No One Succeeds Alone: Learn Everything You Can from Everyone You Can

by Robert Reffkin

The inspirational story of Compass CEO Robert Reffkin, whose mother, mentors, and search for belonging taught him valuable lessons that anyone with a dream can put into action today to improve their own quality of life
 
No one expected a dreadlocked fifteen-year-old who cared more about his DJ business than his homework to grow up to become one of the youngest-ever White House fellows, create multiple nonprofits, and found a multibillion-dollar company. But Robert Reffkin — raised by an Israeli immigrant single mother, disowned by his maternal grandparents for being Black, and abandoned by his father — has always defied the odds.

Compass’s mission is to help everyone find their place in the world, and in these pages, Reffkin distills the wisdom he’s gathered along his journey. Each chapter offers a part of his life story and a practical lesson, such The advice in No One Succeeds Alone will inspire you to dream bigger than you ever have before, realize your full potential, and give back by helping make someone else’s dreams come true, too. All author proceeds from  No One Succeeds Alone  are being donated to nonprofits that help young people realize their dreams.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Memoir, Leadership, Self Help, Biography, Audiobook

240 pages, Hardcover

Published May 4, 2021

Reviews

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

TRUE CONFESSION: I love Cinderella stories.

And Robert Reffkin has a compelling and inspirational modern-day Cinderella story to tell.

I recently heard Compass CEO Robert Reffkin interviewed on Guy Raz's HOW I BUILT THIS podcast and was instantly intrigued.

Robert Reffkin did not grow up on Easy Street.

Abandoned by his African American father, raised by his Israeli immigrant single mother, and disowned by his maternal grandparents for being an African American -- Reffkin grew up in a household where there was never enough money to pay the bills.

Yet Reffkin was able to defy the odds; graduating from Columbia University (in 2.5 years!) and co-founding Compass, a multibillion-dollar company.

Although I admire and respect Robert Reffkin's outstanding personal/professional achievements and incredible hustle, his book suffered from too much preaching and too many platitudes.

Reffkin's "You can not succeed alone" and "Learn everything you can from everyone you can" messaging was right on.

However, in addition to Reffkin's core message, I was also interested in hearing more about the "stories behind the stories" of Reffkin's success and the lessons that were learned from Reffkin's "You can not succeed alone" mentors.

When the book ended, I felt like I just waded through too much fluff and not enough substance and I WANTED MORE!

I listened to the audiobook, read by the author. I always love it when authors read their memoirs and Robert Reffkin did a superb job with the narration.

[Lydia Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book that will help you succeed in whatever you choose in your life. In simple terms it helps you realize that you can reach your goals through determination, hard work and staying focused. Don't let your past failures hold you back. This book will help you to succeed and help others reach their goals. My daughter is in college and I am giving it to her to read. Highly recommend.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read memoir, personal growth book with very digestible advice for young entrepreneurs. Reffkin's hustle will exhaust you just reading about it, but he has some very practical advice for the young and the old.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK read. But nothing he says in this book is truly original. It's the story of one man's success from an outcast to a successful entrepreneur built on many of the fundamentals and the adages passed down from one generation to another. His is a Cinderalla story. His words of wisdom are not original.

[Sampada Deshpande · Rating 1 out of 5]

His podcast episode with Guy Raz on How I Built This gives a better, more concise summary than the book. The book is mostly repetition and also felt a lot like ‘I did this so that happened’, ‘I reached out to him, hence this happened.’

He sounds much, much better than he writes (or his editor, edits). Highly recc the podcast episode instead.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me begin by stating I received this book through goodreads Giveaway and since it is not signed I believe it was provided by the publisher.

That said, I feel lucky I did win it because it was a really good book and a quick read. I'm not black. I'm not Jewish. I've not lived in NY. I've never started a company as large as Compass (although I do have partnerships in 2 really small ventures). So this was all such an insightful read for me.

I think he has more drive than I do just as an intrinsic value, which is much to his advantage and also shows in his greater success... but I don't feel bad about this at all. He has explained with patience how he did what he did, got where he got, and what it takes in this world to do the right thing and still be prosperous doing so (on many levels). So kudos to Robert Reffkin for his book. I appreciate the read and the advice.

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspriring story of an entreprenuer who reinforces the adage of "it takes a village" throughout his success. This was in the office at Compass and I used some down time reading it to get a sense of his philosophy and approach in his life. He has a wonderful mom who is a real survivor and instilled amazing values in him, and now he in his children and employees. Lean in to family and support system. Help each other. Lift one another. Great ethics. So glad I saw it on the table and picked it up.

[Melenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF - Pretty good from what I have read so far, but life is busy and I have no desire to continue reading. I might come back to it at some point. I think others will like this read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one’s great!

