(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:40) - Being the “tech for middle America” translator

(00:06:00) - Who are your heroes?

(00:13:40) - Zack’s unique approach to AI

(00:57:35) - The market for identity transformation

(01:11:08) - Writing the next renaissance

(01:15:31) - Using AI in the writing process

(01:18:25) - Final thoughts

Links:

The Next Renaissance by Zack Kass - https://a.co/d/07VwLrg4

Zack’s website - https://www.zackkass.com/

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

This is Part 1 of 4.

I’ve made all of my books available for free. This is the third book I’ve published, and like the others, it’s available in all formats—PDF, EPUB, and audio—and in dozens of languages. More than 5 million people have read the free version of The Almanack of Naval, and I wanted to do the same here. You can find the full book and bonus content on my website.

I do this because I believe that if you can’t comfortably afford the Kindle version or an Audible credit, then you should have access to this information even more. I want to personally gift it to you. I believe the ideas in this book can benefit anyone—and the more people who have good ideas in their heads, the better the future will be for all of us.

If you’re enjoying the free version, here are a few no-cost ways to support me and this project:

• Leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Audible—these make a huge difference and help new readers discover the book
• Subscribe to my podcast Smart Friends, and follow along on YouTube, X, LinkedIn, or Instagram
• Join the email list at ejorgenson.com

And most importantly, if this resonates with you, share it directly with a friend. A quick text or email recommendation is how most people decide what to read—and it means a lot.

I appreciate you listening, reading, and helping spread the word.

This is Part 3 of 4.

I’ve made all of my books available for free. This is the third book I’ve published, and like the others, it’s available in all formats—PDF, EPUB, and audio—and in dozens of languages. More than 5 million people have read the free version of The Almanack of Naval, and I wanted to do the same here. You can find the full book and bonus content on my website.

I do this because I believe that if you can’t comfortably afford the Kindle version or an Audible credit, then you should have access to this information even more. I want to personally gift it to you. I believe the ideas in this book can benefit anyone—and the more people who have good ideas in their heads, the better the future will be for all of us.

If you’re enjoying the free version, here are a few no-cost ways to support me and this project:

• Leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Audible—these make a huge difference and help new readers discover the book
• Subscribe to my podcast Smart Friends, and follow along on YouTube, X, LinkedIn, or Instagram
• Join the email list at ejorgenson.com

And most importantly, if this resonates with you, share it directly with a friend. A quick text or email recommendation is how most people decide what to read—and it means a lot.

I appreciate you listening, reading, and helping spread the word.

This is Part 2 of 4.

I’ve made all of my books available for free. This is the third book I’ve published, and like the others, it’s available in all formats—PDF, EPUB, and audio—and in dozens of languages. More than 5 million people have read the free version of The Almanack of Naval, and I wanted to do the same here. You can find the full book and bonus content on my website.

I do this because I believe that if you can’t comfortably afford the Kindle version or an Audible credit, then you should have access to this information even more. I want to personally gift it to you. I believe the ideas in this book can benefit anyone—and the more people who have good ideas in their heads, the better the future will be for all of us.

If you’re enjoying the free version, here are a few no-cost ways to support me and this project:

• Leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Audible—these make a huge difference and help new readers discover the book
• Subscribe to my podcast Smart Friends, and follow along on YouTube, X, LinkedIn, or Instagram
• Join the email list at ejorgenson.com

And most importantly, if this resonates with you, share it directly with a friend. A quick text or email recommendation is how most people decide what to read—and it means a lot.

I appreciate you listening, reading, and helping spread the word.

This is Part 1 of 4.

I’ve made all of my books available for free. This is the third book I’ve published, and like the others, it’s available in all formats—PDF, EPUB, and audio—and in dozens of languages. More than 5 million people have read the free version of The Almanack of Naval, and I wanted to do the same here. You can find the full book and bonus content on my website.

I do this because I believe that if you can’t comfortably afford the Kindle version or an Audible credit, then you should have access to this information even more. I want to personally gift it to you. I believe the ideas in this book can benefit anyone—and the more people who have good ideas in their heads, the better the future will be for all of us.

If you’re enjoying the free version, here are a few no-cost ways to support me and this project:

• Leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Audible—these make a huge difference and help new readers discover the book
• Subscribe to my podcast Smart Friends, and follow along on YouTube, X, LinkedIn, or Instagram
• Join the email list at ejorgenson.com

And most importantly, if this resonates with you, share it directly with a friend. A quick text or email recommendation is how most people decide what to read—and it means a lot.

I appreciate you listening, reading, and helping spread the word.

“All of Elon Musk’s Most Useful Ideas, In His Own Words.” 

I’ve invested five years of effort and tens of thousands of dollars into making this book as useful as possible for you. 

Order the book now on Amazon:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4uEf0pO

Paperback: https://amzn.to/47avSuh

Hardcover: https://amzn.to/4by5VWL

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Book-of-Elon-Audiobook/B0G3B4SJPQ

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you.

You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ

Chapters: 00:00 - Building Wealth 37:49 - Building Judgement 01:12:30 - Learning Happiness 02:15:17 - Saving Yourself 02:50:17 - Philosophy

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:43) - Heroes and inspirations

(00:07:14) - The rise of Chinese electric vehicles

(00:12:13) - The Tesla experience

(00:31:04) - Tesla's rapid development and industry impact

(00:32:54) - The culture of speed and frugality at Tesla

(00:34:10) - Elon's leadership and pressure tactics

(00:37:22) - Transitioning from Tesla to Waymo

(00:39:43) - Waymo's organizational structure and challenges

(00:43:35) - The future of autonomous vehicles

(00:54:34) - Founding Light Source and addressing procurement issues

(01:00:23) - Conclusion and final thoughts

Links:

LightSource - https://lightsource.ai/

Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spenpenn/

Preorder the Book of Elon - https://a.co/d/02huhEee

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Quotes from Spencer:

• “It was the most fun I never want to have again.” (Describing his time at Tesla during the Model 3 production ramp)

• “The Model 3 seat feel is attuned directly to Elon’s butt.”

