Sublime

Getting to know Jack and watching him in action reinforced my growing belief that the most important asset in business is information. The more you know, the more perspectives you have and the more connections you can make, which allow you to anticipate issues.

Business Council and the Economic Club of New York,

through a combination of self-discipline and sound risk assessment, even when market conditions reverse.

“Think of M&A as having four quadrants defined by size and risk,” he said. “Big, low-risk deals are the ones everyone wants, but they don’t exist. Small, low-risk deals do exist, but you can’t make much money from them because of their size. Small, hairy deals are the worst quadrant, because the reward is limited and the odds are stacked agains

24. At the height of Lorenzo’s borrowing, the cash that Lorenzo laid out in interest alone—more than $600 million a year—exceeded the annual sales for nearly 100 members of the Fortune 500. Alas for him, Lorenzo’s size also made him more visible, and more inviting, as a target.

I had often worried about being too successful. Success invited competition. The ongoing hand-to-hand combat with Revlon was bad enough. How could I prevent us from becoming everyone’s target—or, if we managed to become the front-runner, protect our position from another innovative upstart? I was inspired by the wonderful movie starring Cary Grant