Rich Barton's Journey to Success

Rich Barton's entrepreneurial spirit was sparked at a young age, growing up in a family of modest means where he had to work multiple jobs to support his family.

He attended Stanford University, where he earned a degree in computer science and began his career at Microsoft, working on the company's search engine.

Barton's experience at Microsoft laid the foundation for his future successes, as he learned the importance of innovation and taking calculated risks.

After leaving Microsoft, Barton co-founded Expedia, which would go on to revolutionize the travel industry and make him a household name.

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Rich Barton's early life was shaped by his upbringing in New Canaan, Connecticut, where his parents, a teacher and mechanical engineer, instilled in him a strong work ethic.

Growing up, Rich developed a sense of entrepreneurial spirit, running his own ice cream business as a kid. He also learned valuable skills by working on a crew with friends, doing house painting.

These early experiences taught Rich the value of real work, which would stay with him throughout his career.

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Growing up in New Canaan, Connecticut, had a profound impact on Rich Barton's life. He was raised by a teacher and a mechanical engineer, which likely instilled in him a strong work ethic from a young age.

Rich graduated from Stanford University in 1989 with a degree in engineering, which set him up for a successful career. He first worked for Alliance Consulting Group, and then landed a job at Microsoft as product manager for MS-DOS 5.0 in 1991.

As a kid, Rich was no stranger to hard work. He ran his own ice cream business, which taught him the value of entrepreneurship and taking calculated risks. He also learned how to do house painting and worked on a crew with friends, which showed him the importance of teamwork and manual labor.

Rich's childhood experiences had a lasting impact on his career. He was able to apply the skills and values he learned as a kid to his future endeavors, making him a well-rounded and successful individual.

Rich's educational background at Stanford was quite unique. He majored in Industrial Engineering, a field that focuses on manufacturing efficiencies, optimization, and simulation.

He eventually created his own degree track, called "General Engineering: Industrial Economics", which shows his willingness to think outside the box and explore different areas of interest.

Rich's education at Stanford laid the foundation for his future success, and his unconventional approach to learning is something to be admired.

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Rich Barton's career is a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit. He founded Expedia within Microsoft in 1994.

Barton's vision for an online travel booking service was born out of his experience with text-based internet services of the time. He pitched the idea to Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Nathan Myhrvold, and they gave him the green light to move forward.

Expedia debuted on the web in 1996 and was a huge success, with Barton serving as CEO until 2003. The company was acquired for $3.6 billion during his tenure.

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After taking a break from the business community, Barton returned to Seattle in 2004 and began working on a new venture, Zillow, with Lloyd Frink. He was CEO of Zillow from its founding until 2010, and again from 2019 until 2024.

Barton's hard work paid off, as he became a billionaire in 2020 according to Forbes after Zillow reported strong earnings.

Company naming is a crucial step in creating a successful business. Making up a word for your business is super challenging because you have to tell customers what the word means, but if it works, you gain massive advantages in brand equity and recognition.

To make the process easier, Rich Barton has created a rulebook for company naming. According to Rule #1, using the most distinct letters in the alphabet can help your company stand out.

Here are some strategies for coming up with words for your company:

Rich Barton's Rule #2 suggests that fewer syllables are better than more. This is because shorter names are often easier to remember and more catchy.

A good company name should be associated with positive things, according to Rule #3. This can help create a positive emotional response in customers and make them more likely to choose your company.

Rule #4 states that the name should be able to be turned into a verb easily. This can make your company name more memorable and easier to use in everyday conversation.

Some other tips for company naming include using double letters and palindromes, as suggested by Rule #5. These can make your name more distinctive and easier to remember.

By following these rules and strategies, you can create a company name that is memorable, easy to pronounce, and associated with positive things.

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Rich Barton is a highly accomplished American entrepreneur who has founded multiple online companies, including Expedia, Zillow, and Glassdoor. He currently serves as the CEO of Zillow Group.

Rich has had a remarkable career, with a notable stint at Microsoft. He has also been a board member for Glassdoor, which demonstrates his ability to lead and advise successful companies.

Rich has a lot to share, and in this conversation with Tim Ferriss, he discusses lessons learned from his early days at Microsoft, among other topics.

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