• “I’m not an Elon fanboy, but I’m also not a critic. I’m an optimist.”

• “Speed wins. After seeing both Tesla and Waymo, that’s my belief.”

• “We were the underdog. Eventually, it does end up feeling like you’re on the winning team.”

• “You couldn’t go into a meeting with Elon and show up empty-handed.”

• “This opportunity we’re pursuing at LightSource should have disappeared 20 years ago.”

• “ERP is the finance system of record. What’s Salesforce in reverse? That’s LightSource.”

• “The thing that surprised me: every company still runs procurement on spreadsheets and email.”

• “Tesla built their own ERP system from scratch. That’s not normal.”

• “There are things that are just core to the P&L of every business… and yet completely orphaned in the tech stack.”

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:47) - The birth of a book: from idea to reality

(00:04:01) - A pandemic epiphany: interviewing my dad

(00:07:51) - The journey of a professional surfer and journalist

(00:10:48) - Writing a book: challenges and insights

(00:17:04) - The emotional depth of interviewing parents

(00:22:40) - Balancing humor and vulnerability in writing

(00:34:39) - Creating unique value in a book

(00:41:59) - The power of a good title

(00:44:31) - The importance of a book title

(00:49:10) - Balancing writing and marketing

(00:57:56) - Long-term marketing approach

(01:10:16) - Navigating the publishing process

(01:19:45) - Unexpected outcomes and reflections

Links:

One Last Question Before You Go - https://amzn.to/49JVWg2

Scribe Media - https://scribemedia.com/

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Quotes from Kyle:

1. “The interview process can be a kind of empathy drug.”

2. “Write as if you are already dead.”

3. “The ideas that won't go away are the ones worth chasing.”

4. “I wanted to write the book that only I could write.”

5. “Most people live their lives being rewarded for having the right answer, not the right question.”

6. “Books are like malaria nets—people use them in ways you never expect.”

7. “If I tell you to interview your parents, I have to show you what happened when I did.”

8. “Marketing is an act of consideration and generosity.”

9. “A lot of how-to books could be a one-page PDF. I refused to do that.”

10. “Live events aren’t about selling books. They’re about making you feel like a winner as an author.”

11. “The best advertisers I know create a mood shift immediately.”

12. “Make fun of yourself. That’s how you earn the right to critique others.”

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:30) - Who are your heroes?

(00:09:26) - The infancy and evolution of Athena

(00:15:12) - Inflection points

(00:18:14) - Jonathan’s reasoning for going public with interviews

(00:20:08) - How do you pick countries to work in?

(00:22:41) - Who is the core Athena customer?

(00:28:09) - Jonathan’s 6 EAs

(00:32:13) - Surprising things Jonathan’s delegated

(00:35:42) - Broadening your scope of what’s possible with assistants

(00:42:05) - A day in the life with multiple EAs

(00:45:41) - Delegation within EAs

(00:50:31) - Family dynamics with EAs

(00:54:07) - The 2050 version of Athena

Links:

Athena - https://www.athena.com/

Rolling Fun — https://www.rolling.fun

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• How Jonathan developed calm under extreme startup pressure

• Athena’s evolution from side hustle to billion-dollar vision

• Why great delegation is a skill, not magic

• Surprising personal and family delegation use cases

• Combining humans and AI for exponential leverage

Quotes from Jonathan:

• “My mind is an inner citadel. I’ve got a good mind, a wife that loves me, and everything else is gravy.”

• “I started Athena with the sole goal of generating income for my wife and I to live off of.”

• “The vision of ​Athena​ is the best human assistants powered by the best AI.”

• “Humans are good UX. We’ve evolved to like humans.”

• “You don’t build the first Tesla without a steering wheel.”

• “We're building something that watches assistants work, not to replace them, but to augment them.”

• “Delegation is a J-curve. It's slower at first, but compounds.”

• “The cardinal sin of delegation is thinking, ‘It’s faster to do it myself.’”

• “You can think of an assistant as a cognitive prosthesis.”

• “Belief is the first limiter. Most people don’t believe time freedom is possible.”

• “Ask yourself: If I had a hundred more hours a week, what would I do?”

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:46) - Deep dive into the Thiel Fellowship

(00:07:04) - Success stories and impact of Thiel Fellows

(00:11:04) - Challenges and controversies

(00:16:01) - Evolution and future of fellowship programs

(00:18:39) - Early days of building the Thiel Fellowship

(00:23:36) - Traits of a Thiel Fellow

(00:33:24) - Nurturing genius

(00:39:57) - Screen time & children

(00:40:30) - Big screens vs. small screens

(00:43:12) - Quality time and engaging activities

(00:45:42) - Emotional depth and resilience in young founders

(00:54:02) - The traits of innovators

(01:04:08) - The journey of 1517 Fund

(01:10:05) - Join the 1517 community

Links:

Rolling Fun — https://www.rolling.fun

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• The founding story and long-term vision behind the Thiel Fellowship

• Common traits among exceptional young founders, including curiosity, hyper fluency, and “dog on a leash” energy

• Lessons from supporting early pioneers like Vitalik Buterin, Dylan Field, and Laura Deming.

• How 1517 Fund backs young builders and “Wily weirdos” working on sci-fi-level ideas

• Danielle’s philosophy on education, parenting, and fostering genius in children

Quotes from Danielle:

• “We weren’t looking for startup founders—we were looking for people on a mission.”

