What I Learned Before I Sold to Warren Buffett

Barnett Helzberg Jr.'s account of building and selling Helzberg Diamonds — a practical guide to values-based retailing and the human factors behind a successful business.

Values-based retail: Helzberg's core argument is that business success flows from treating employees as the primary asset, customer service as the primary product, and long-term relationships as the primary currency. The Buffett sale chapter documents the unconventional process — a sidewalk conversation, a handshake deal — that characterized Berkshire's acquisition culture.