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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