Welcome to The Strategy Files—a newsletter about history's most successful founders in tech, fashion, beauty, and culture. I study the icons, you apply their strategies; you win.

This week’s Subscriber Shoutout goes to Shelly, founder of Ne Plus Ultra Atelier. From Shelly:

“Ne Plus Ultra Atelier is a styling and interior curation company shaped by a background in clinical care and fine arts. I curate wardrobes and spaces that align with how people live and what they value. Each project is personal. Nothing is rushed or templated. All human-made!

I also co-curate small gatherings that make space for real connection. These events are designed with care and intention, offering people a place to show up fully and feel part of something real. Over time, they’ve become a quiet way to strengthen community in a world that often feels disconnected.”

Now let’s jump into the lessons we learned from reading Built To Fail: Inside Blockbuster’s Inevitable Bust.

There was a time when everyone loved Blockbuster.

We loved it so much that a new location opened every 17 HOURS in the '90s. Not days. HOURS. In the time it took you to decide between renting Clueless for the 20th time or finally giving The Long Kiss Goodnight a chance, another Blockbuster had materialized in an American suburb. 

At its peak, Blockbuster had 9,094 stores globally, employed over 84,000 people, and served a staggering 65 million committed customers. 

Blockbuster was making $800 MILLION annually just from late fees — profiting from our collective inability to return Titanic on time.

But we didn’t care about late fees—because we loved Blockbuster. 

Today’s Lessons

The question is, how can we get people to fall in love with your business the way we all collectively fell in love with Blockbuster? 

1. Validate your idea before committing to it

2. Sometimes thinking bigger means slowing down

3. Build a team that prioritizes speed

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Another lesson from Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbusters Inevitable Bust. I want to talk about speed, moving quickly, and deleg... See more

Validate your idea before committing to it