• “Dog-on-a-leash energy—that’s what we look for. We’re here to cut the leash.”

• “Hyperfluency is the ability to geek out with geeks, and still explain your work to your grandma at Thanksgiving.”

• “These people are kind of mutants—they don’t fit in typical systems.”

• “All kids under five are geniuses. The system just squashes it out of them.”

• “The most shocking thing? People publicly attacked the Fellows. Not just the program—the people. Teenagers.”

• “Crazy, crazy awesome—we can’t tell if they’re insane or brilliant, and it’ll take years to find out.”

• “Big screens good, small screens bad.”

• “In the future, I want to be funding 11-year-olds. The world won’t be ready, but I will be.”

• “We just want to talk to wily weirdos who want to be around other wily weirdos.”

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:49) - Heroes

(00:10:50) - How do you know when it’s time to step away from something you started?

(00:18:37) - Len Fassler

(00:32:52) - Mentors and inflection points in life

(00:39:07) - Brad’s book - Give First

(00:47:58) - The role of books in Brad’s career

Links:

Scribe — https://scribemedia.com

Give First: The Power of Mentorship - https://amzn.to/3KT3IvF

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• The role of heroes and mentors in shaping Brad’s values

• How "Give First" transformed startup culture

• How to let go of control while still fighting to the end for what matters

• Key mentors like Len Fassler and the life lessons they gave him

• Why reading, writing, and coding all serve as reflective practices 

Quotes from Brad:

1. "The best way to fly is to throw yourself at the ground and miss." (Zaphod Beeblebrox quote that Brad uses to describe startups)

2. "I love to help things get started. That’s my favorite part of the journey."

3. "Fight to the bitter end. You try until it doesn’t work anymore."

4. "Some things don’t end. Some things outlive you—which is delightful."

5. "The future does not belong to me. The future belongs to people 40 years younger than me."

6. "Give First is not a religion. It’s a philosophy."

7. "Your VC’s are not in control. The board members are not in control. The CEO is in control."

8. "Books are core to so many things I do. Reading and writing are how I process the world."

9. "I write books to understand better an idea and work out the idea."

10. "Mentorship is about ways of being, not about following a set of rules."

11. "Hibernation from social media gave me the creative space to finish the book I actually wanted to write."

12. "People said, 'Brad’s the king of the Colorado startup community.' I hated that. I don’t want to be king—I want to be just one of the many leaders."

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:07) - Cal's military background

(00:13:59) - Transitioning into a family business

(00:19:35) - Implementing EOS

(00:25:08) - The journey to compassionate leadership

(00:36:16) - Prioritizing self-care and meditation

(00:37:19) - Journaling techniques and prompts

(00:39:02) - Mental health stigma and therapy

(00:40:16) - Daily intentions and successes

(00:42:28) - Leadership

(00:47:28) - Coaching and team building

(00:58:45) - Writing a book

(01:03:10) - Resources

Links:

Scribe — https://scribemedia.com

Entrepreneurial Compassion: An Entrepreneur’s Journey Through Combat, Suicide, and the Discovery of Compassionate Leadership - https://amzn.to/4nqH6AK

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• How military battle drills shaped Cal’s approach to business leadership

• How EOS changed about his company and personal life

• Why compassion is both a moral imperative and a business advantage

• Tactical ways Cal builds emotional awareness into his leadership habits

• How journaling, meditation, and presence help fuel resilience and clarity

Quotes from Cal:

• "The more compassion I showed my team, the more profit we made. It’s not soft—it’s smart."

• "They’ll never care how much you know until they know how much you care."

• "Every really good unit has this thing called a tactical SOP—just like your business has processes."

• "EOS gave me the ability to step back, let the team lead, and focus on building the future."

• "I went from working 90 hours a week in the business to now doing one meeting a week."

• "The business stops running you, and you start running it."

• "When we can be driven and compassionate, the sky’s the limit."

• "As entrepreneurs, we’re good at putting out fires—and if there isn’t one, we’ll start one just to feel busy."

• "My brother’s death has to mean something—this book is how I make sure something good comes from it."

• "I want to create a million compassionate leaders and prevent a hundred thousand suicides."

• "This isn't about monetizing trauma—every cent from the book goes to suicide prevention."

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you.

This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Building Judgement

You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ

Chapters:

00:00 The Search for Something Perfect & Permanent

03:00 Timeless vs. Timely Knowledge

06:00 Truth, Reach & Universal Theories

09:00 From Specifics to General Principles

12:00 Learning by Doing – Experience First

15:00 Judgment, Taste & the Role of Reflection

18:00 Investing, Taste & Post-Wealth Choices

21:00 Hard Work, Focus & Breakthroughs

24:00 From Logic to Intuition to Taste

27:00 AI, Information Retrieval & Human Creativity

30:00 Leverage of Software Engineers with AI

33:00 The iPhone as the Greatest Product of the Age

36:00 Entrepreneurs, Creativity & Using AI as a Tool

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you.

This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Saving Yourself

You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ

Chapters:

00:00 Virtues as Long-Term Selfishness & Cheap Dopamine

03:00 Fixing Local Problems Before Global Activism

06:00 Spreadability vs. Correctness of Ideas

09:00 Truth as Survival in the Multiverse

12:00 Authenticity, Ego & Removing the Mask

15:00 Modern Traps, Hedonism & Religion’s Role

18:00 Finding the People, Work & Place That Need You Most

21:00 Exploration, Investment & Compound Interest

24:00 Learning Through Iterations, Not Hours

27:00 Choosing Your Environment & Adapting It

30:00 Envy vs. Inspiration – Choosing the Better Path

33:00 Heroes, Resonance & The Legacy of Steve Jobs

36:00 Universal Human Potential & Breaking Labels

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you.

