In 1984, a tiny Irish airline declared WAR on Europe's giants.

But they did it by breaking all the rules.

40 years later they're called "The World's Most Hated Airline."

Here's how Ryanair became Europe's largest (and most profitable) airline: Picture this:

One 15-seat Embraer Bandeirante turboprop.
82,000 passengers in their first year.
A mission to break the Aer Lingus/British Airways duopoly.

No one thought they stood a chance.

But here's where it gets interesting...

How do you save a dying company?

In 1998, LEGO reported a deficit for the first time since 1945.

Six years later a new CEO turned it around.

Profits increased 240%... By selling less...

Here's how he pulled off the impossible: The story starts in 1998.

After 53 years of business, LEGO posted its first deficit year.

The company had expanded too quickly into peripheral businesses, and innovation wasn't driving profits.

But what happened next would reshape the entire toy industry...

Top 10 US Presidents.

Based on average annual GDP growth during their time in office:

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt - 10.1% growth Context is crucial:

FDR inherited an economy that was crushed by the Great Depression.

In 1932, the year he was first elected, growth was -12.9% ...

Here's how he transformed it:

Toyota was the biggest tech turnaround of 1950.

Ford made 100x more cars per day.
GM was outproducing them by 350x.
The whole auto industry thought they were a joke.

But now everyone copies Toyota.

Here's how they revolutionized manufacturing: Post-WWII Japan was devastated.

Toyota faced a brutal reality: They had to close factories and lay off workers due to financial constraints.

But then came a lifeline: The U.S. Army ordered 1,000 trucks during the Korean War.

Here's where a new order created new ideas:

This $3 billion company breaks every hiring rule:

• They read resumes differently
• Focus on unique qualifications
• Look beyond traditional experience

Yet they have insane employee retention.

Here's Patagonia's counterintuitive approach: The pressure to scale is intense for startups.

Investors want rapid growth. Markets demand quick expansion.

Most companies cave and start hiring frantically to keep up.

But Patagonia took a different path that left everyone stunned:

11 of the Most Successful Family Businesses Ever:

1. Walmart (1962) - The Walton Family Sam Walton started with a single store in Rogers, Arkansas.

His secret was a radically different approach to retail:

Build stores in small towns others ignored. Keep prices lower than competitors could match.

Walton's real innovation wasn't just low prices...

Costco's secret weapon isn't bulk discounts.

It's not their massive warehouses.

It's a psychological trap so powerful that 93% of US members renew every year.

Here's the brilliant strategy behind their $400 billion empire: Most people think Costco's success comes from their massive warehouses and bulk discounts.

But that's not even close to the full story.

Costco's real genius lies in a psychological trick that's been working since 1983.

But first, let's look at their surprising numbers:

The most profitable side project in history:

• $0 in funding
• Built in 14 days
• Run from an apartment
• Sold for $575,000,000

Here's how one programmer bootstrapped a dating empire: 2003: Markus Frind was unemployed in Vancouver.

After getting laid off from his corporate job, he spent two weeks learning a new programming language called ASP(dot)NET.

To practice, he decided to build a simple website.

But something unexpected was about to happen...

This is the greatest scaling story ever told:

Toyota vs Tesla.

One started with luxury cars and struggled to scale.

The other started with basic cars and dominated the world.

Here's the fascinating truth about why simpler always wins: 2023 was a defining year in the auto industry.

Toyota's profits doubled, reaching record highs with a 10.6% operating margin.

Meanwhile, Tesla's aggressive price cuts slashed their margins.

But to understand why this happened, we need to go back to their origins:

In 1945, Finland was poor and war-torn.

They owed 6% of their GDP to the Soviets—annually.

Today, it consistently ranks as the world's happiest country.

Meanwhile, America isn't even in the top 20.

Here's how Finland rebuilt from nothing: Finland lost 9% of its territory to the USSR after WWII.

Half a million Finns needed to be resettled, costing $300 million.

The country owed massive war reparations to the Soviets - between 2-6% of their GDP annually from 1945-1953.

But here's where it gets interesting...

The man who made money by doing nothing:

Jack Bogle.

He revolutionized investing with one simple idea: low-cost index funds.

