cover of episode #204 John Bragg: The Blueberry Billionaire

#204 John Bragg: The Blueberry Billionaire

2024/10/1
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The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
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John Bragg: 我从一个只有300-350人的小村庄长大,白手起家,创立了Oxford Frozen Foods和Eastlink,成为北美最大的野生蓝莓生产商和主要的电信公司之一。我的成功秘诀在于专注于我们可以持续经营的产品,并尽可能多地生产它。我从15岁开始采摘蓝莓,并以此支付大学学费。1968年,我创立了Oxford Frozen Foods,建造了一家冷冻厂,尽管第一年遭遇了歉收,但我坚持了下来。我们专注于成为低成本生产商,并保持顶级质量。我们与农民合作,分享技术和知识,共同发展蓝莓产业。我们还进行了多次收购,扩大规模,并通过长期投资和高效运营来保持竞争力。在电信领域,我们通过收购小型电缆公司,并利用光纤技术将它们连接起来,最终建立了Eastlink,成为加拿大最大的私人电信公司。在经营过程中,我们始终保持低调,专注于业务本身,而不是追求个人名利。我们重视团队建设,培养员工,使他们能够创造价值。我们也注重长期投资,即使短期内可能看不到回报,但我们相信长期来看,这是正确的选择。我们始终保持谨慎,避免过度扩张,并专注于我们擅长的领域。

Deep Dive

Chapters
John Bragg's journey began in a small village, where he developed a strong work ethic and an early interest in entrepreneurship. His experiences picking blueberries and later building a business in university shaped his approach to business.
  • Early entrepreneurial ventures
  • Blueberry picking as a source of income
  • Building a business in university
  • Early lessons in business and values from his parents

Shownotes Transcript

John Bragg, founder of Oxford Frozen Foods and Eastlink, shares his journey from growing up in a small village to becoming one of North America's largest wild blueberry producers and leading a major telecommunications company. He discusses his early entrepreneurial ventures, why he chose to get into the blueberry business in the first place, and how he pivoted when things didn't go quite as he planned.Bragg emphasizes key business principles like long-term thinking, efficiency, and maintaining a low-cost mindset. He also reflects on the importance of cultivating strong teams and staying humble despite his success.John Bragg is the Chairman, President, and Co-CEO of Oxford Frozen Foods Limited, a food manufacturing company which he founded in 1968. It operates the largest fruit farm in the world, with over 12,000 acres of wild blueberries. He also founded a cable TV company in the 1970s which became Eastlink.

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