown a four inch chunk out of his skull.
[12:29] One of the most human of all desires is to perpetuate what you have created.
[12:55] Lobo thinks he has leverage when he really doesn’t.
[18:39] He dies in poverty. Imagine having $5 billion and then at the end of your life having to rely on an allowance from your adult daughters.
[20:30] I think about what Charlie Munger says: Don't try to be really smart. Just try to be consistently not dumb over a long period of time.
[20:58] Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams (Founders #146)
[22:59] Chico, I was born naked. I will probably die naked. And some of the happiest moments of my life happened when I was naked.
[29:01] From an early age it was apparent that Lobo sought not only wealth but glory too.
[30:21] He was an individualist who did not spare himself any sacrifice to attain his objectives.
[31:26] The clearest path to wealth is building a business that benefits somebody else's life. Make a product or service that makes somebody else's life better. Do that for a long period of time and keep improving it.
[33:45] His father told him I would much rather you make your mistakes now than later when I may not be around to pick up your pieces.
[38:16] It turns out that almost being executed makes you impatient for large success.
[40:32] If you instead focus on the prospective price change of a contemplated purchase, you are speculating. There is nothing improper about that. I know, however, that I am unable to speculate successfully, and I am skeptical of those who claim sustained success at doing so. Half of all coin-flippers will win their first toss; none of those winners has an expectation of profit if he continues to play the game. And the fact that a given asset has appreciated in the recent past is never a reason to buy it. —Warren Buffett from The Essays of Warren Buffett (Founders #227)
[45:09] Think about the type of funeral you want. There is a story about a person who died. The minister said it is now time to say something nice about the deceased. After long time a person came up and said, “His brother was worse.” That is not the kind of funeral you want. —Charlie Munger
[50:34] Alfred Nobel: A Biography (Founders #163)
[52:30] The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King(Founders #37)
[54:26] They almost resorted to a duel, which was still common in Cuba at the time, where differences were often settled with machetes at dawn.
[1:04:34] There are times when chasing the things money can buy, one loses sight of the things which money can't buy and are usually free.
[1:05:10] The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness (Founders #191)
[1:05:17] A calm mind, a fit body and a house full of love, these things cannot be bought, they must be earned. —Naval Ravikant
[1:08:52] His business collapsed like a house of cards.
[1:09:34] It was the same ending that befell so many other famous speculators throughout history.
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“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