Here’s his 4-step framework to financial independence: 🧵 In 1974, Wall Street was a playground for the rich.

Investment fees were astronomical. Brokers got rich while everyday investors struggled to build wealth.

Then came a man who would change everything.

But first, he had to get fired...

The Hidden Millionaire of Brooklyn:

• Worked as a bookkeeper and IRS auditor
• Lived in a rent-controlled apartment
• Retired with just $5,000
• Died with $22 million

Here's how she did it (using 3 principles anyone can copy): Born in 1893 to a poor family in Brooklyn, Anne Scheiber's father died young.

He unfortunately left behind substantial real estate losses.

Determined to succeed despite the hardship, Anne started working as a bookkeeper at age 15.

11 companies built around a single product:

1. Crocs (2002) Everyone called Crocs "ugly."

Doctors & chefs loved them because they were comfortable & easy to clean.

Now they sell 150 million pairs annually. Sometimes, being "ugly" pays off.

The richest people in the world all follow this counterintuitive rule:

Pay yourself first.

Here's exactly what this means:

(and why it's so tough for most of us to understand) 🧵 Most people make a devastating mistake with money:

They wait until the end of the month to save what's left over.

But there's usually nothing left to save.

This creates a vicious cycle of living paycheck to paycheck...

This man created the entire banking system to keep you poor.

He manipulated markets and used debt to oppress people.

His name was J.P. Morgan.

Here's the dark story behind the financial regime that controls your money: 1799: New York City was desperate for clean water.

60,000 residents. No central water supply. Disease everywhere.

Enter Aaron Burr with a brilliant solution: The Manhattan Company.

A water company that would save the city. Or so everyone thought...

The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.

Today, the top 1% own 30%+ of all wealth––and this will keep increasing.

That's the projection from economist Thomas Piketty.

Here's what he said next: After 15 years studying wealth inequality, Piketty discovered a mathematical formula that explains why the rich keep getting richer:

When returns on capital (r) exceed economic growth (g), wealth concentrates at the top.

This simple equation predicts our economic future...

This man is worth $58 BILLION.

But he still:

• Takes home buffet leftovers
• Flies economy class
• Reuses tea bags

The shocking wealth secrets of IKEA's founder that nobody talks about: 🧵 Meet Ingvar Kamprad.

As a kid, he sold matches and pencils in rural Sweden.

In 1943, at age 17, he founded IKEA.

By his death in 2018, he was the 8th richest person on Earth.

But here's the fascinating part:

Look at this guy.

He makes more money than most countries' GDP.

But still uses coupons for McDonald's $3 breakfast.

Why?

Because he found the secret to unlimited wealth that most people ignore...🧵 Buffet is the ultimate "do more with less" investor.

• Drives a modest car
• Gets McDonald's breakfast every morning
• Lives in the same house he bought for $31,500 in 1958

His wealth grows $37 million per day, yet he lives like a middle-class retiree.

Why?

This CEO built an $11 billion fortune by ignoring every rule of business.

• He gives away 1% of everything
• Makes volunteering mandatory
• Treats competitors like family

Here's how Marc Benioff exposed capitalism's biggest lie: In 1999, Marc Benioff made a radical bet:

Create a company culture based on 'Ohana' - the Hawaiian concept that families (blood-related, adopted, or intentional) are bound together.

Most thought mixing business & family values was crazy.

But Benioff saw something others missed:

This CEO shocked Silicon Valley:

She built YouTube into a $15 billion company, and also:

• Has 5 kids
• Never works past 6 pm

5 work-life balance tips from tech's most successful mother that will change how you think about success: 🧵 Susan Wojcicki's journey to becoming tech's most successful mom is fascinating:

• First mother at Google
• Google's 16th employee
• Then appointed YouTube CEO
• Built it into a $15 billion powerhouse

But her story started in an unlikely place...

This will shock you:

American parents waste $500,000 on youth sports thinking it leads to success.

But 99.96% of kids never go pro or get scholarships.

Here's what billionaires teach their kids instead: A shocking stat from a TD Ameritrade report:

Most American families spend $500/month per child on sports.

20% spend $1,000.
10% spend over $2,000.

But here's what they don't tell you about the ROI...