The Republic of Tea: The Story of the Creation of a Business, as Told Through the Personal Letters of Its Founders

About the book

The creation of The Republic of Tea told in real time through the actual letters and faxes between its founders — the idea, the doubts, the deal terms, the launch. A rare unfiltered look at the messy conversations that happen before a company exists.

Why read it

Best if you want a close-source look at the conversations, artifacts, doubts, terms, and launch materials that sit before a company becomes legible from the outside.

Evidence and original sources

David highlights the book's appendix — early catalogs, sketches, product ideas, and ads — as alone worth the price of the book.

• Wild Company: The Untold Story of Banana Republic — David identifies the founders' later company as The Republic of Tea and says the three partners wrote a book about starting it.
• The Republic of Tea: The Story of the Creation of a Business, as Told Through the Personal Letters of Its Founders — This entire episode is dedicated to The Republic of Tea, which David introduces by title, subtitle, and all three co-founder authors at the start of the show.
• Who Is Michael Ovitz? — David points back to the prior week's Republic of Tea discussion while comparing Mel's narrative hints and advice to Ovitz developing a retrospective narrative.
• Walter and Olive Ann Beech (Aviation Legends) — David references Founders #52 on The Republic of Tea as a comparison for books built from founders' private communications.