Audience of One

#034 - Xavier Helgesen on Holding Companies, The Publishing Industry, & Building Things That Last

Sep 13, 2023

Xavier Helgesen, Co-founder of Enduring Ventures and founding CEO of Zola Electric, discusses holding companies, the publishing industry, capital allocation, focus, reinventing ourselves, building things that last, parenting, and more.

01:05:29

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Episode guests

Xavier Helgesen

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Focus on one thing allows for greater success and growth

Understanding capital allocation is crucial for entrepreneurial success

Build sustainable and valuable organizations that make a positive impact in the world

Deep dives

The Potential of Holding Companies in Business

Xavier Helgeson discusses the impetus behind starting his holding company, Enduring Ventures. He shares his desire to build a cash flow-generating business that allows him the freedom and ambition to grow without constraints. He mentions the advantages of diversification and the complexity of the capital allocation game.

Introduction

3min

The Game of Capital Allocation

28min

Reinventing oneself: Fear and sacrifices

7min

The Power of Self-Publishing

14min

Exploring the Future of Books in the Digital Age

4min

The Potential for a Strong US-Africa Partnership

4min

Discussion on Building a City in West Africa and Parenting

3min

Reconnecting with Timeless Human Experiences

3min

Xavier Helgesen is the co-founder of Enduring Ventures, a long-term holding company. He also co-founded Better World Books and was the founding CEO of Zola Electric. We talk about holding companies, the publishing industry, capital allocation, focus, reinventing ourselves, building things that last, parenting, and more.

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(02:43) Why run 20+ businesses instead of 1? (04:38) Everyone is a capital allocator whether or not they know it (07:13) Impact of VC on startup growth trajectories & sustainability (16:18) What's misunderstood about building holding companies (19:29) Long term thinking (23:40) Focus is the founder master skill (27:56) Work in the medium, not the abstraction (31:14) The fear of reinventing ourselves (36:02) Build organizations that last (38:03) Legacy publishing & acquiring Scribe Media (46:22) Building an audience (52:29) Should books evolve? (56:06) Why Africa is the future (01:00:41) Children reintroduce parents to play (01:03:00) How can you be more human?

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Xavier’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/XavierHelgesen

Enduring Ventures: https://www.enduring.ventures/

Spencer’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SP1NS1R

Spencer’s Blog: https://spencerkier.substack.com