This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Learning Happiness

You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ

Chapters:

00:00 Happiness as a Skill & Thought Construct

03:00 Peace, Desires & Higher Motives

06:00 Mind-Created Problems & Meditation

09:00 Engagement vs. Peace – Balancing Both

12:00 Health, Wealth & the Pursuit of Truth, Love, Beauty

15:00 Meditation, Silence & Resolving Thoughts

18:00 Love, Creation & Human Flourishing

21:00 Acute vs. Chronic Unhappiness, Ego & Identity

24:00 Choice Theory & Depression as Habit

27:00 Seasons of Life – Wealth, Health & Happiness

30:00 Aging, Compounding Actions & Character

33:00 High Agency Living & Designing Life

36:00 Reinterpreting the Past, Forgiveness & Ego

39:00 Enlightened Teachers, Peace & No-Self

42:00 Relationships, Self-Sufficiency & Truth in Bonds

45:00 Consciousness, Self-Examination & No-Self Realization

51:00 Seeking Enlightenment vs. Chasing Shiny Objects

54:00 Happiness, Motivation & Effectiveness

57:00 Relationships, Obligations & Peer Bonds

60:00 Ritual vs. Genuine Happiness

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you.

This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Philosophy

You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ

Chapters:

00:00 Meditations, Authenticity & Schopenhauer

03:00 God, Kids, or Mission – Sources of Meaning

06:00 Truth, Heresies & Group Consensus

09:00 Evolution, Buddhism & Quantum Physics

15:00 Simulation Theory vs. Consciousness

18:00 Religion, Science & Contemporary Lenses

21:00 Live for Something Larger Than Yourself

24:00 Reading, Philosophy & Timeless Books

27:00 Pursuing Happiness, Wealth & Status Indirectly

30:00 Fun Criterion & Learning Through Curiosity

33:00 Risk, Conviction & Building the Impossible

36:00 Retirement, Truth, Love & Beauty

39:00 Endgame Content & Playing Without Fear

42:00 Wealth, Enlightenment & Contradictory Desires

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

It's been five years since the Almanack of Naval Ravikant was published.

I spent the day with Naval expanding on key ideas from the book. We recorded hours of that conversation to share with you.

This episode is a portion of that long conversation that talks about Building Wealth

You can purchase the new expanded edition with nearly 4 hours of new material on Audible here:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Almanack-of-Naval-Ravikant-Audiobook/B0FBCP1JWJ

00:00 Defining Wealth

03:00 Knowledge as the True Multiplier

09:00 Ethics of Wealth Creation & Capitalism

15:00 Progress, Optimism & Conjecture

21:00 Scale, Governance & Morality

27:00 Products, Knowledge & Hard-to-Vary Designs

36:00 Closing Reflections

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

(00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:26) - Marathon misadventures(00:06:15) - The failed acquisition(00:13:47) - Lessons from the deal(00:29:31) - The future of retail(00:33:44) - Empathy for founders(00:35:23) - The grind of capitalism(00:35:37) - Challenges for young founders(00:36:10) - The importance of peer support(00:37:17) - Scaling and growth pains(00:37:42) - Exciting new ventures(00:38:20) - Genetic engineering innovations(00:43:40) - Revolutionizing air freight with airships(00:49:56) - Terraform Industries: Energy independence(01:02:17) - Innovative warehouse automation(01:05:25) - Mining industry disruption(01:09:45) - Conclusion and future outlook

Links:

Join us in Rolling Fun!

Hear our other Rolling Fun eps!

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• Why personal networks matter most when raising money quickly for big deals

• New investments in companies building genetically engineered animals, advanced airships, and solar-powered synthetic natural gas

• How real operational experience shapes the way we invest and support founders

• The balance of optimism and realism required to keep taking shots in business

Quotes from Al:

1. “Just keep taking the shots. A shooter’s gotta shoot.”

2. “Sometimes you take the shot, do everything right, and the ball still doesn’t go in.”

3. “There’s no classy way to advertise, ‘Hey, your favorite store died—but we’re a good rebound.’”

4. “Capitalism is an unforgiving mistress.”

5. “Personal relationships were the most valuable asset I had in that deal.”

6. “Sometimes I think, ‘I should be inventing Facebook 2,’ but here I am—investing in fabric.”

7. “I’ve never worked on a deal that hard. It should have gone my way… and didn’t.”

8. “You wake up the next morning and it didn’t happen, but I still have a great family, and my business is still running.”

9. “It's hard until it isn’t—and even when it isn’t, it’s still freaking hard.”

Quotes from Bo:

1. “We’re actual operators—curious about what’s possible with technology—and that makes us better investors.”

2. “On a Thursday, ‘This deal is happening.’ Then Tuesday? ‘It’s over. We lost.’”

3. “We have a unique amount of empathy for founders—because we know how hard this shit is.”

4. “If you can pull it off, it’s transformational. And that’s awesome.” (on Airship)

5. “A blimp is not a quadcopter to carry Al’s big ass—it’s an elegant, slow-moving blimp.”

6. “There’s a lot of industries still doing 90/10 in-store sales. That blew my mind.”

7. “It’s a real ‘software is eating the world’ moment—but finally arriving at the mining industry.”

8. “When you’re building something that matters, you’re playing the long game—even if the outcome is uncertain.”

9. “The people who make glow-in-the-dark fish… now they’re building unicorns. And yeah, it’s gonna happen.”

