Sam Parr

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.

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While you wait, start with the latest:

  • 2.9 decisions a year (and $50 million)

    A guy in Hampton turned ~$10m into ~$50m picking stocks. He makes 2.9 decisions a year. What the rare market-beaters have in common, and how to apply it to your business.

  • Natural moneymakers

    Some entrepreneurs are so violently good at making money it looks like cheating. I call them natural moneymakers. They’re unemotional, they’re maximizers, and they’re comfortable with complexity.

  • $10m a year 1 person biz

    I spoke with 6 content creators last week. The big ones do over $10m a year with tiny teams. Plus A-B-Z, the framework I use to get things done.

  • Inside the life of a $100m person

    Be chalant: why showing enthusiasm beats acting cool. Plus my driver Shah, a $100m guy’s Reddit confessions, and why you’re only as happy as your most unhappy kid.

  • I am trying something

    20 top AI researchers were asked whether AI will destroy us or save us. Their answers were spread all over the place. Nobody knows anything about the future, not even the experts.

  • Owning stuff

    Maintenance hours, not purchase price. That’s how much something cost. I’ve owned a lot of stuff. Cars, houses, other stuff. Now I own little stuff. Rent, no cars. I’m happier now. Fewer things to maintain. To fix. To register. To renew. Insure. Update. Subscribe. I get criticized for this often. You don’t want to own…

  • 35% growth is boring

    What’s the price of creating a company with good, steady revenue growth and profitability? Boredom (potenially). Here are a few quotes from Roger Lowenstein’s book on Warren Buffet and what it was like working for him when he was a board member at the Washington Post (he was calling the shots alongside Katharine Graham, the…

  • Set a goal

    I’ve interviewed or met thousands of very successful people. Billionaires. Hundreds of millionaires. Famous people. And likely whatever else brag I can put here to make this statement carry weight: Most successful people I’ve met set goals. And the process of getting specific about goals creates breakthroughs. Here’s how I set goals: A, B, Z….

  • My friend Ben has cancer and more dignity than I’ll ever know

    My friend Ben Wilson has stage 4 lung cancer. He has 4 kids under the age of 5. Yesterday I saw him. He found out 6 weeks ago. In that time he moved his home closer to his doctor, got his will + estate stuff together, and gone to endless doctor appointments. He also raised…

  • Notes from hanging out with a powerful person

    Yesterday Lloyd Blankfein came to my office to record My First Million. Lloyd used to be the CEO of Goldman Sachs. I’ve met loads of billionaires and powerful people through the podcast. But Lloyd was the first person I’ve done a podcast with, I think, who was 1) powerful because he ran powerful organization that…

  • The type of successful people I like all have these things in common

    I’ve been lucky to hang out with incredibly successful people because of my job. Additionally, I spent the weekend speaking at a conference in Austin, Texas. Plus, I used to live in Austin. I have a ~30 person friend group there who I love like family. Most of them are entrepreneurs. And those who aren’t…

  • 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

    I just finished reading a book called The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. I’m writing a summary here so that I can remember it better. It’s a 9/10 book. The Law of Leadership It’s better to be first than it is to be better. The first brand in a customer’s mind almost always wins, regardless…

  • A style of men’s clothing that will never go out of style and why I think that’s cool.

    And why I think you should dress this way (if you want to look great forever).

  • “I don’t design clothes, I design dreams.” – Ralph Lauren

    I’m on a Ralph Lauren kick. The entrepreneur, not the brand (but I am also very into that, too!). One concept that he’s turned me onto: designing your life to be like a movie, and you’re the star. I’ve always been into the idea of “being the director of your own movie.” It makes life…

  • I did a cool thing this week (met the mayor)

    I know how money is made. Tens of millions, hundreds of millions, billions. I’ve studied it. And even made a little myself. The world of money making used to mystify me. Now I get it. And frankly, the topic is starting to even bore me! Politics on the other hand? I don’t get it. I…

  • 10% to 15% bodyfat — here’s what it looks like

    I track my bodyweight and body fat like crazy. Here’s what 10% to 15% looks like.

  • A new project

    I’ve made a new project. It’s called Sam’s List. The concept is simple: its a website with reviews for accountants. Why? Because finding a good accountant, whether its for business or personal, is hard. So, I made this little website to test out to see if I can help solve the problem. Here’s how I…

  • I had a wonderful weekend and I’m writing this post to remember it.

    This past weekend I had an experience that I thought I should document. I’ll look back at this post one day and be like hey, that was pretty cool. My company Hampton hosted an event with Rob Dyrdek in LA. We let ~50 Hampton members come. I’ve had Rob on the pod and admired him…

  • 2023 End of Year Review: Finance, Fitness, Family, Fun

    This post is a look back on some of the highlights and lowlights of my 2023. I write these because I know they’ll be fun to review in a decade. And also because the act of writing them is therapeutic. I always set my goals in the following categories: Family, Fitness, Finance, Fun. Cute, isn’t…

  • Will having kids make me richer and happier?

    My new baby is about 3 weeks today. She’s our first child. I’m talking on the podcast today about my experience so far as it’s my first day back. Here are the notes for the podcast. The volume of love is loud I spoke to ~20 male buds who had kids. I think it’s common…