Sam Zemurray (The Fish That Ate the Whale)

312 snips

Sep 11, 2023

Dive into the remarkable journey of Sam Zemurray, an immigrant who became the Banana King, battling giants like United Fruit. Discover how his entrepreneurial spirit reshaped the banana trade and the fierce tactics behind building an empire. The podcast highlights the darker moments, such as the CIA's involvement in Guatemalan politics, revealing the complex power dynamics at play. Explore the contrast of Zemurray's legacy—was he a hero or a pirate? The stories showcase the relentless ambition of those who transformed America through sheer grit.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

The Honduran Coup

At 33, Sam Zemurray orchestrated a coup in Honduras.
He provided General Bonilla with funds, weapons, and a warship.

INSIGHT

Driven by Ambition

Zemurray's drive and relentless pursuit of opportunity propelled his success.
He was always scheming and looking for ways to get ahead, embodying the American dream.

ADVICE

A-to-Z Business Knowledge

Understand your business from beginning to end.
This comprehensive knowledge will empower you to solve any problem.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Decoded

Phil Barden

Titan

The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Ron Chernow

This biography by Ron Chernow provides an in-depth look at John D. Rockefeller, Sr., the founder of Standard Oil and one of the most influential figures in American history. Drawing on unprecedented access to Rockefeller’s private papers, Chernow reconstructs Rockefeller’s troubled origins, his single-minded pursuit of wealth, and his profound religiosity. The book also delves into Rockefeller’s philanthropic efforts, including his generous donations to the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and Rockefeller University. Chernow’s narrative synthesizes Rockefeller’s public and private lives, revealing a complex and multifaceted individual who was both a ruthless businessman and a devoted philanthropist. The book captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the post-Civil War shift from small businesses to giant corporations and featuring cameos by notable figures such as Ida Tarbell, Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan.

The fish that ate the whale

The Life and Times of America's Banana King

Rich Cohen

This book tells the fascinating story of Samuel Zemurray, who started as a roadside banana peddler and eventually built a sprawling empire involving banana cowboys, mercenary soldiers, Honduran peasants, CIA agents, and American statesmen. Rich Cohen's narrative explores Zemurray's rise to power, his involvement in overthrowing Central American governments, and his complex role in American history. The book delves into Zemurray's personal life, his business exploits, and the moral implications of his actions, painting a nuanced portrait of a man driven by an indomitable will to succeed.

Rick Rubin In The Studio

Jake Brown

This book chronicles Rick Rubin's rise from his early days as DJ Double R and co-founder of Def Jam Records to becoming one of the most influential producers in the music industry. It offers insights into his production style and collaborations with artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, and Metallica. Rubin's approach emphasizes simplicity and authenticity, often pushing artists into new creative territories.

John D.: The Founding Father of the Rockefellers

David Freeman Hawke

This biography, the first to make use of materials in the Rockefeller Archives, delves into the life of John D. Rockefeller, exploring his rise to becoming the richest man in the world. It examines his business practices, personal values, and the contradictions of his character, such as his aversion to losing money and his generosity in giving it away. The book provides a comprehensive look at Rockefeller's role in the oil industry and his impact on corporate history.

Tycoon's War

Stephen Dando-Collins

Tycoon's War chronicles the epic clash between American adventurer William Walker, who briefly conquered Nicaragua in the mid-1850s, and Cornelius Vanderbilt, who sought to control shipping routes across Central America. The book explores their contrasting visions of Manifest Destiny and the violent conflict that ensued. It delves into the military campaigns and the broader historical context of U.S. involvement in the region.

The father of spin

Edward L. Bernays & the birth of public relations

Larry Tye

In 'The Father of Spin', Larry Tye presents a comprehensive biography of Edward L. Bernays, one of the first and most influential practitioners of public relations. Drawing on interviews and Bernays's private papers, Tye examines how Bernays used psychological insights, often borrowed from his uncle Sigmund Freud, to mold public opinion and shape consumer behavior. The book delves into Bernays's significant contributions to the field, which have had lasting impacts on both political discourse and commercial marketing.

The Forgotten Highlander An Incredible Wwii Story Of Survival In The Pacific

Alistair Urquhart

This book recounts Alistair Urquhart's extraordinary survival story as a prisoner of war during World War II. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore and endured unimaginable hardships, including forced labor on the Burma Railway and survival on a torpedoed 'hellship'. Urquhart's story is a testament to resilience and survival against overwhelming odds. The book was first published in 2010 and became a Sunday Times Best Seller in 2011.

The Adventures of Herbie Cohen

World's Greatest Negotiator

Rich Cohen

The Adventures of Herbie Cohen is a heartfelt and humorous biography by Rich Cohen, detailing his father's life as a negotiator, dealmaker, and raconteur. The book follows Herbie from his youth in Brooklyn, where he befriended figures like Larry King, to his later years as a consultant to presidents and corporations. It offers a mix of tall tales, wisdom, and insights into negotiation and life.

What I learned from rereading The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King by Rich Cohen.

----

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

----

[4:47] This story can shock and infuriate us, and it does. But I found it invigorating, too. It told me that the life of the nation was written not only by speech-making grandees in funny hats but also by street-corner boys, immigrant strivers, crazed and driven, some with one good idea, some with thousands, willing to go to the ends of the earth to make their vision real.