(00:00:00) - Intro

 (00:01:46) - Personal updates and new ventures

 (00:04:06) - The youth sports complex project

 (00:05:21) - Challenges and strategies in youth sports business

 (00:09:09) - Community impact and future vision

 (00:19:00) - Reflections on education and parenting

 (00:34:05) - The magic of holding a newborn

 (00:34:32) - The joys and challenges of parenting

 (00:35:07) - Balancing work and family life

 (00:37:36) - Exciting company updates

 (00:38:03) - Success stories in venture capital

 (00:40:55) - Innovations in space and technology

 (00:47:19) - The future of asteroid mining

 (00:54:34) - Revolutionizing construction and robotics

 (00:59:01) - Battery technology breakthroughs

 (01:03:59) - Conclusion and next steps

Links:

Join us in Rolling Fun!

Hear our other Rolling Fun eps!

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• Bo is turning around a Youth Sports Complex that was losing millions/year.

• “Never skip a funeral and always hold a baby”

• Investment updates across nuclear energy, asteroid mining, robotics, and batteries.

• Why enthusiasm, networks, and timing matter so much in early-stage investing.

Quotes from Bo:

1. "This was like 11 businesses stuffed into one building… and none of them were working yet."

2. "My job right now is teaching people who love what they do how it fits into a business."

3. "We get 2 to 3 calls a week from private equity firms, and I tell them all: don’t do it."

4. "It’s a 600-person organization… a real thing with real complexity."

5. "Maybe it’s a $30 million business—manageable, understandable, and ridiculously high impact."

6. "It’s a cartel-organized market. You need to be a trusted actor to even play in it."

7. "Helping it really succeed is time well spent—for Kansas City, for the kids, and for everyone here."

8. "The youth sports market is a $40 to $80 billion space, and it’s on fire."

9. "There’s not a lot of credible business builders in this space—and I haven’t found another one yet."

10. "In 50 years, this will be even more awesome. I love working on stuff like that."

Quotes from Al:

1. "You couldn't just copy-paste this business into another city. You need deep trust and local knowledge."

2. "This is a fun community challenge. If you get it right, you leave a real legacy."

3. "I texted Bo—‘We did it’—because Eric and Jeannine had a baby. That’s how we all felt."

4. "The bond between dad and baby isn’t immediate. But it grows—and it’s worth it."

5. "I fixed the cheeseburger at Home Field before Bo was even involved."

6. "Once you have a baby, every infant photo becomes magic."

7. "The best underappreciated part of being an entrepreneur? You can get your kids working early."

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

Links for Matt’s stuff:

⁠Aalo.com⁠

⁠Matt on Twitter⁠

⁠Aalo on Twitter⁠

⁠Aalo Job Board⁠

Link to invest alongside Eric in deals like Aalo: rolling.fun

Links to stuff mentioned:

⁠Decouple Podcast⁠

⁠Titans of Nuclear Podcast⁠

⁠Nuclear Barbarian Substack⁠

⁠Atomic Awakening by James Mahaffey⁠

⁠Why Nuclear Power Has Been a Flop by Jack Devanney⁠

Topics:

(00:03:08) How the popular opinion of nuclear has changed from the 1950’s

(00:15:16) The regulation issues surrounding nuclear

(00:17:20) Water-based nuclear reactors vs. advanced nuclear reactors

(00:19:40) Matt’s journey into nuclear energy

(00:34:42) Aalo’s strategy

(00:41:12) What is the TAM for this nuclear microreactors?

(00:45:53) The manufacturing process for a nuclear plant

(00:48:51) The nuclear supply chain

(00:50:01) The change in public opinion on nuclear energy

(00:55:56) Support for nuclear energy in the VC world

(01:01:12) Recommendations for learning more about the sustainable energy industry

(01:03:30) What do you look for when hiring?

To support this podcast:

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: ⁠www.navalmanack.com/⁠

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Important quotes from Naval on building wealth and the difference between wealth and money:

How to get rich without getting lucky. - Naval Ravikant

Making money is not a thing you do—it’s a skill you learn. - Naval Ravikant

Seek wealth, not money or status. - Naval Ravikant

Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

Money is how we transfer time and wealth. - Naval Ravikant

Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. 

You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. - Naval Ravikant

Important quotes from the podcast by Naval on Leverage:

“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” 

—Archimedes 

To get rich, you need leverage. Leverage comes in labor, comes in capital, or it can come through code or media. But most of these, like labor and capital, people have to give to you. For labor, somebody has to follow you. For capital, somebody has to give you money, assets to manage, or machines. - Naval Ravikant

Capital and labor are permissioned leverage. Everyone is chasing capital, but someone has to give it to you. Everyone is trying to lead, but someone has to follow you. - Naval Ravikant

Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

If you can’t code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. - Naval Ravikant

Leverage is a force multiplier for your judgment. - Naval Ravikant

Apply specific knowledge, with leverage, and eventually you will get what you deserve. - Naval Ravikant

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

(00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:37) - The Netflix documentary: Misrepresentation and struggles (00:03:19) - Writing the memoir (00:08:47) - The challenges of independent publishing (00:12:40) - The creative process and future plans (00:35:23) - Impact of the book on readers (00:36:04) - Scripted series and unused content (00:36:36) - New docuseries and correcting the narrative (00:37:04) - Psychological analysis in documentaries (00:40:13) - Challenges and rewards of writing (00:41:36) - Unexpected positive outcomes (00:45:38) - Vulnerability of publishing a memoir (00:49:44) - Future aspirations and business rebuilding (00:53:54) - Experience with Scribe Publishing (01:02:59) - Advice for aspiring authors

Links:

People: Andrew Huberman — https://hubermanlab.com/about David Goggins — https://davidgoggins.com Eric Jorgenson — https://www.ericjorgenson.com Mary Karr — https://english.utexas.edu/people/mary-karr Paul Millerd — https://www.pathlesspath.com Sarma Melngailis — https://thegirlandtheduck.com Tim Ferriss — https://tim.blog

Podcasts: Huberman Lab — https://hubermanlab.com The Tim Ferriss Show — https://tim.blog/podcast

Companies: Scribe — https://scribemedia.com

Websites / Tools / Platforms: Scrivener — https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview The Girl and the Duck (Sarma’s memoir site) — https://thegirlandtheduck.com

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• What the Netflix docuseries got wrong—and how she’s correcting it.

