#227 Outliers: Rose Blumkin — Women of Berkshire Hathaway

Rose Blumkin didn’t just build a business. She revolutionized retail. After fleeing Russia with $66 in her purse, she opened a basement furniture store in Omaha at 43 years old—with no English, no education, and no connections. Her formula? Sell cheap, tell the truth, don't cheat the customer. Nebraska Furniture Mart would survive depressions, fires, lawsuits, tornadoes—and eventually become a billion-dollar empire Warren Buffett called “the ideal business.” Learn how Mrs. B’s relentless focus, radical simplicity, and unbreakable work ethic built an empire from scratch—and what her story teaches us about business, resilience, and the power of earned trust. This episode is for informational purposes only and most of the research came from "Women of Berkshire Hathaway" and oral history interviews with Rose Blumkin and her daughter Frances. (03:20) PART 1: Early Childhood (07:10) A Natural Entrepreneur (09:37) PART 2: Building an Empire (12:53) The Competition (15:54) The Passing of Isadore (18:32) Expansion through Hardship (20:32) Natural Instinct for Character (25:15) PART 3: The $60m Handshake / The Buffett Connection (28:25) A Rebel at 96 (33:47) Reflections, afterthoughts, and lessons Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this episode: MOMENTOUS: Head to ⁠livemomentous.com⁠ and use code KNOWLEDGEPROJECT for 35% off your first subscription. NOTION MAIL: Get Notion Mail for free right now at notion.com/knowledgeproject Check out highlights from this books in our repository, and find key lessons from Blumkin here — fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/outliers-rose-blumkin Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of all episodes, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Newsletter — The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠fs.blog/newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices