#3 - Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's Community of Businesses, Author, Philosopher, and Anarchist

Uncommon Business

Peter sits down with Ari Weinzweig, the co-founder of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In 1982 Ari opened Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor Michigan with just 2 employees and a small selection of exceptional specialty foods and sandwiches. Today, Zingerman’s has developed into a community of 14 different businesses with hundreds of employees and tens of millions of dollars in annual revenues.
In addition to being an incredible entrepreneur and leader, Ari is also a prolific writer and author. Ari has written multiple books about business, leadership, management, and beliefs, and every week he sends out a thoughtful multi-thousand word essay via his newsletter.
Through his writing, Ari has inspired thousands of business leaders and employees to think differently about their business and their operations. As we note in the episode, we think Ari is actually a philosopher disguised as a business person.
Last year, Ari and his business partners transitioned the company to Perpetual Purpose Trust ownership. They are one of the higher profile businesses in the country to have made the leap to Trust ownership.
Buckle up, because we cover a lot of ground in this episode.
TOPICS WE DISCUSSED:
[00:00] Teaser Clip and Introduction
[04:08] What Ari learned while washing dishes at Mauds
[05:18] Ari’s entrepreneurial path and starting his own thing
[06:36] Ari’s decision to hire a full time illustrator in 1991 + The Natural Laws of Business
[09:53] The process of writing the mission and guiding principles for the organization
[12:47] Favorite guiding principle
[14:21] Rule-breaking with a philosophical foundation
[16:21] Ari's pamphlets
[20:53] What does it mean to be anarchist? And what are some common misconceptions about anarchy and anarchists?
[31:44] Who is Emma Goldman?
[36:05] What are some things that Ari tried and failed?
[38:36] What is Ari focusing on lately in business
[39:13] What is the Zingerman's approach to business?
[47:35] What's one thing Ari has learned from Seth Godin?
[49:37] What is a vision, and how is it different from a strategic plan?
[54:28] Zingerman's 2032 vision
[01:00:37] Ari’s current personal vision for 2030
[01:03:51] Visioning process
[01:06:33] What recent beliefs has Ari changed? And how did he go about that?
[01:10:58] What are Ari's beliefs that he hides or he doesn't advertise because he feels they aren't socially acceptable?
[01:13:20] How does Ari personally handle transitions?
[01:16:31] The role of trust in organizations and strategies for building trust among team members
[01:26:38] The analogy of an old growth forest applied to businesses and communities
[01:30:59] What is the energy crisis facing the American workplace, and how do we fix it?
[01:35:20] How does Ari keep his head in the game? How does Ari manage his own energy?
[01:38:21] Ari’s reading routine and how he decide what to read next
[01:44:15] Book recommendations
[01:45:27] A good recipe Ari cooked recently
[01:47:31] Appreciations
[01:48:22] Post-interview debrief with Peter and Keeley