• The emotional and creative process of writing a 200,000-word memoir over eight years.

• How storytelling, honesty, and empathy can help others escape manipulative relationships.

Quotes from Sam:

1. “I was in a cult of one.”

2. “People very often don't understand how this happens to someone who’s intelligent, who went to a good school, and started a business. But it does happen.”

3. “I started writing immediately after I got out of jail.”

4. “I had no editorial control... They basically changed the reality of what happened.” (on the Bad Vegan docuseries)

5. “I didn’t want anybody telling me what I can and can’t put in there... I wanted to have control over my story.”

6. “The book is long because I needed the reader to go through the psychological experience with me.”

7. “I have all my receipts. I included actual journal entries, G-chats, texts, and emails.”

8. “The writing was therapeutic, but also grueling. Sometimes I felt like I was crawling up the wall and slithering out of my skin.”

9. “I want the story to be useful. That’s what I’ve wanted all along.”

10. “People tell me, ‘I don’t read books anymore, but I read yours.’ That feels amazing.”

11. “Even if you're never going to publish it, writing about what happened to you can bring real relief.”

12. “I turned down a deal with a major studio because I didn’t want to give up control of my story again.”

13. “It wasn’t about power—it was about protecting the integrity of the story.”

14. “Someone told me they left a toxic relationship because of reading my book. That alone makes it all worth it.”

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:14) - The magic of code

(00:05:30) - The wonder of early computing

(00:11:13) - The evolution of computing: From analog to digital

(00:18:45) - The personal computer revolution

(00:32:36) - The future of computing: Beyond silicon

(00:36:59) - The importance of computing history

(00:40:53) - AI and human uniqueness

(00:50:46) - The future of AI and computing interfaces

(01:02:13) - The intersection of playfulness and utility in computing

(01:11:17) - Conclusion and final thoughts

Links:

Books: God & Golem, Inc. — https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262730065/god--golem-inc

In the Beginning... Was the Command Line — https://www.harpercollins.com/products/in-the-beginning-was-the-command-line-neal-stephenson

I, Robot — https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/180504/i-robot-by-isaac-asimov

The Half-Life of Facts — https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/310285/the-half-life-of-facts-by-sam-arbesman

The Magic of Code — https://themagicofcode.com

Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet — https://www.harpercollins.com/products/tubes-andrew-blum

People:

Eric Jorgenson — https://www.ericjorgenson.com

Sam Arbesman — https://arbesman.net

Podcasts:

The Orthogonal Bet — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-orthogonal-bet/id1682641800

Companies:

Lux Capital — https://www.luxcapital.com tldraw — https://www.tldraw.com

Websites / Tools / Platforms:

Arbesman.net — https://arbesman.net

Internet Archive Spacewar Emulation — https://archive.org/details/spacewar_202301

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• Why software can be seen as ACTUAL MAGIC

• The combination of history and science fiction for more accurate prediction

• The phases of computing technology, and what might be next after silicon

• The creative opportunities for the future of software

Quotes from Sam:

1. “Software is absolutely magic. It's wizardry. It's sorcery. Nobody gets it.”

2. “We actually can use text and code to affect the world around us.”

3. “Computing should almost be this humanistic liberal art—it should connect to language and philosophy and art.”

4. “Code is not a substance, but it operates in the world.”

5. “Computers are weird everything machines.”

6. “We’re shielded from the vast complexity of computing—until something goes wrong.”

7. “People used to build computers in their garages. Now we can’t even open them.”

8. “Unix is like the Epic of Gilgamesh of computing—it’s been around for decades and it’s still foundational.”

9. “AI is powerful, but it’s part of a much longer conversation around tools for thought.”

10. “Biology is a wildly different computer than anything we would ever use to compute with.”

11. “Science fiction doesn’t always predict well, but it gives us worlds we can aim toward.”

12. “I want more weird, playful experimentation in computing—something beyond the chat interface.”

13. “Computing history is so young that many of the pioneers are still around to email.”

14. “Ultimately, all these tools were developed for people. They’re meant to be in service of humans.”

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:19) - Entering the VC space

(00:08:38) - Pilot-fund theories

(00:12:50) - Risk tracking

(00:19:56) - Finding LP alignment

(00:22:39) - Arkady’s fund thesis

(00:47:12) - Creating the index of solutions to problems

(00:57:18) - The TAM for VC in 2025

(01:00:29) - How founders can increase the odds of being funded by Arkady

(01:03:36) - False signals in VC

Links:

Arkady on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arkady-kulik/

Arkady on X - https://x.com/arkady_kulik

Rpv.global - https://rpv.global/

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• How speaking the language of scientists helps Arkady build real trust with founders.

• The AI tournament model he uses to identify 300 hidden human needs.

• Focusing on problems first, then funding an index of possible solutions.

• What he looks for in both founders and LPs.

• Why honesty beats hype every time.

• Why DPI is the only VC metric that actually matters.

Quotes from David:

1. “You don’t prove your worth as a VC until you return capital to your LPs. DPI is the only metric that matters.”

2. “The VC game is full of false positives—in evaluating companies and in how LPs evaluate VCs.”

3. “The best thing an investor can do is give a quick yes; the next best is a quick no. Lingering maybes are the worst.”

4. “Our technical unlock was agentic AI—it lets us evaluate hundreds of emerging needs for humanity in days, not years.”

5. “We want to be the first check because what matters most is building deep trust with the founder, not just valuation.”

