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

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Overview


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...

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Overview


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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
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 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
As the founder of Kinko's copy shops, now a $2-billion-a-year company, Orfalea is currently seen as a consummate entrepreneur. He was not always marked for success, however. Unable to read because of dyslexia, he was expelled from four different schools and finally graduated in the bottom 1 percent of his high school class (with an emphasis on wood shop). His subsequent success in creating a copy-shop empire is a testament to his vision and determination, as well as his choosing good people to work with. This skill at working with others is one of the 14 "lessons" Orfalea presents with coauthor Marsh (a former staff writer for Forbes); other lessons focus on business philosophy, management style, and knowing oneself. The text, which is easygoing and eminently readable, abounds with interesting anecdotes about the early days of the business. While framed as a business how-to book, it is really more a personal reflection on the author and his career. Purchase for larger business collections or where there is interest.-Susan Hurst, Miami University, Oxford OH. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
School Library Journal
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 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780761137771
  • Publisher: Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
  • Publication date: 8/28/2005
  • Pages: 248
  • Sales rank: 712,072
  • Product dimensions: 6.25 (w) x 9.25 (h) x 0.81 (d)

Meet 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.

Ann Marsh first met and wrote about Paul Orfalea as a staff writer for Forbes magazine. She lives in Costa Mesa, California.

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