Jump to content

Berkshire Beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values - Lawrence Cunningham


Parsad

Recommended Posts

  • 4 months later...

I read this book avidly.  Terrific histories on several of the more important and lesser known BRK subsidiaries, such as the Marmon Group.  It was well researched and written.  I'm not persuaded necessarily by the professor's thesis regarding the principles that underlie BRK acquisitions, but it is thought provoking.  All in all, for a fan of BRK, I recommend the book. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I found it to be an enjoyable book.  There was nice coverage of a lot of businesses that don't often get discussed like MiTek, Marmon, Clayton, etc...Mr. Cunningham did a nice job of covering the history of them. 

 

The discussion of all the different components of what makes Berkshire special won't be surprising to many on this board, but I liked the way the key topics were broken out in the book with examples of businesses  used to highlight the key qualities.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I received this book for Christmas and am currently halfway through it.  I am finding the book too positive. Its like  reading something written by a corporate IR department. While I really enjoyed Cunningham's editing of Warren's annual letters, in this book every day is peaches and cream in the Berkshire empire and any mistake that happens at BH is just a temporary setback. I feel like I am reading a hagiography.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished the book last night.  I still found it too positive and cheery, but I must give the book its due for teaching me more about how decentralized Berkshire is.  I've always heard Warren joke that Berkshire leaves the companies alone to the point of abdication, but I don't think I really appreciated how much truth there is in that statement until reading the book.  If he spends more than a couple hours a year thinking about his little companies like Dairy Queen or Ben Bridge Jewelers, I'd be amazed.

 

Still, I would only recommend this book for Berkshire fans who want to learn more details about some of the less publicized subsidiary companies. For more critical analysis I would recommend the Lowenstein and Schroeder books.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
Guest longinvestor

I did not see this book discussed because it was buried several pages deep...

 

Just finished reading this book. Agree with other posters that it is well researched, somewhat to overly positive etc.

 

Overall, it is well worth a read; I would in fact highly recommend it to folks who have a large proportion of their networth in BRK. (I do). The continuity of culture is paramount to my continuing ownership; Cunningham addresses this fairly well from different angles but for me, the pivotal signal that the future will be similar to the past will come when the insider cohort owns over 30% of BRK as Buffett did before his planned giving started. The anecdotes provided by Cunningham suggests something like a 10% ownership by the insider cohort as of 2014. I would like to hear an update on this. Also, if the company is successful buying, say, $50 to $100 B of stock over the next decade, that will be tantamount to increased insider ownership. 

 

And, of course, there is no replacement for Buffett. This became clearer to me after this book. Believing otherwise is like believing in tooth fairy tales.

 

I listened to the book on Audible. Twice already. It has made my driving time very interesting!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not see this book discussed because it was buried several pages deep...

 

Just finished reading this book. Agree with other posters that it is well researched, somewhat to overly positive etc.

 

Overall, it is well worth a read; I would in fact highly recommend it to folks who have a large proportion of their networth in BRK. (I do). The continuity of culture is paramount to my continuing ownership; Cunningham addresses this fairly well from different angles but for me, the pivotal signal that the future will be similar to the past will come when the insider cohort owns over 30% of BRK as Buffett did before his planned giving started. The anecdotes provided by Cunningham suggests something like a 10% ownership by the insider cohort as of 2014. I would like to hear an update on this. Also, if the company is successful buying, say, $50 to $100 B of stock over the next decade, that will be tantamount to increased insider ownership. 

 

And, of course, there is no replacement for Buffett. This became clearer to me after this book. Believing otherwise is like believing in tooth fairy tales.

 

I listened to the book on Audible. Twice already. It has made my driving time very interesting!

 

I agree with all you have said.

 

And I have twitted many parts of this book because, besides the continuity of culture and the fact there is no replacement for Buffett, I have found it interesting and useful to know lots of businesses BRK has acquired through the years better.

 

Cheers,

 

Gio

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest longinvestor

I did not see this book discussed because it was buried several pages deep...

 

Just finished reading this book. Agree with other posters that it is well researched, somewhat to overly positive etc.

 

Overall, it is well worth a read; I would in fact highly recommend it to folks who have a large proportion of their networth in BRK. (I do). The continuity of culture is paramount to my continuing ownership; Cunningham addresses this fairly well from different angles but for me, the pivotal signal that the future will be similar to the past will come when the insider cohort owns over 30% of BRK as Buffett did before his planned giving started. The anecdotes provided by Cunningham suggests something like a 10% ownership by the insider cohort as of 2014. I would like to hear an update on this. Also, if the company is successful buying, say, $50 to $100 B of stock over the next decade, that will be tantamount to increased insider ownership. 

 

And, of course, there is no replacement for Buffett. This became clearer to me after this book. Believing otherwise is like believing in tooth fairy tales.

 

I listened to the book on Audible. Twice already. It has made my driving time very interesting!

 

I agree with all you have said.

 

And I have twitted many parts of this book because, besides the continuity of culture and the fact there is no replacement for Buffett, I have found it interesting and useful to know lots of businesses BRK has acquired through the years better.

 

Cheers,

 

Gio

 

Yes, it was great to hear the stories of the businesses that are now subsidiaries of BRK. Clearly Buffett relies very much on the key man in charge. One interesting tidbit Cunningham points out is that there is one sub which is on it's fourth generation of family ownership and many in their third generation ownership. My experience with the the business world is that the ownership interest surviving three generations is rare. Most businesses end up in the bowels of private equity or corporations.

 

This means that Omaha, post-Buffett, has to continue the hands off approach, especially when it comes to leadership transition at the subs. You know, the piece of paper with recommended successor's name lying in Buffett's desk drawer!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest longinvestor

Another insightful tidbit from the book,

 

35 acquisitions researched, here's where they came through,

11 sellers approached Berkshire

9 business contacts

7 friends and relatives

4 Berkshire approached seller

3 Strangers

1 Broker....(Sokol engaged Citi to Buffett's surprise)

 

Key piece of the culture, which the next guy won't try to tinker with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...
  • Parsad changed the title to Berkshire Beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values - Lawrence Cunningham

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...