This edition is brought to you by Athyna

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Saturday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world’s most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

Today, we’re covering Andrew Carnegie and his journey to becoming the richest man in the world.

If you enjoy this, feel free to forward along to a friend or colleague who might too. First time reading? Sign up here.

What you’ll learn:

• How Andrew Carnegie did forge a fortune

• Lessons on making your workers partners, not just employees, invest in technology, even when it hurts, cultivate mentors and learn from them

• Quotes on focus, self-worth, and wealth

Cheers,

Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. We want to be worthy of your time. I respond to every email.

Andrew Carnegie

Born in 1835 in a small Scottish town, Andrew Carnegie grew up in poverty. His family lived in a single room, struggling to make ends meet. When Carnegie was 13, they emigrated to America seeking a better life.

In Pittsburgh, young Andrew started work as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill. $1.20 a week. Long hours. Gruelling conditions. But he was determined to succeed.

"The first thing I got to do was to find myself a job," Carnegie later wrote. "No kind of work was then considered too hard or too mean for me."

Carnegie was smart. Ambitious. He taught himself through borrowed books and night classes. At 17, he landed a job as a telegraph operator. His big break.

The railroad industry was booming. Carnegie saw an opportunity. He worked his way up at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, impressing his bosses with his work ethic and business acumen. By his mid-20s, he was superintendent of the Pittsburgh Division.

But Carnegie wanted more. He started investing his savings in iron and steel companies. Smart moves. The Civil War drove up demand for iron and steel. Carnegie's investments paid off. Big time.

In 1865, at age 30, Carnegie left the railroad to focus on his own business ventures. He founded the Keystone Bridge Company. Then Carnegie Steel. His timing was perfect. America was industrializing rapidly. Steel was the future.

Carnegie was ruthlessly efficient. He vertically integrated his operations. Cut costs. Crushed competition. Workers suffered. The 1892 Homestead Strike was a black mark on his legacy.

"The man who dies rich, dies disgraced," Carnegie once said. He lived up to that motto. By 1901, Carnegie Steel was the largest steel company in the world. J.P. Morgan bought it for $480 million. Carnegie's share? $225 million. Nearly $7 billion in today's dollars.

Carnegie retired at 66. Gave away 90% of his wealth. Built libraries. Funded universities. Supported world peace. His philanthropy was as ambitious as his business ventures.

"I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise distribution," he wrote.

Carnegie died in 1919, leaving behind a complicated legacy. Ruthless businessman. Generous philanthropist. Rags to riches.

His story shows what's possible with determination, hard work, and a bit of luck. But it also highlights the human cost of unchecked capitalism. Carnegie's life raises questions we still grapple with today. About wealth. Inequality. Social responsibility.

Love him or hate him, Carnegie's impact is undeniable. From a poor immigrant to the richest man in the world.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Make your workers partners, not just employees. Carnegie introduced profit-sharing schemes for his top managers. This wasn't charity. It was smart business. He believed that giving workers a stake in the company's success would motivate them to work harder and smarter. "The secret of success lies not in doing your own work, but in recognizing the right man to do it," he said. His managers became some of the wealthiest men in America. What if you gave your key employees equity or profit-sharing? It might cost you in the short term, but could pay off big in the long run.

Lesson 2: Invest in technology, even when it hurts. Carnegie was ruthless about upgrading his factories. He'd rip out perfectly good equipment to install the latest tech. This was expensive and disruptive. But it kept him ahead of the competition. "The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell," he quipped. Are you willing to cannibalize your own business to stay ahead? It's painful, but sometimes necessary.

Lesson 3: Cultivate mentors and learn from them. Carnegie attributed much of his success to the mentors he had early in his career. He learned telegraphy from a local operator, business strategy from his boss at the railroad, and investing from seasoned financiers. "No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it," he observed. Who are your mentors? Are you learning all you can from them?

Lesson 4: Focus on cost, not just revenue. Carnegie was obsessed with reducing costs. He'd track the cost of every nail used in his factories. This allowed him to undercut competitors and still make a profit. "Watch the costs and the profits will take care of themselves," he said. Are you paying as much attention to your expenses as you are to your sales?

Lesson 5: Vertically integrate to control your destiny. Carnegie didn't just build steel mills. He bought iron ore deposits, coal mines, and railroads. This gave him control over his entire supply chain. You might think this is obvious, but it wasn't back then. Most businesses focused on one part of the process. Carnegie saw the bigger picture. By owning every step, he could cut costs and outmaneuver competitors. Think about your business. Are there parts of your process you could bring in-house?

Hire remote employees with confidence

Two years ago, I hired an offshore assistant , and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. From marketing to customer support, it’s helped streamline work and boost productivity.

Athyna is a service that finds top remote employees in <5 days in Latam, Africa, and Sth East Asia. They cover roles in finance, creative, engineering, and product, sourcing top talent from companies like Google, AWS, Microsoft, and more.

If you’re in the market for talent, visit their website to explore options and cover all your hiring needs.

Andrew Carnegie Quotes

On focus: "Concentrate your energies, your thoughts and your capital. The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches the basket."

On self-worth: "Do not look for approval except for the consciousness of doing your best."

On wealth: "The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced."

On self-improvement: "There is no class so pitiably wretched as that which possesses money and nothing else."

On motivation: "People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."

On delegation: "No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it."

On perseverance: "Anything in life worth having is worth working for."

On judgement: "The older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do."

Further Readings

• Andrew Carnegie's Story - Carnegie Corporation of New York

• The Gospel of Wealth - Carnegie Corporation of New York

• Biography: Andrew Carnegie | American Experience - PBS

• Andrew Carnegie | Biography, Company, Steel, Philanthropy, Books - Britannica

• Suggested Further Reading – Carnegie Libraries of Britain

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

⎯

Build Global Teams, Save Smart

Hiring remote talent has been one of the most impactful decisions I’ve made, supporting everything from marketing and customer support to operations and admin.

I’ve used Athyna, a global talent platform that helps companies quickly hire top professionals from talent-rich regions like Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa — often delivering up to 70% cost savings. They move fast (under 5 days), and cover roles across engineering, marketing, design, and ops.

Athyna sources talent from companies like Facebook, Uber, Zoom, and Salesforce, so you’re not sacrificing quality, just unlocking global efficiency. Highly recommend giving them a look.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

Send us your feedback and help us continuously improve our content and achieve our mission. We want to hear from you and respond to everyone.

Interested in reaching Founders, Operators, and Investors like you? To become a Faster Than Normal partner, apply here.