Reading rank 246
A Small Difference
, subject: Raymond Plank's memoir and entrepreneurial account of building Apache Corporation, 2012
A long-running entrepreneurial record shaped by the tension between independence, financial caution, and changeable markets.
67
Coverage Score
3
Scored evidence
About the book
Plank started the company in Minneapolis with two colleagues and $250,000 in seed capital, and the memoir draws on diaries he kept for more than eighty years, tracing the company's growth into a Houston-based oil and gas producer.
Why read it
Best if you want a founder’s extended account of balancing self-employment, financial conservatism, specialized expertise, and strategic reversals in a cyclical industry.
Key themes
- Independence tempered by financial caution
- Build around the work you do best
- Adaptation in a cyclical industry
Evidence and original sources
This record is supported by 9 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- How Raymond Plank Built a $50 Billion Oil Company — David identifies A Small Difference by Raymond Plank as the episode's featured book.