I firmly believe in two quotes often attributed to Mr. Warren Buffett:
“The best thing I did was choose the right heroes.”
“Tell me who your heroes are, and I’ll tell you how you’ll turn out to be.”
These quotes highlight the power of role models and how deeply they shape who we become.
That’s why I’m constantly on the lookout for people who inspire me — role models whose principles and actions I can learn from and follow.
In his 2014 annual letter
Mr. Buffett mentioned a close friend of his: Jorge Paulo Lemann. Buffett is usually modest with his praise, but something felt different this time. About Lemann, he wrote:
“My friend – and now partner – Jorge Paulo and his team are among the best businessmen in the world. He is a fantastic person and his story should be an inspiration to everybody, as it is for me”
“Whatever the structure, we feel good when working with Jorge Paulo.”
That caught my attention.
He even recommended the book “Dream Big”, a kind of business biography about Lemann and his partners.
I ended up reading it in just one day.
The story of Lemann is incredible. Along with his lifelong business partners, he built a colossal empire — spanning continents and industries. The book goes deep into the mindset and strategy that Lemann uses to build and manage businesses, regardless of their size or culture.
This blog post does a great job summarizing some of the key principles Lemann lives by:
👉 12 Things I Learned from Jorge Paulo Lemann
An interesting conversation with Mr. Lemann
Lemann may not be as widely known as Buffett or Munger, but he is undeniably one of the most effective business minds of our time — and for me, he’s now a new hero to learn from.
Sonho grande !