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

Rosemary Sutcliff

ISBN 10: 1415924007 ISBN 13: 9781415924006

Publisher: Books on Tape, 2005

Synopsis

Bill Moyers said this about Paul Orfalea after reading Copy This!: "If I could live my life over again, I would sit at his feet and listen to everything he has to say." And David Brancaccio, host of NOW on PBS, wrote: "As the host for a decade of a daily business program, I had to read what seemed like every business book published in the English language. It is, therefore, with authority that I can say Paul Orfalea’s book is wonderful, heartbreaking, and profoundly useful."

Now in paperback, Copy This!, Paul Orfale's memoir of turning lemons into lemonade, is wise, personal, funny, unflinchingly honest, and filled with wisdom, business lessons, and his inspired Orfalea Aphorisms. It's the story of how a struggling kid who could barely read, write, or sit still managed to grow a 100-square-foot copy shop named Kinko's into a $1.5 billion empire that Fortune named one of the best places in America to work. And it's the story of an individual who saw his learning disabilities—ADHD and dyslexia—as learning opportunities, which molded the homegrown, compassionate culture that allowed Kinko's to thrive, and guided the behavior of a CEO who had no choice but to think different. A terrifically entertaining read from a born storyteller, but with the hardcore guts of true business acumen, Copy This! will blow fresh air into the thinking of any manager, entrepreneur, executive, or business owner.

About this title

About the Author

Paul Orfalea founded Kinko’s in 1970 and retired from the company in 2000. He frequently teaches at the University of Southern California and talks to educational and business organizations around the country. Through the Orfalea Family Foundation, Mr. Orfalea supports a broad range of educational initiatives. He lives with his family in Santa Barbara, California.

From the Back Cover

Copy This! tells the story of how a struggling kid who could barely read, write, or sit still managed to grow a 10'-by-10' copy stand into a $2 billion business empire. Of how an individual used learning disabilities—ADHD and dyslexia—as learning opportunities to mold the homegrown, compassionate culture that allowed Kinko's to thrive. No reader, in business or out, will leave this book without looking at the world and its problems with fresh eyes and ideas.

From the Inside Flap

Copy This!, Paul Orfalea's inspiring, personal story of turning lemons into lemonade, may be the most unusual business memoir ever published.

Paul Orfalea struggles mightily to read, to write, and to sit still through a business meeting. So what's the problem? By working with the obstacles life dealt him he calls his dyslexia and ADHD "learning opportunities" he grew a 100-square-foot copy shop named Kinko's into a $1.5 billion-a-year company that Fortune named one of the best places in America to work.

This is the story of a boy who flunked out of second grade a boy who was fired by a gas station for writing illegible receipts. But it's also the story of a boy who learned from the world directly, who was brave enough to fail, who knew he had to rely on other people. A boy who developed empathy, a particular gift of his dyslexia that gave Orfalea the crucial insight into what makes Kinko's work. When Paul Orfalea first looked out on the worried, hopeful faces of his customers, he knew that he was in the problem-solving business at four cents a page. Kinko's doesn't so much handle paper as it handles dreams.

Paul Orfalea really did do it his way. With humor, wisdom, and compassion, he shares his invaluable experiences and unorthodox business lessons with the millions of those who are just a little bit "different," and who wonder if there's a place for them in the world. There is: at the top.

Reviews

Adult/High School–What's to become of a hyperactive boy with dyslexia who can't sit through a full lesson and who spends more time in the principal's office than in class? If he is Paul Orfalea, he turns potentially overwhelming challenges into strategic opportunities and grows up to nurture a small copying firm into a $2-billion-a-year operation called Kinko's. This effervescent memoir tells how he did it, not least by making the most of his advantages--including intelligence, imagination, pep, and a close extended family of Lebanese-American origins--and by realizing early on that his reading, writing, and attention problems meant that he needed others to help him achieve his dreams. His unconventional, team-based approach to business and his can-do philosophy for success are explained in 12 entertaining chapters called Lessons. Each one offers numerous cogent tips from the author as well as recollections and comments contributed by longtime colleagues. Written with wit and style, this book offers much to inspire readers with obstacles to overcome or who march to a different drummer.–Starr E. Smith, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The now-retired founder of Kinko's mixes autobiographical anecdote with large doses of business advice in this candid, conversational account of his entrepreneurial rise. With the help of coauthor Marsh, Orfalea replicates much of the usual business wisdom, like customers come first and keep your co-workers happy and motivated. More original are his autobiographical sections, which explain how a man with dyslexia, an uncontrollable temper and a mistrust of authority managed to grow a tiny California copy shop into a $2-billion-a-year company. His difficulties gave him "learning opportunities," he explains. "They propelled [him] to think differently," he says, and to develop "an unorthodox, people-centered, big-picture business model" that relied heavily on the intelligence and skill of his franchise managers. Orfalea's exuberant and irreverent attitude—he freely admits to cheating in school and relying on others to get him through college—will entertain many readers, and his sanguine acceptance of his dyslexia will inspire many others. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The youthful sounding Todd Cummings is perfect for the charming story of Kinko's founder, Paul Orfalea. A dyslexic misfit whose family nurtured his deepest ambitions, Orfalea developed a philosophy of life that emphasizes character, social initiative, ingenuity, and a willingness to partner with talented people. His message will be enormously inspirational to anyone whose talents and disabilities make schoolwork impossible or who has unrealized aspirations. The mundane details of his path to success provide a motivating picture of what's possible when you believe in yourself and are realistic about your limitations. The production also looks squarely at what it takes to be successful in a large retail business today. A lively interview with the author gives additional texture to the program. T.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Books on Tape
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1415924007
• ISBN 13: 9781415924006
• Binding: Audio CD