Founders

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Todd Graves is one of my favorite living founders. He owns over 90% of Raising Canes — a business that is worth at least $20 billion. Todd's maxim is "Do one thing and do it better than anyone else." It is impossible not to be inspired by his terminator levels of determination. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Episode show notes: ⁠https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/to...

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Chapters

(00:00) The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Sleep and Business Obsession

(02:13) The Birth of Raising Cane's: Overcoming Skepticism

(03:29) Inspiration from In-N-Out Burger

(07:17) The Importance of Quality and Focus

(14:49) The Journey to Success: Hard Work and Sacrifice

(19:21) The Early Days: Building Raising Cane's from Scratch

(21:23) Financing the Dream: Unconventional Paths

(32:28) The Relentless Pursuit of Success

(33:02) Commitment and Oaths: The Camping Trip

(34:02) Fanaticism and Relentless Focus

(34:53) Learning from Others and Continuous Improvement

(35:06) The Never-Satisfied Mindset

(36:04) The Importance of Founders in Business

(39:55) The Purpose Beyond Profit

(51:52) Financing the Dream: Credit Cards and SBA Loans

(55:47) Building the First Restaurant

(57:56) Expanding the Vision

(58:59) Positive Motivational Management

(01:00:51) Creating a Coaching Culture

(01:01:42) Intrinsic Motivation vs. Titles

(01:02:41) The Importance of Being Present

(01:06:35) Respect, Recognition, and Rewards

(01:09:12) The Power of Encouragement

(01:18:10) The Myth of Delegation

(01:22:57) Focus on What You Do Best

(01:30:07) Dining at Jiro in Tokyo

(01:30:59) The Franchise Model Debate

(01:32:50) Challenges of Franchising

(01:35:21) Building a Business Authentic to You

(01:37:07) Financing and Expansion Strategies

(01:49:13) Surviving Hurricane Katrina

(01:55:48) Lessons from Estée Lauder

(01:58:06) Final Thoughts and Reflections