Thinking at 100 mph

Sam Walton was a pragmatist. When his first landlord essentially stole his business, he headed to a new town to start fresh. 

It was who Walton was. Though his initial plan was to run Ben Franklin franchises, when that plan changed Walton’s energy found new avenues. 

Early on he bought an airplane. It had a washing machine motor. His brother Bud thought it was a death trap and wouldn’t fly with Sam for two years. 

But Walton loved it. He could go 100 miles an hour and look for new store locations, developing roads, and population centers. 

His mind ran as fast as his plane. He looked for ideas, tested them, and iterated. What software companies do today, Walton did in the 1960s. 

He carried a yellow legal pad with him. A friend joked it was his third arm. Later in life he used a digital tape recorder. He was once found dictating notes in a Costco and was asked to leave. Sorry Sam,  they said, you can’t do that here. 

Success is never guaranteed. But with a hundred mile an hour mind like Sam Walton, something good will happen. 

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