Archive
Everything I’ve written, newest first: my weekly letters, plus The Anti-MBA, my old blog, going back to 2013.
On my podcast (850+ episodes) and at Hampton, I talk to billionaires, CEOs and founders about business, leadership, money, family and what actually makes them happy. Every Monday I write down the good stuff I learned from them.
Join 32,000+ readers. Free, every Monday. Written by a human, unfortunately.
You’re in. One quick thing (optional):
What do you do? I’m asking so I can make cool stuff for people like you.
Thanks. Now check your inbox.
Do me a favor: reply to my welcome email. Even just “hi.” It’s good karma, and it shows the Google gods that I belong in your inbox and not in spam.
While you wait, start with the latest:
-
My best friend died and this is for him
Note: I wrote this post as therapy for myself. I just lost my dog, who I loved terribly. A post for my family and to Sid. I never cared about my legacy but this week I think I’ve officially changed my opinion. My beautiful dog Sydney died two days ago. He was 14 or 16…
-
The Evil Business Genius: Arthur Sackler
Two things I love: evil thrillers and money. I’m reading about the Sackler family. They popularized Oxycontin. They were horrible people. Horrible to their families, unethical in business, and pushed a drug that killed millions. I can’t stand them. But…you can always learn. Even from evil. So, I’m reading Empire of Pain, a book on…
-
Warren Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist
This week I’m reading Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist. Buffett’s more popular biography is Snowball. But its 1,000 pages. And so I wanted to start with a 500 page biography first so I don’t lose interest. Buffett’s an interesting person. Before reading this book I thought he was an amazing guy. He still…
-
I just spoke with one of the most impressive businessmen I’ve ever chatted with
His name is Syed Balkhi. Started a blog called WP Beginner, a blog about WordPress. The blog starts getting traffic. He writes about different WordPress plugins and how-tos. After a few years, starts buying WordPress plugins. It starts working. After 10-13 years, has something like 30-40 WordPress plugins. Now the company does over $100m in…
-
A Surprising Fact About the Secret Service
I’ve been on a history book reading binge. A book or two a week. I’ll write later about the ones that I love. A topic that particularly interests me: assassins! My favorite book on this topic is about the 12-day manhunt for John Wilkes Boothe, the man who killed Abe Lincoln. It’s wild. Another great…
-
My new company…
I have a new company. Its call Hampton. The short of it: it’s an executive peer group for CEOs. This company, I think, will be amazing. I started it because I used a peer group that I created when running The Hustle. And it changed my life. Helped me sell the company, helped me grow…
-
Old post
Geek to Freak: I Just Called Out Someone to a 200m Track Race…and Will CRUSH Them
I went on a podcast the other day and called out a guy named Tyrone when I said I’d crush him in a 400m race (link). The backstory: I was an exceptional high school track and field athlete (proof). I ran a little under 50 seconds in the 400m and about 21.9. I even ran…
-
Old post
How I Save Over 50% of My Income
Using the following tools and processes, I’ve been able to save 50% of my income for years, even when I was making very, very little.
-
Old post
Principles by Ray Dalio, Week 2
Think for yourself to first decide what do you want. Find out what’s true. Ask “what should you do to achieve what you want in light of what’s true?” Those are the 3 things Ray Dalio says someone must do in order to find their principles. For next week, read Part Two: Life Principles. Pages 132 to…
-
Old post
The Anti-MBA Book Club, Principles: Week 1
Dearest Anti-MBA-ers, Welcome to week 1 of this month’s book, Principles. For this week, read Part One: Where I’m Coming From. Pages 0 to 131. As you read, comment in the FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theantimba/. A few things to look out for and know: 1. This first part of the book is about Ray Dalio’s life. In my opinion, it’s…
-
Old post
January’s Book: Principle’s by Ray Dalio
Dear fellow Anti-MBA-ers, Tis the time to announce this month’s book for The Anti-MBA Book Club. Drum roll, please… January’s book for The Anti-MBA Book Club is…Principles by Ray Dalio. The reading schedule for the book is below. But first, let me explain why I chose this book. The first reason is because of my…
-
Old post
Ray Dalio: The Type of Person Who Shapes the World
I’m in the middle of reading Ray Dalio’s book Principles. I’ve just come on a part I really like where Dalio describes what shapers are. I’ve copy and pasted the entire text below. Background: Within a few decades, Ray Dalio built Bridgewater from a tiny investment office ran out of his apartment to the largest…
-
Old post
The Anti-MBA Book Club…is BACK!
NOTE: This was sent to my email subscribers. To join the book club you need to subscribe. To do that, enter your email on any form on the site. GOOD NEWS The Anti-MBA Book Club is BACK!!!! From 2012 to 2014 I hosted weekly book club called The Anti-MBA. The group read a book a month…
-
Old post
The Unsexy Story of How Rich Guys Get Rich: Mike Brown
A few months ago I was at a small entrepreneur conference, something I rarely go to. The event was invited only, which meant the quality of people were incredibly high. I met people who had started 7, 8, and even 9 figured businesses. Many of them in the internet industry. However…there was one guy I…
-
Old post
Winning the San Francisco Mayoral Race is Easy
Food for thought: I’ve been frustrated by some of the things happening in San Francisco and how the local government has been handling things. Because of that, I started thinking of ways to make my (or people who think like me) voice heard. So, after doing a tiny amount of research, I noticed that the…
-
Old post
How to measure risk
I think most people are HORRIBLE at measuring risk… I’ve been talking to a few people who want to leave their cushy and boring gigs to either: a) move to SF to join a small startup that they’re passionate about OR b) start their own company. What I’ve noticed about these folks is that most…
-
Old post
Ross Ulbricht’s Net Worth
I just finished American Kingpin, the book about Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road. It was an amazing book. I read it in one sitting, which I rarely do. After finishing the book, I wanted to learn more…not satisfied with the 9 hours of reading I’d just done. So, after doing some research,…
-
Old post
The Best Business Books Ever (Updated 2019)
I’ve written about this before (both on this blog and The Hustle), but I was recently emailed with this question: what are the best business books that you’ve ever read? Look, this blog here started as a book club where I blogged and talked about my favorite books. Most of those books were business books…
-
Old post
Late Night FB Chatz: Mahbod Moghadam
This is the first of a series of late night Facebook chats with our founders who I think are cool. This one is with my bud Mahbod, the founder of Rap Genius. Sam Parr So let’s start now I wanna talk about procrastination, because it’s something I’m struggling with right now. Procrastination and focus. …
-
Old post
How To Use Words To Get People To Do What You Want Them To Do
Let’s get one thing perfectly clear: You’re reading these words because I want you to. The feelings you are feeling, the thoughts you are having, your reaction to the headline… Your reaction to me talking about your reaction… It’s all on purpose. I wrote a spell to make you read this. This spell makes you…