Lots of good lessons/concepts in this one.

4.5/5

Happy Reading, everybody!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice self-help/how to/memoir all rolled into one

this was a goodreads giveaway

[Barred Owl Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a book about achieving goals - it is so much more - the hardest task of actually defining your most important goals and then how to realize them! Filled with fascinating personal stories woven through the book to add inspiration to your journey.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring story of the founder of Compass real estate (the company I now work for). He writes about his upbringing and how his mom was very influential in his life as well as the experiences he had helped shaped the company he started.

[Jess Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

No One Succeeds Alone is an easy read book full of short digestible stories that usually end with a nugget of wisdom. I wouldn’t say that the story has an arc or follows a clear path for the read, but I did feel like there were some takeaways that made it worth the read. I like the fact that the book centered around the 8 principles of entrepreneurship. I just wish they were highlighted more.

My favorite part was towards the beginning.
“Don’t let rules get in the way of your dreams; most of them are bendable if you ask.”

He goes on to talk about how he graduated from Columbia at 2.5 years rather than 4 because he made a compelling case and asked directly.

“If I had assumed the rules were unbearable in the first place, I would have missed out on many formative experiences and been many years further behind in life than I am. To leap ahead, all I had to do was risk hearing the word “no” a few more times—a word we hear a lot in life whether we’re trying to move fast or not.”

[Anuj Menta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book felt very genuine. I think these are struggles all of us go through in real life but take them for granted.

I found a lot of inspiring moments and quotes in this book that I'd love to carry throughout in my life, and look forward to meeting Robert somewhere on the streets of NYC!

[Rose and Mike Mccarthy]

I won this book “No One Succeeds Alone,” by Robert Reffkin, through a GoodReads giveaway.

This is a remarkable book by the author, Robert Reffkin, but is not the typical “one man having a great success” story we usually see.
Robert, the Founder and CEO of Compass, is, in fact, very successful, but this book is not a tale of one man making his mark in the world alone. Instead, this story is one of many, many failures, sprinkled with great successes. He also shares the stories of the people who helped him become who he is today. This book reminds us that we cannot succeed if we try to go it alone. Robert says to “learn everything you can from everyone you can.” It makes total sense and by understanding his incredible journey, it allowed me to take great lessons to help me in my day-to-day work in a large corporation. I’m not planning to become a CEO in my lifetime, but I still took a lot from Roberts book. Everyone can read this well-written story and benefit from the lessons. I highly recommend it. Five stars.

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Reffkin's "No One Succeeds Alone" is an empowering book that anyone who is in a position to mentor others should consider reading. Reading Reffkin's person story will inspire anyone to help motive others, including his or herself, to reach their fullest potential. It is a great personal growth story! Highly recommend!

[Sean Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is prosperity gospel.

I mean, good for Reffkin to have gotten to where he is but this whole book is a business version of the self-help mantra of 'have faith, you will prosper' with a dash of 'work twice as hard as everyone else'.

One short page about the 2020 George Floyd protests and Reffkin's feeble reaction as one of the 1%. Two pages later, he quotes Henry Ford. smgdh

[Sharron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the highest I've ever rated a self-help book. It might have even worked better if it had just been a biography instead. I have a pet peeve about repetitiveness in books and that might have been fixed if you took out the advice (lessons could still have been part of the story).

[G]

Review coming soon, just won the book and added it to my library

[AJ B · Rating 3 out of 5]

15:13 06/07/21
Audio
Westport, CT

Well written and especially interesting because he is a relative. Made me grateful for all the privilege I have.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book but not what I was imagining.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Full of life lessons, professional lessons, and social lessons. I really recommend reading this one!

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, Robert Reffkin is the CEO of Compass, the real estate company I decided to partner with just over a year ago during the pandemic. Admittedly, I'd had a long-since bias about Compass, bundling them with other corporate broker models and start-up wannabes, but after spending a year working with them, I've discovered parts of my connection to real estate and ways to collaborate that I didn't know even existed. With that out of the way, the book here is a great story of one person's accomplishments in also finding a place to belong, overcoming adversities and judgment, and ultimately succeeding at the level of now being the largest residential brokerage in the US and a Fortune 500 company.

For me, the standout portions of his story are:
> Adaptability is key to growth and survival.
>Recognize that every interaction is an opportunity.
>Remember to be grateful for everyone who's helped you to get where you are.
>Mentorship (giving and receiving) and rites of passage are not to be underestimated.

These concepts are just a lead to the core principles that Robert has maintained as the driving force to his personal goals and company leadership. This excellent book was read at the perfect time for me. Like any good memoir or story of success, it holds a mirror up to the reader and challenges your own values in ways that feel both nourishing and supportive.