[8:56] Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer by Stephen Dando-Collins (Founders #55)

[10:00] Unlike Vanderbilt's other adversaries William Walker was not afraid of Cornelius when he should have been.

[12:21] The immigrants of that era could not afford to be children.

[12:42] The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World's Greatest Negotiator by Rich Cohen

[12:54] He was driven by the same raw energy that has always attracted the most ambitious to America, then pushed them to the head of the crowd. Grasper, climber-nasty ways of describing this kid, who wants what you take for granted. From his first months in America, he was scheming, looking for a way to get ahead. You did not need to be a Rockefeller to know the basics of the dream: Start at the bottom, fight your way to the top.

[14:01] There is no problem you can't solve if you understand your business from A to Z.

[17:08] Sam spotted an opportunity where others saw nothing.

[18:17] As far as he was concerned, ripes were considered trash only because Boston Fruit and similar firms were too slow-footed to cover ground. It was a calculation based on arrogance. I can be fast where others have been slow. I can hustle where others have been satisfied with the easy pickings of the trade.

[18:42] The kid on the streets is getting a shot at a dream. He sees the guy who gets rich and thinks, yep, that'll be me. He ignores the other stories going around. // There's no way to quantify all that on a spreadsheet, but it's that dream of being the exception, the one who gets rich and gets out before he gets got that's the key to a hustler's motivation. —Decoded by Jay Z. (Founders #238)

[26:36] He was pure hustle.

[28:15] Preston later spoke of Zemurray with admiration. He said the kid from Russia was closer in spirit to the banana pioneers than anyone else working. "He's a risk taker," Preston explained, “he's a thinker, and he's a doer.”

[30:33] They don't write books about people that stopped there.

[32:48] Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller by Ron Chernow (Founders #248) and John D: The Founding Father of the Rockefellers by David Freeman Hawke. (#254)

[34:22] He seemed to strive for the sake of striving.

[34:44] If you're on a mans side you stay on that mans side or you're no better than a goddamn animal.

[35:11] The world is a mere succession of fortunes made and lost, lessons learned and forgotten and learned again.

[39:41] A man whose commitment could not be questioned, who fed his own brothers to the jungle.

[40:00] The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WWII Story of Survival in the Pacificby Alistair Urquhart.

[41:02] Why the Founders of United Fruit were the Rockefellers of bananas.

[47:23] He kept quiet because talking only drives up the price.

[48:19] There are times when certain cards sit unclaimed in the common pile, when certain properties become available that will never be available again. A good businessman feels these moments like a fall in the barometric pressure. A great businessman is dumb enough to act on them even when he cannot afford to.

[53:30] He believed in the transcendent power of physical labor—that a man can free his soul only by exhausting his body.

[1:02:04] He disdained bureaucracy and hated paperwork. So seldom did he dictate a letter that he requires no full-time secretary.

[1:04:01] He was respected because he understood the trade. By the time he was 40 he had served in every position. There was not a job he could not do nor a task he could not accomplish. He considered it a secret of his success.

[1:05:02] Rick Rubin: In the Studio by Jake Brown. (Founders #245)

[1:08:00] Zemurray was the founder, forever on the attack, at work, in progress, growing by trial and error.

[1:10:44] Here was a self-made man, filled with the most dangerous kind of confidence: he had done it before and believed he could do it again. This gave him the air of a berserker, who says, If you're going to fight me, you better kill me. If you’ve ever known such a person, you will recognize the type at once. If he does not say much, it's because he considers small talk a weakness. Wars are not won by running your mouth. I'm describing a once essential American type that has largely vanished. Men who channeled all their love and fear into the business, the factory, the plantation, the shop.

[1:11:44] Founder Mentality vs Big Company Mentality: When this mess of deeds came to light, United Fruit did what big bureaucracy-heavy companies always do: hired lawyers and investigators to search every file for the identity of the true owner. This took months. In the meantime, Zemurray, meeting separately with each claimant, simply bought the land from them both. He bought it twice paid a little more, yes, but if you factor in the cost of all those lawyers, probably still spent less than United Fruit and came away with the prize.

[1:13:04] His philosophy: Get up first, work harder, get your hands in the dirt and blood in your eyes.

[1:17:02] For every move there is a counter move. For every disaster there is a recovery. He never lost faith in his own agency.

[1:17:57] A man focused on the near horizon of costs can sometimes lose sight of the far horizon of potential windfall.

[1:20:22] You gentlemen have been fucking up this business long enough. I'm going to straighten it out.

[1:23:03] In a time of crisis the mere evidence of activity can be enough to get things moving.

[1:23:42] Zemurray was never heard to bitch or justify. He was a member of a generation that lived by the maxim: Never complain, never explain.

[1:27:08] The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays and the Birth of Public Relationsby Larry Tye

[1:28:14] He should link his private interest to a public cause.

[1:29:32] In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world.

[1:32:28] Sam's defining characteristic was his belief in his own agency, his refusal to despair. No story is without the possibility of redemption; with cleverness and hustle, the worst can be overcome. I can't help but feel that we would do well by emulating Sam Zemurray–not the brutality or the conquest, but the righteous anger that sent the striver into the boardroom of laughing elites, waving his proxies, shouting, "You gentlemen have been fucking up this business long enough. I'm going to straighten it out.

—

“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

----

Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work. Get access to Founders Notes here.

----

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