Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 27 minutes ago
Marcus Samuel turned his father’s London business into one of the most important companies in the history of the oil industry. But the path wasn’t easy. After striking gold and finding the right partnership, Samuel’s business was on the brink of failure after a bitter decade-long rivalry. But ingenious engineering, sponsorship, and deep involvement in both world wars ensured that it would emerge as one of the top 5 oil companies on the planet, even today. This is the story of Shell.
Marcus Samuel turned his father’s London business into one of the most important companies in the history of the oil industry. But the path wasn’t easy. After striking gold and finding the right partnership, Samuel’s business was on the brink of failure after a bitter decade-long rivalry. But ingenious engineering, sponsorship, and deep involvement in both world wars ensured that it would emerge as one of the top 5 oil companies on the planet, even today. This is the story of Shell.









![He Bought Louis Vuitton and turned LVMH into an Empire
Bernard Arnault is one of the richest men alive. Forbes has named him one of the worlds 100 greatest living business minds. And considering that he oversees a portfolio of over 70 brands and nearly 3,900 retail stores, that doesn’t seem to be an understatement.
As you can guess, amassing so many companies doesn’t happen without ruffling some feathers, though. And while Arnault was once a recluse who got his start in engineering and construction, he eventually made his fortune through brutal takeovers in a bid to collect as many luxury consumer brands as possible. Curious to find out how he turned LVMH into the empire that it is today and learn some useful business strategy lessons along the way? Then don’t miss this video!
Sources
Bernard Arnault
https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/bernard-arnault
https://historydraft.com/story/bernard-arnault/article/454
https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2017/09/26/business-icon-bernard-arnault-reveals-his-most-important-mentor-biggest-mistake-in-qa/?sh=1e11c212ccc2
https://theconservativeincomeinvestor.com/3-business-lessons-from-bernard-arnault/
https://macro-ops.com/lessons-from-business-greats-bernard-arnault/
LVMH
https://www.lvmh.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVMH
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/29/lvmh-agrees-158bn-takeover-of-tiffany
https://neckar.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-bernard-arnault
Criticism
Louis Vuittons *TOXIC* Work Environment [video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOyN2oA3gzY
“Thanks Boss / Merci patron!” [documentary]
“LVMH boss hits back at extreme leftists over depiction in film” [article]
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/14/lvmh-boss-criticises-extreme-left-over-film
Revealed: the Romanian site where Louis Vuitton makes its Italian shoes [article]
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/17/revealed-the-romanian-site-where-louis-vuitton-makes-its-italian-shoes He Bought Louis Vuitton and turned LVMH into an Empire](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fz9GyboQXK0/mqdefault.jpg)
