Brad Jacobs is the chairman and CEO of QXO, Inc., and the founder of eight separate billion-dollar companies including XPO Logistics, United Rentals and United Waste.
He is an entrepreneur and logistics executive widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in industrial consolidation and operational transformation. Rising to prominence from the 1980s through the 2000s, he became known for revolutionizing fragmented, labor-intensive industries through aggressive M&A and technology integration, founding eight companies and growing each into billion-dollar or multi-billion-dollar enterprises. He became a household name in business circles through his serial entrepreneurship and track record of delivering outsized returns by bringing operational sophistication to traditionally fragmented markets.
His career highlights include founding United Waste Systems (which was acquired by what is now WM), founding United Rentals and building it into the world's largest equipment rental company, founding XPO Logistics and growing it through 18 acquisitions into a top-ten global logistics provider, and most recently launching QXO to consolidate the $800 billion building products distribution sector.
Episode show notes are available at davidsenra.com.
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Chapters
(0:00) Introduction and Setting the Tone
(0:31) Mentorship and Key Lessons from Ludwig Jesselson
(2:41) Embracing Problems as Opportunities
(6:07) The Importance of Recruiting Top Talent
(7:58) Maintaining Long-Term Reputation
(10:14) Finding Context and Centering
(19:50) Perfectionism and Cognitive Therapy
(26:29) Building Billion-Dollar Companies
(36:50) The Role of A Players in Success
(42:27) The Power of People in Business
(44:23) The Importance of Superior Intelligence
(45:54) Balancing Work and Life
(48:11) The Role of Passion in Success
(51:59) Effective Leadership and Meetings
(1:05:41) Feedback Loops and Continuous Improvement
(1:16:29) Public vs. Private Companies
(1:22:55) The Drive for Stress and Passion
(1:23:16) Learning from Other Entrepreneurs
(1:23:41) Fred Smith's Legacy and Influence
(1:29:19) The Importance of Technology in Business
(1:40:25) Time Management and CEO Responsibilities
(1:54:34) The Power of Incentives
(2:01:04) Going All In: Final Thoughts
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