Adelphia, 16
American Dairy, 78
Antonio, Lou, 139
Asbjornson, Norm, 80
automobile industry, 11, 14, 123–124
Azenberg, Manny, 147–148, 150–151, 153–155, 158
Bancroft, Anne, 154–157
banks and banking system, 11, 164–190
and failure of big banks, 171–179
and financial crisis of 2008, 180–184
knowledge of, 179–180, 184–186
management expertise in, 167–171
and size of banks, 15, 178, 180, 186–188
solution to crisis in, 188–190
barge business, 115–122
Beane, Billy, 58–60
Bernanke, Ben, 179
Biloxi Blues, 149–150
Bispell, Bob, 99
Blinder, Alan, 180–181
Bowles, Samuel, 13
Brighton Beach Memoirs, 149, 151
Broadway Bound, 150
Burstyn, Ellen, 154
Cahn, Sammy, 137
Carlyle Hotel, 133–134
CBS, 141
character, 45
character loans, 168–170
China Sky One, 82–83
Chuck’s Fish, 22–24
Circle K, 111
Citigroup, 175–177
Citizens South, 186
Comcast, 141
Continental Illinois, 173
convenience stores, 106–111
conventions, 86–101
challenging, 97–101
and redevelopment agencies, 93–97
corruption in business, 16–17
Cousteau, Jacques, 92
creative financing, 68–85
with bankrupt companies, 76–79
with high interest rates, 74–76
in real estate deals, 71–74
with reverse mergers, 79–83
when going public, 82–83
creative process, 4–5, 30, 32–33
creativity, 28–42
catalysts of, 31–34
imagination plus reason in, 40–42
and regulation, 19
in show business, 141–145
stifling, 29
variations of, 32
in vineyard development, 34–40
Cronyn, Hume, 159–160
Cumming, Ian, 63–64
customers
bankers’ knowledge of, 166, 168–169
benefits of serving, 131–133
and hospitality business, 133–136
input from, 123–136
Delta Pacific Transportation Company, 116
derivatives, 181–182
de Tocqueville, Alexis, 24–25, 214
Diamond Head Industries, 79, 80
due diligence, see homework
Duet for One, 153–157
economy, 10–12, 26–27, see also free-market economy
Eglin Air Force Base, 128–130
Einstein and the Polar Bear, 148
elected officials, 24–25
Enron, 16
entrepreneurs, 26–27, 30, 213–214
environmental solutions, 33
“executive dilemma,” 103
EXTEK Microsystems, 100
Extrapolation Techniques, 100
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), 167, 168, 172–175, 187–189
Federal Housing Administration (FHA) financing, 129
financial crisis of 2008, 180–184
financial system, 10–11, 164–165
Ford Foundation, 19
Four Seasons, 134–136
free-market economy, 5, 19, 175, 179, 211–214
Friedkin, William (Billy), 154, 155, 157
Frost, Robert, 32
gamblers, 41
gasoline prices, 107–109
Gerard, Manny, 148
Giannini, Amadeo, 168
Gintis, Herbert, 13
Glass-Steagall Act, 11, 172, 186
Goldman, William, 142
government, 24–25, see also regulation
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, 175, 176
Greater China International Holdings (GCIH), 84
Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone, 23–24
Hahn, Ernie, 96
Harris, Ira, 25–26
HBO, 158
Hilton hotels, 134–135
Hinckley, George Fox Steadman, 50–51
Hoffer, Eric, 210
homework, 102–122
and barge business, 115–122
and convenience stores, 106–111
and perceived value, 104–105
value of, 111–115
honesty, 64
hospitality business, 133–136
hotel business, 136
House Calls, 145–146
Hunnicutt, Gayle, 204–205
Huntington Harbour project, 19–21
If I Ran the Circus (Dr. Seuss), 41–42
imagination, 41–42
insurance industry, 182
