Copy This!: Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic Who Turned a Bright Idea into One of America's Best Companies

About the book

Co-written with Ann Marsh, this memoir connects Orfalea's learning differences to Kinko's operating model: local autonomy, profit sharing, customer-first problem solving, and a founder who traveled between stores collecting and spreading useful ideas.

Why read it

Best if you are a founder or operator looking for practical ways to learn from customers and frontline employees, distribute ideas across locations, and focus on the work only you can do.

Evidence and original sources

This record is supported by 25 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.

• Johnny Carson — David names the Kinko's founder's autobiography and applies Orfalea's habit of asking questions rather than pretending to know every answer.
• Isadore Sharp (Four Seasons) — David explicitly returns to the Kinko's book for its customer-first operating lesson.
• Joe Coulombe (Founder of Trader Joes) — David identifies the Kinko's book from a few episodes earlier and recommends listening to or reading it while discussing differentiated retail opportunities.
• Henry Ford and Thomas Edison — David identifies the recently covered Paul Orfalea book while comparing founders' strengths.
• Jim Casey (Founder of UPS) — David applies Orfalea's unfiltered-voicemail practice and decentralized-store information lesson.
• Georges Doriot (Birth of Venture Capital) — David compares Doriot's information gathering with Orfalea's practice of learning directly from frontline employees.