Brad Jacobs doesn't just build big companies – he builds industry giants. As the founder of eight multibillion-dollar companies, he's cracked the code on scaling businesses from zero to billions. In this conversation, the secrets he's earned over decades.

You'll discover where billion-dollar opportunities are hiding in plain sight, how to spot massive trends years before your competitors, and the most crucial factor determining a company's success.

Currently serving as Chairman and CEO of QXO, Jacobs brings a mathematician's precision and a musician's creativity to scaling businesses. His track record speaks for itself: every company he's founded has reached billion-dollar status or beyond.

(00:00) Intro

(04:44) The future of AI

(07:21) How to think rationally

(08:48) The major trend

(10:57) The research process

(13:29) On asking better questions

(19:35) On rearranging your brain

(22:23) On music, math, simplicity, and business

(32:26) Leverage, debt, and optionality

(35:11) What it takes to take contrarian bets

(40:45) Confidence and parents

(50:21) Why negative-only feedback is detrimental for employees

(56:14) Money lessons

(58:13) A deep dive on M&A (Jacobs' secret sauce to growing his companies)

(01:07:51) Questions to immediately get to know anyone

(01:11:14) On boards and board meetings

(01:16:57) On decision-making

(01:23:37) The role of capital markets

(01:25:41) The type of person you don't want to hire

(01:31:16) The best capital allocators

(01:33:53) Biggest lesson Jacobs learned from the past year

(01:37:20) On success

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theknowledgeproject/videos

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Episode 488 - Saint Mary's Randy Bennett