interest, taxes on, 70
interest rates, 74–76
John Zink Company (JZC), 79–81
JP Morgan Chase, 180
Jujamcyn Amusements, 152
Kamen, Stan, 6
Kempinski, Tom, 153
Klane, Bob, 143–144
Kleinfeld Bridal, 191–210
customer relations of, 204–209
homework on, 194
location for, 196–201
reinvigorated brand of, 202–204
Krugman, Paul, 180–181
Lastfogel, Abe, 6
Lazarus Medical, 77–89
Leucadia, 63–64
leverage, 183
Malone, Wallace, 170–171
Marx, Louis, Jr., 49–53
McGann, Eileen, 14
McGee, Max, 64
McNall, Bruce, 112–114
mergers, reverse, 79–83
microfilm/microfiche, 98–100
Minor, Phil, 138
A Month of Sundays, 158
Morgan, Charles, Sr., 22
Morgenthau, Robert, 140
Morris, Dick, 14
National Amusements, 109
NBC Universal, 141
Nederlander Organization, 152
News Corporation, 141
Oakland Athletics, 56–60, 114–115
One Terrific Guy, 139–140
Overseas National Airways, 50–51
Paradigm Capital, 187–188
partners, 53–67
personal investment of, 60–62
qualities of, 45
and sense of yourself, 66–67
similarity of mindsets in, 56–60
Pasadena, California, 95–96
Patri, Piero, 126–127
Patton, George, 121–122
Paulson, Henry “Hank,” 177–179
people
reading, 43–44
trusting, 49–53
understanding, 44
see also partners
perceived value, 104–105
Peregrine Systems, 16
Phoenix Acquisition Recovery Corporation, 85
playing field, 10–27
and changes in economy, 10–12
and knowledge of “the system,” 22–26
leveling, 26–27
and the problem of size, 12–15
and regulation, 16–21
power, size and, 15
private investment in a public entity (PIPE), 81
public companies, 82–83, see also reverse mergers
Ralston, Dennis, 66–67
Rawn, Stan, 52–53
real estate deals
challenging convention in, 97–98
creative financing in, 71–74
customer input for, 123–136
environmental issues with, 109–111
and interest rates, 74–76
redevelopment agencies, 93–97
Redstone, Sumner, 109
regulation, 16–21
of banks, 165, 167, 168, 171–173, 190
of public companies, 83
in real estate deals, 73
and size of companies, 11, 18–19
taking advantage of, 188
retail businesses, 193–194
reverse mergers, 79–83
risk assessment, 97–101
Rosewall, Ken, 66–67
Rosewood, 136
Rothstein, Ronnie, 191–194, 205, 206
Rumsfeld, Donald, 102
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 17–18
security, 31
Selfridge, Harry Gordon, 136
Semel, Terry, 113
Seuss, Dr., 41–42
sextants, 89–90
Sheetz, 27
show business, 137–163
business side of, 145–147
creativity in, 141–145
odds of success in, 160–163
producing in, 147–160
Shubert Organization, 152
Side Show, 150–151
size, 12–15
companies’ arguments for, 18–19
in show business, 141–142
and “too big to fail” companies, 11, 178, 180
Slaner, Alfred P., 46
Sony, 141
Speigelmyer, Mike, 129
Stanfill, Dennis, 54–55
Steinberg, Joe, 63–64
Stiglitz, Joe, 180–181
Strasberg, Lee, 154
swaps, 182
Swiss Army Brands, 52
technology companies, 98–101
Triangle Marine, 120
Trivers, Robert, 212
20th Century Fox, 53–54
Tyco, 16
Urshel, Mara, 192, 194, 205, 206
Veterans Administration (VA) financing, 129
Viacom, 141
Vishay Intertechnology, 17–18, 46
viticulture, 35–39
von Sydow, Max, 154
Wag the Dog, 73
Warner Bros., 112–114
Weatherly, Mike, 51–52
Weinberger, John, 37
Weisman, Wally, 161
Wolff, Lew, 16, 53–58, 95, 96, 112–115, 133–135, 166
WorldCom, 16
Wynn, Steve, 133