In this book, Tony Robbins and Christopher Zook interview over a dozen of the world’s most successful alternative investment managers, collectively managing over half a trillion dollars. The book covers various investment strategies, including private equity, private credit, private real estate, and venture capital. It also discusses how to invest in the energy evolution, own pieces of major professional sports teams, and use private real estate as an inflationary hedge. The authors emphasize the importance of a problem-centric mindset and address psychological barriers to successful investing.
The book is a behind-the-scenes account of how John Paulson, a hedge fund manager, anticipated the subprime mortgage crisis and made one of the most profitable trades in financial history. Written by Gregory Zuckerman, a prizewinning reporter who broke the story in The Wall Street Journal, the book explains the complexities of real estate finance in layman’s terms and highlights the daring and prescient moves made by Paulson and other contrarian investors.
In 'Delivering Happiness,' Tony Hsieh shares his entrepreneurial journey, from co-founding LinkExchange to leading Zappos to its remarkable success. The book emphasizes the importance of company culture, customer service, and employee happiness in achieving business success. Hsieh outlines three core sections: 'Profits,' 'Profits and Passion,' and 'Profits, Passion, and Purpose,' highlighting key lessons such as the superiority of product quality over marketing, the importance of passion in entrepreneurship, and the critical role of company culture in driving success. He also introduces frameworks for happiness, including perceived control, progress, connectedness, and vision/meaning, and how these can be applied to create a happy and productive workplace[2][4][5].
In Traction, Gino Wickman provides a systematic approach to achieving business success through the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). The book focuses on six key components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction. It helps business leaders clarify their vision, align their leadership team, solve common business problems, and foster healthy communication and discipline within the organization. The EOS system is designed to help businesses overcome frustrations such as lack of control, people issues, insufficient profit, hitting the ceiling, and feeling stuck. The book offers practical tools, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to drive sustainable growth and improve business operations.
In 'Good to Great,' Jim Collins and his research team investigate why some companies achieve long-term greatness while others do not. The book identifies key concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, a Culture of Discipline, and the Flywheel Effect. These principles are derived from a comprehensive study comparing companies that made the leap to greatness with those that did not. The research highlights that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but rather a result of conscious choice and discipline. The book provides practical insights and case studies to help businesses and leaders understand and apply these principles to achieve sustained greatness.
Christopher Zook, Founder, Chairman, & Chief Investment Officer at CAZ Investments sits down with David Weisburd to discuss the cost of keeping the wrong person on the team, the crucial mistake CEOs make when building a strong culture, and the secret behind faster growth and success.
The 10X Capital Podcast now receives more than 200,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email me at David@10xcapital.com.
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SPONSOR:
Carta is the all-in-one suite for private fund operations. Carta’s software-based approach takes fund administration out of the spreadsheet and into the modern age with powerful solutions and intuitive interfaces, all on one platform. Their suite of products and expert services help funds at any stage with up-to-date insights and automated workflows to get them to the next level. Learn more at: https://z.carta.com/10xpod
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X / Twitter:
@dweisburd (David Weisburd)
@ChristopherZook (Christopher Zook)
@caz_investments (CAZ Investments)
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LinkedIn:
David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/
Christopher Zook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-zook/
CAZ Investments: https://www.linkedin.com/company/caz-investments-lp/
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Links:
CAZ Investments: https://cazinvestments.com/
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Questions or topics you want us to discuss on The 10X Capital Podcast? Email us at david@10xcapital.com
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TIMESTAMPS:
(0:00) Episode Preview
(2:13) Underwriting and Involvement in Sports Teams
(8:00) Key Themes Among Top Institutional Investors
(10:23) Compounding in Business and Asset Management
(15:20) Sector Specialization and Managing Downside Risk
(21:06) Insights from 'The Big Short'
(24:44) Navigating Market Misconceptions
(26:14) Sponsor: Carta
(30:03) Corporate Culture and Principles at CAS
(32:23) Enforcing a Culture of Excellence
(37:08) The Difference Between Managing and Coaching
(39:25) Strategies for CEO Turnover and Employee Fit
(41:34) Hiring, Firing, and Culture Maintenance
(44:06) The Role of Reviews and Evaluations in Leadership
(48:46) Aligning Stated and Actual Corporate Culture
(49:02) Legislation Impacting Investment Access
(51:27) Staying Updated with CAS and Final Takeaways
(52:08) Closing Remarks
How I Invest with David Weisburd 
