Pinkerton Agency Origins
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A story about how Allan Pinkerton started his famous detective agency in 1850 after discovering counterfeiters in the woods.
"Pinkerton started this company in 1850 because he was walking through the woods one day and saw a bunch of counterfeiters. He got curious, started watching them, and figured out what they were doing. He called the police, but they said they couldn't really solve it. He told them 'Give me a few weeks, I'll keep an eye on them and figure out what they're doing and where they're going.'
He does that, they get arrested, and he realizes 'I love doing this, this is very fun.' So he starts a small mom and pop business where he goes to other people and says 'Hey, do you want me to help you solve this crime? Just pay me a little bit of money and I'll go investigate it, report it to the police, and give them all the evidence they need.'
He does this for a handful of years and eventually works his way up to where the American government is paying him money. This is pre-Secret Service - his people actually protected Abe Lincoln. The Secret Service wasn't invented until after Lincoln got shot. The company grew so much that at their peak, they had more agents than the standing American army. Their motto was 'Pinkertons don't sleep' and their logo was an open eye."
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.