6. “If you sold LPs on a strategy and you quietly abandon it, that’s a breach of trust—it's like cheating in a marriage.”

7. “A lot of people go into VC for ego or fast money. They won’t survive. This is a long, emotionally volatile game.”

8. “Stop wasting your life and start making a difference. If you’re a founder, build what only you can build.”

9. “There’s nothing wrong with saying no—it’s how you say it that matters.”

10. “The founder's mistake is assuming your investors will make money just because you do.”

11. “Great founders don't oversell—they're clear, calm, and self-aware.”

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:52) - The Founder's book project

(00:04:06) - Effort and building relationships

(00:11:20) - The value of self-publishing

(00:24:00) - Bootstrapping a HoldCo

(00:46:05) - Finding natural fit in business

(00:47:48) - The role of trust in business

(00:49:07) - AI and changing perspectives

(00:50:26) - Daily use of AI tools

(00:55:49) - The value of deep research

(00:57:53) - The future of AI in business

(01:16:35) - Avoiding addictive apps

(01:18:27) - Collecting and using maxims

(01:20:45) - The power of lists

(01:24:40) - Collapsing organizational gaps

(01:28:05) - The role of AI in reducing friction

(01:29:59) - Closing remarks and recommendations

Links:

Andrew Wilkinson — https://twitter.com/awilkinsonDavid Senra — https://twitter.com/founderspodcastEric Jorgenson — https://twitter.com/ericjorgensonMitchell Baldridge — https://twitter.com/baldridgecpaNick Huber — https://twitter.com/sweatystartup

Eric Jorgenson — https://ejorgenson.com

Founders Podcast — https://www.founderspodcast.com

Better Bookkeeping — https://www.betterbookkeeping.comRE Cost Seg — https://www.recostseg.comScribe — https://scribemedia.com

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• How extreme effort and agency created the opportunity to publish the Founders' book.

• The economics, longevity, and cultural value of self-published books.

• Bootstrapping and scaling a HoldCo with multiple service businesses.

• Practical uses of AI for research, productivity, and creative leverage.

• The importance of doing the work for its own sake and loving the process.

Quotes from David:

1. “You don’t handle the stress—you like it. Or else you wouldn’t be doing this.”

2. “If you want the ups, you have to endure the downs. That’s just a fact.”

3. “This is the best version of my life, whether it’s 300 people at a club or 3,000 in a theater.”

4. “Most people try to keep things even—no extreme highs or lows. But all the exciting shit is in the variance.”

5. “If you have something else you’d rather be doing, then you should go do that.”

6. “Books are so valuable because of how long they take to consume.”

7. “Effort is universal. Doesn’t matter if it’s a garden or a podcast—people respect work.”

8. “AI is going to wipe out the middle. If you’re average, you’re gone.”

9. “Sage remembers things I don’t—and that’s priceless.”

10. “Don’t rush it. Make something great. A good book can sell for 50 years.”

Quotes from Mitchell:

1. “I get frustrated at how long this takes—but I want to build something meaningful.”

2. “Turn everything into a car wash. Put the customer into neutral and pull them through.”

3. “The tax code is getting more complex, but the systems are getting better.”

4. “AI is going to destroy everything below the 95th percentile.”

5. “I’m bootstrapping a holdco—and it takes time.”

6. “Send me a customer, I’ll give you $1,000. Send me 1,000 and I’ll mortgage my house for you.”

7. “I don’t want 25 meetings a month—I want results.”

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:45) - Who are your heroes?

(00:05:16) - What is something you’ve had to teach yourself that’s become a core part of your identity?

(00:07:34) - Taking a sabbatical post-exit

(00:09:30) - Going back into entrepreneurship

(00:12:52) - How to kill two-factor auth

(00:14:34) - When to split a company into two companies

(00:18:04) - Who is the customer of iDeem?

(00:22:37) - Verified Credentials

(00:28:31) - Fighting fraud with technology

(00:30:14) - The story of eyeVerify

(00:49:09) - The new technology trends pushing iDeem

(00:52:01) - The build process of a global start-up from Middle-America

Links:

Ideem - https://www.useideem.com/

Toby on X - https://x.com/TobiasRush

Toby on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiasrush/

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

We discuss:

• Why tying your identity to your company can be both a strength and a liability

• The critical decision to shut down a beautiful but unused blockchain product—and return investor money

• How trusted digital IDs could change how we prove who we are—from checking out online to entering a secure facility

• Why simply having a trusted device could be a stronger way to log in and why invisible two-factor might be the future

• What it’s like to run a global fintech startup from Kansas City and the cultural learnings that come with it

Quotes from Toby:

1. “When the company is dying, that doesn’t mean I’m dying. And when it’s thriving, that doesn’t mean I’m a good person.”

2. “You should absolutely take a window of time when one chapter ends—just having time to yourself is all the justification you need.”

3. “Two-factor authentication is alive and well—it’s just invisible now.”

4. “We reduce friction for the user, fraud for the merchant, and cost for everyone.”

5. “If you’re serving two totally different customers with one product, you probably have two companies.”

6. “The magic moment is at checkout—remove friction there and everything gets better.”

7. “Passwords are terrible. If I can just look at my phone and log in, that’s a win.”

8. “You need friends who can sing your soul’s song back to you when you’ve lost the melody.”

9. “From almost out of money to a $100 million term sheet in five weeks—that’s the startup rollercoaster.”

10. “Authenticity, credibility, and trust are incalculable in value.”

11. “If the thesis is right but the timing is off, you can build something beautiful that no one uses.”

12. “Stop with the techno-babble. We won’t call them NFTs—we’ll just call them useful.”

