GameStop Founder Sold Kinko’s for $2.4 Billion Cash 🤯🤯🤯 | Gary Kusin
Gary Kusin is a mentor, investor, entrepreneur, and business advisor. He today advises an array of public and private companies, large and small, on strategy, management, and growth issues. In addition, Gary continues his full mentoring schedule and has mentored well over 500 individuals during his career. Mr. Kusin co-founded two companies, Babbage’s, operating as GameStop (NYSE: GME), and Laura Mercier Cosmetics, which are well-known global brands today. Gary spent 13 years as a senior advisor to the global private equity firm TPG, including a large amount of his time mentoring CEOs of TPG portfolio companies. He served from 2001-2006 as president and chief executive officer of Kinko’s, today operating as FedEx Office. Mr. Kusin was responsible for the turnaround, strategic growth, and transformation of Kinko’s and oversaw the ultimate sale to FedEx, directly reporting to Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, for the 2 years required to integrate Kinko’s into FedEx and be renamed FedEx Office.
An Inc. magazine “Entrepreneur of Year” award winner, he has served many public and private firms in America and abroad, including Electronic Arts, Petco, Sabre, and Myer Department Stores in Australia.
Mr. Kusin has been very involved in Dallas community activities throughout his career. A representative sample of organizations and positions include the St. Mark’s School of Texas Board of Trustees, the Dallas Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) chairman, the Dallas Citizens Council Board of Directors, and the Southwestern Medical School Foundation.
A member of the University of Texas McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame, Mr. Kusin earned a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. A native of Texarkana, Texas, Gary lives in Dallas with his wife Karleen. Their four children, spouses, and 11 grandchildren live from coast to coast with most pursuing their own entrepreneurial journeys.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:51 Best BBQ in Texas
01:38 Gary's new book (and why he didn't want to write one)
08:45 Gary's childhood
10:18 Integration in Texarkana
11:56 Backed by two presidential candidates
13:34 Raised by immigrants
16:00 University of Texas
17:07 Is college necessary?
21:15 Being open-minded
22:11 Turning Kinko's around
23:40 The 9/11 story you've probably never heard
27:02 Working in San Francisco
29:06 Getting started in retail
32:30 Starting the first video game company in the world
33:28 Charles Babbage
35:19 The first video game systems Babbage's sold
36:48 Gaining traction in year one
37:51 Ross Perot invested in GameStop
40:35 Where the name GameStop came from
45:00 Entering the cosmetic industry
47:04 Don't follow your passion
51:30 The GameStop bankruptcy
57:13 Gamestop stock explained
1:03:00 Serviced office industry/selling Kinko's to FedEx
1:09:55 Mentorships are critical
1:12:10 Advice for young people starting their careers
1:18:00 Work harder AND smarter
1:19:21 Don't have mentors in your company
1:21:35 Attracting the right mentor
1:24:19 Don't sacrifice your life for your career
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