[Justin Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Reffkin's personal story is a tremendous one and he has written an accessible volume where he shares that story along with eight lessons he's learned along that way which he calls "The Principles of Entrepreneurship." I found his story to be inspirational and I appreciate that he opens up at the start of the book describing how he has felt out of place for his entire life. With an Israeli immigrant mother and an African-American father who left them when he was just a baby, he knew a world of challenge from the start. He gives credit where it is due, recognizing the exceptional role his mother played in his life as she clearly wanted the world for her son despite the headwinds they both faced. He found his path working at McKinsey, Lazard, as a White House Fellow, and Goldman Sachs leading him to become the co-founder and CEO of Compass over a decade ago, the largest independent real estate brokerage in the U.S. As the title emphasizes, he conveys the importance of being humble enough to learn from everyone with most innovation being in fact integration vice invention. It was also a key reminder of the importance of spending time with people who give you energy and the real impact of being around people who have the opposite effect on you. I'm glad Robert Reffkin chose to share his story and look forward to seeing what lies ahead for this remarkable fellow.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not impressed. This was recommended to me by my counselor so I tried to push through the beginning hoping that Robert’s story would lead to learning the skills of how “No One Succeeds Alone” but I was gravely mistaken. I made it almost 2/3 into the book before I truly needed to call it quits. The overall theme is his and his mothers struggle and how they had to persevere working double as hard as everyone else but took advantage of all the helping agencies out there which put them in line with other people who were handed the easier life. What I mostly heard was stand up for yourself and don’t take no for an answer but even when you do, ask someone else. Once Robert spoke of political propaganda, I was no longer interested in continuing. If you are trying to reach the masses with a self-help book, maybe leave personal opinions out to connect with the readers. I’m glad I listened to this at 2X speed so I didn’t waste more of my time than I already had. I’m glad for him to have made something successful of himself and hopefully he can be a role model for many others, just not me.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the perspectives on how we succeed through all the people that raise us, drive us (through positive and negative experiences), form our vision of who we want to be as role models and mentors. I hope to adopt some of the amazing connecting actions, customer driven mindframe and inciteful mentoring advice that Robert Reffkin provided in this book. There are a few sections I hope to always remember: marry because you are happy (it is a good indication you will continue to be happy), find tasks that service multiple purposes opposed to multi tasking which never works, keep the people that raise energy and provide tangible improvements to the company (and be that type of worker). I plan to do more for myself to be a better happier person which will make me a better coworker, wife and mother and to start fostering mentoring relationships with more purpose.

[Rustam Eybatov · Rating 4 out of 5]

1️⃣ По-настоящему большие дела делаются совместно с другими людьми, а не соло.

Социальный капитал нарабатывается за счет осмысленных знакомств, стремления помогать людям и спокойно просить о помощи.

2️⃣ Принадлежность к соц. меньшинству — огромный вызов ребенку с первых лет жизни, но если этот дискриминационный челлендж преодолевается, то человек обретает бронебойную устойчивость.

Robert Reffkin — черный парень со средними оценками в школе, построивший с нуля proptech единорога Compass с оборотом ~$6B

3️⃣ Изначально цель Compass была уберизировать рынок недвижимости, упразднив посредников — риэлторов.

Однако, осознав, что риэлторы не переоценены, а недооценены, компания пивотнулась (*перестроила бизнес модель), взяв курс на их обслуживание через свою листинг платформу.

Статистика показывает, что большая часть крупных компаний проходит через пивот. Главное ложку к обеду.

[Kristin Perrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read. Quick and easy, with an interesting format that puts the information and stories into bite sized chunks. Great for somebody who wants to read the book but doesn't have a long stretch of time to really get into it. The author definitely went after everything he could think of to succeed. I couldn't help but wonder, though, if his methods worked so well because he came from such a disadvantaged background. Not that he didn't put in a ton of work, but he certainly had a unique set of disadvantages and advantages, which he leveraged in the best way possible. Even if you don't have the same set of circumstances, you're sure to find a few helpful tips along the way.

[Quang Hưng · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone looking for true lesson about thriving in the life with other people, I set the wrong expectation for this book because of its name. The majority of personal stories reflect the traditional American spirit: work hard, move quickly, and be results-oriented. Even I feel he's pretty self-centered, reiterating a lot about his accomplishments and self-promote too much his contributions.

However, it's still recommendable for anyone interested in becoming an entrepreneur or starting a business.

[Nichola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this, from the title, but it turned out to follow the same successful businessman personal challenges life story format that I don't care for. For me it is really off putting, we can all frame disappointments and events however we want in our stories, but that isn't why I am listening (on double speed in this case). Just tell me what you have learned, and I will decide if it might apply in my life, instead of telling me it must be true because you learned it in your struggles and you're now a success (as defined by you).