For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1.
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One thought from my week.
One interesting find/tool from my week.
One image from my life.

Let's dive in 👇

Thought from the week

I’m in Bentonville this week meeting with clients, spending time in person with the Pono Ventures team, and riding bikes.

Since we’re in the land of Walmart’s HQ, I did a little dive on the Waltons.
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Here are a five things that stood out 👇

Sam Walton used to fly a plane... just to spy on competitors' parking lots.

The founder of Walmart wasn’t just some laid-back CEO. Sam would take his own airplane, fly over rival stores, and count how many cars were in their lots to understand peak hours and trends. That’s billionaire market research at 3,000 feet.

A family fortune that reaches space.

As of 2024, the Waltons are worth about $225 billion. If you stacked that in cash, it would reach the edge of space… twice. The wildest part? The family pulls in an estimated $8 million a day just from dividends. Passive income on steroids.

Walmart is building its own super campus.

There’s a 350-acre compound in Arkansas called Walmart’s Home Office Town. It’s a mini-city with dorms, restaurants, gyms, and classrooms, where Walmart employees learn the company culture. We went buy the construction. It's going to be massive!

They’ve donated over $6 billion... but people say it’s still not enough.

The Walton Family Foundation has pumped billions into education reform, conservation efforts, and the arts. But even with all that giving, the family is still criticized for not doing more, given how massive their wealth is. When you’re worth $225 billion, no donation ever feels big enough to outsiders.

The Walton family owns more of Walmart now than they did 20 years ago.

Usually, as companies grow, founders sell shares and dilute ownership. Not the Waltons. Through trusts and strategic buybacks, the family has quietly increased their stake over the years. Now they own over 50% of the company, giving them full control over one of the world’s largest businesses. Boss-level move.

Interesting find/tool of the week

A client introduced us to grower Champagne last night. It's Champagne produced by the same estate that grows the grapes used in the wine.

It was exceptional!

If you want to learn more read this.

Image from my life

Spent the week in Bentonville spending time with the team and clients. Nothing better than getting belly to belly.

See you all next week!