INTRODUCTION
This Is Not Your Typical Business Book

In 1973, at 17 years of age, I left my home in Scottsdale, Arizona, and hitchhiked to Berkeley. I was the youngest of three kids, and my brother and sister had both gone to Pomona College in California—a rather expensive private school. We were comfortable enough when I was a child, and though my dad didn’t make a huge amount of money as a structural engineer and my mom didn’t work at the time, we lived in middle-class neighborhoods and went to decent public schools. Although I’ve never talked much about it with my dad, I assume that putting my brother and sister through college (even though they contributed) was not an easy task for him. I’d gotten into a bit of trouble a year or so before I left home, and to be honest, I wasn’t the best ....