Phone Call to the Top, Then Show Up Anyway

“That purchase was noteworthy not only for Heatley’s age, but because it was the first example of the simple and direct way that he would go about many of his business forays in later life. He would see an opportunity, find out who knew about it, and pick up the phone to talk to them.”

“Again, Heatley reached for the phone. He got through to George Roberts, one of the world’s foremost names in leveraged buyouts. The pair had never met, but Heatley said he would like to fly to Roberts’ San Francisco office and sit down with him to talk about the possibility of Rainbow buying a stake in Woolworths Australia. Roberts agreed but told Heatley he could promise him only 10 minutes. He was polite but not encouraging. ‘If you want to come all this way, well, okay.’ Then he added, ‘I wouldn’t make the trip if I were you.’”