Webcasts Home
Browse:
- Biography, History
- Culture, Performing Arts
- Education
- Government
- Poetry, Literature
- Religion
- Science, Technology
More Audio, Video Resources at the Library
TITLE: Paul Orfalea: Copy This! Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic Who Turned a Bright Idea into One of America's Best Companies
SPEAKER: Paul Orfalea
EVENT DATE: 02/26/2007
RUNNING TIME: 58 minutes
TRANSCRIPT: View Transcript (link will open in a new window)
DESCRIPTION:
Paul Orfalea, the creative and inspiring founder of Kinko's (now FedEx Kinko's), discussed his theories and instincts on how to succeed, in business and in life in a program sponsored by the Science, Technology and Business Division. Orfalea based his talk on his memoir, which he co-wrote with Ann Marsh, titled "Copy This! Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic Who Turned a Bright Idea into One of America's Best Companies."
Speaker Biography: Paul Orfalea began his business in a converted hamburger stand with a single copy machine and a $5,000 loan. He turned his entrepreneurial vision into a $2 billion-a-year company with more than 1,500 branches and 21,000 co-workers worldwide. Orfalea's success is especially impressive, in that he suffers from attention deficit disorder and dyslexia, and had struggled through school, failing two grades. In "Copy This!" Orfalea details how he used these potential disabilities to develop unorthodox approaches and create a culture at Kinko's that made the company, according to Fortune, Forbes and Working Mother magazines, one of the best places to work in America. In 2000, Orfalea retired from his position as Kinko's chairperson and assumed the role of chairperson emeritus. In 2004, Kinko's was acquired by the FedEx Corporation; Orfalea is no longer involved with FedEx Kinko's business management. Orfalea refers to his retirement as being "repurposed" and is now involved in a range of businesses, including financial asset management and business investment firms. Orfalea speaks to business groups and to organizations focused on learning differences