Letter 65: Zara Founder: Incredible Secrets of Amancio Ortega

You can't really read this book because its written in Spanish. Yes This is Amancio Ortega: The Man Who Created Zara by Covadonga O’Shea. The book is written in Spanish.

It highlights the story of Mr. Amancio Ortega and first let me give you some facts.

For many of you the first Love in fashion starts and ends with Zara products.

?? His net worth is $120 billion ?? He owns 60% of Inditex Group, the fast-fashion giant behind Zara ?? And here’s the twist: He’s one of the biggest tech landlords, leasing properties to companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple

This isn’t just about building a brand—it’s about diversifying into real estate empires! ????

But there is more that will blow your mind:

1. ?? He avoided cameras for years—no photos of him existed before Zara's parent company went public. Imagine being a founder today and not having the urge to go on LinkedIn.
2. ?? He never let anyone write a book about him and finally when he allowed a book about him, he made two unusual demands:

• Don't just tell good things about him, Tell the bad stuff too.
• Don’t make it just about me. Thousands helped build this company. Include their stories

3. ?? Ortega lived by rules most leaders wouldn’t:

• He has a rule, that oo one could call him "Mr. Ortega."
• Imagine remembering names, He knows every employee’s name.
• He insisted on honest feedback, even if it was harsh.

And here’s the kicker: Ortega once said, "I am nobody. Just a worker lucky enough to do what I love."

Success with zero ego—that’s the true mark of a leader.

4. He never raised his voice, he did not want anyone to suffer from his words. Yes read that again, he did not want anyone to suffer from his words.

And above all that is so fascinating for me

" Love what you do, so much that you would pay to do it"

Gosh, such an amazing line.