The Real Builders Do the Dirty Work
Lessons from “The Fish That Ate the Whale” – The Rise of Samuel Zemurray
Kintsugi Co. | Article Series – Building from the Ground Up
Most people want success.
Fewer want to deserve it.
Even fewer are willing to do what Samuel Zemurray did to earn it.
In Rich Cohen’s The Fish That Ate the Whale, we get the real story of a man who went from selling overripe bananas off train cars to eventually becoming the most powerful banana mogul in the world—taking on giants, presidents, and Wall Street along the way.
But Zemurray didn’t build his empire in boardrooms.
He built it in the mud, sweat, and chaos of real work.
This is the story of doing whatever it takes.
The story of why at Kintsugi Co., we don’t romanticize the journey—we outwork it.
1. Don’t Wait for the Clean Job—Do the One No One Wants
When Zemurray first entered the banana business, he didn’t have the capital, the connections, or the polished education of his competitors.
But he saw something they didn’t:
They threw away the spotted bananas.
He bought them cheap. Sold them fast. Made a fortune.
Where they saw garbage, he saw opportunity.
Where they needed perfect systems, he relied on grit and execution.
He built relationships directly with dock workers. He loaded crates. He hustled. He learned every inch of the business from the bottom up.
Lesson for Kintsugi:
Success isn’t found in the easy work.
It’s created when you do the jobs others see as beneath them—and you do it better than they ever could.
2. Your Hands Should Get Dirty Before Your Name Gets Big
Zemurray had a saying:
“They’re not smarter than me. They’re just too clean.”
When he finally went head-to-head with the United Fruit Company—the industry giant—he didn’t beat them with polish.
He beat them with presence.
He walked the fields
He talked to workers directly
He moved to Honduras
He negotiated with rebels, local governments, and dockhands himself
The man showed up.
At Kintsugi, we don’t believe in leading from a distance.
We believe the fastest way to scale is to touch every part of the process until it’s mastered.
You want to lead?
Then be the first one in. The last one out. The one who’s done the job before they tell others how to do it.
3. Titles Mean Nothing. Actions Are Everything.
Zemurray didn’t wait for approval.
When something needed fixing, he fixed it.
When government corruption was affecting his exports, he led a literal coup to install a government that would allow commerce to flourish (ethics of that aside—he did not wait for permission).
You may not need to lead a revolution. But you do need to lead yourself.
If a teammate needs help—you step in.
If a problem isn’t “your responsibility”—you fix it anyway.
If the team is losing—you don’t complain, you move.
This is Kintsugi Co.
We don’t wait. We act.
4. The Dirty Work Becomes Your Advantage
Most people want the Instagram version of success.
They want the title, the spotlight, the polished pitch.
But the truth?
The person who knows the field better than anyone else wins.
Zemurray didn’t need advisors to tell him how to manage workers—because he was one.
He didn’t need consultants to tell him how logistics worked—because he built his own supply chains.
And that’s why when he took over United Fruit later in life (after they tried to buy him out), he turned it from a bloated, failing empire into a focused, profitable machine.
Lesson:
Doing the dirty work early means you’re bulletproof later.
You won’t get blindsided, because you’ve been through the trenches.
Final Thought: Don’t Just Build It—Earn It
At Kintsugi Co., we don’t hand out success.
We build it—one gritty day at a time.
The story of Samuel Zemurray reminds us:
You don’t need to start with power
You don’t need to be polished
You don’t need the perfect plan
You just need to out-care, out-solve, and outwork everyone around you.
Because real builders don’t wait for the easy job.
They show up.
Get their hands dirty.
And make the job great.
That’s what separates the fish from the whale.