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

(00:00:00) - Intro  

(00:00:45) - Introducing Nat Eliason  

(00:01:27) - Nat's Diverse Career and Writing Journey  

(00:01:47) - The Transition from Nonfiction to Fiction  

(00:02:13) - The Seven Act Structure and Writing Process  

(00:02:44) - Publishing with Scribe and Launching Husk  

(00:03:24) - The Rewards and Challenges of Writing  

(00:04:29) - Building an Audience and Marketing Strategies  

(00:06:54) - Balancing Writing with Other Ventures  

(00:09:09) - The Reality of a Writing Career  

(00:10:49) - The Importance of Consistency and Commitment  

(00:22:37) - Navigating Traditional and Self-Publishing  

(00:23:05) - The Journey to Becoming an Author  

(00:40:56) - Exploring the Shift from Nonfiction to Fiction  

(00:41:40) - The Joy of Storytelling in Fiction  

(00:44:00) - Challenges and Rewards of Writing Fiction  

(00:47:44) - Outlining and Structuring Fictional Works  

(00:57:38) - Marketing and Selling Self-Published Books  

(01:10:38) - The Future of an Author's Career  

(01:18:18) - Conclusion and Recommendations  

Links:

Nat on X

Nat’s Website

Crypto Confidential

Husk

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

Quotes from Nat:

1. “Writing is the one thing I love doing enough to commit to for the next 30 years.”

2. “Traditional publishing taught me how to make a really good book, but I wouldn’t do it again.”

3. “Holding your book for the first time—and shipping it yourself to your first readers—is pure magic.”

4. “The best marketing for your book is writing the next one—that’s the fiction game.”

5. “I used to chase whatever was interesting… now I’m building something I want to last 30 years.”

6. “Fiction lets me explore big ideas without pretending to be an expert.”

7. “The self-pub stigma is fading… especially when the book looks and reads like a trad pub hit.”

8. “Characters start doing things I didn’t plan—then I realize, oh, that’s why they’re here.”

9. “There’s no product in the world like a book—you can sell the same file for 50 years.”

10. “My dream is to have a warehouse full of books I wrote. That’s the romantic version of success.”

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:30) - What’s the most important thing you’ve ever learned?

(00:07:23) - Learning to Learn

(00:11:20) - How learning changes as you age

(00:18:51) - How do you think about your circle of competence?

(00:22:21) - The future of book publishing and how authors adapt

(00:35:29) - AI disruption in book publishing

(00:47:56) - Jim’s inaugural book: Two Thoughts

(00:56:46) - LLMs for authors, and UBI

Links:

Jim on X

Infinite Loops Podcast

Infinite Books

O’Shaughnessy Ventures

Margins: Book Tracker

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:

• "The most important thing I learned was how to learn and unlearn... most people are never taught it. It is something that, almost by definition, you have to do yourself."
• It’s important for leaders to admit when they are uncertain, and lead a culture of open-mindedness.
• It’s important to adapt to new environments, not cling to outdated practices.
• There’s an upcoming shift toward AI-driven, author-friendly publishing models that reduce inefficiencies and empower writers.
• Jim predicts AI will allow a “tsunami of slop” content and open huge opportunities in curation.
• In a world of abundant content, good taste and effective curation will be very profitable.
• Jim shares his evolving views on Universal Basic Income (UBI), arguing for experimentation to address societal shifts caused by technological advancements.
• Understanding opposing viewpoints to refine one's perspectives helps make better decisions. Jim uses AI to force him to debate and understand his own opinions better.
• Jim credits his success to a lifelong commitment to curiosity, whether through broad reading or questioning established norms.
• "Curiosity is a shit starter. It ignited my curiosity to the point where I just voraciously read everything."

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:05:25) - Studying both Medieval History and Engineering

(00:09:48) - Founding Speculative Technologies

(00:11:25) - Defining “Useful” in Science and Technology

(00:13:46) - Building the roadmap of discoveries to unlock futuristic tech

(00:17:24) - The need for new institutions

(00:25:22) - Why focus on material science and manufacturing technologies

(00:46:57) -  The day-to-day work and impact of Speculative Technologies

Links:

Speculative Technologies

Ben on X

Ben’s website

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:

• How studying history helps us see the present and the future more clearly. 
• Ben’s vision is to work with founders who are not just chasing profits but are driven by the desire to solve meaningful problems.
• Most successful concepts emerge from multiple rounds of experimentation.
• As institutions evolve, gaps formed around important research that used to be funded by universities or R&D labs of corporations. Ben is building a non-profit to fill that gap. 
• Ben shared why he chose to invest in startups rather than founding his own.
• Ben invests in "physics-enabled" startups that apply scientific principles to solve tough problems.
• For startups to be successful, there needs to be an alignment of motivations between investors and founders.
• Founders should approach investors with clarity about their vision and expect honesty and support in return.
• There are significant global issues that aren't being addressed by startups and opportunity abounds.
• Leaders must build complementary teams where members fill each other’s gaps, particularly in technical and strategic expertise.
• There’s a need for effective communication to bridge gaps between technical experts and the broader public. (hopefully some of what we’re doing here!) 

If you’re looking for non-profit causes for your philanthropic donations, SpecTech may be among the highest-leverage ways to advance human civilization through donations. 

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:13) - Catching up

(00:13:14) - Making Earth (even more) Habitable by Controlling Weather

(00:26:54) - Doug Burgum: Next Secretary of the Dept. of the Interior

(00:31:30) - Building Rainmaker

(00:44:19) - Are we short on clean water in America today?

(00:50:37) - Drones, precipitation, cloud seeding, and the future

Links:

Rainmaker

Augustus on X

Augustus’ Thread on Doug Burgum

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:

• Inspired by projects like China’s Green Wall, Rainmaker aims to terraform deserts into lush, habitable landscapes.
• Water scarcity can be solved by creating more water rather than just conserving to stay in the existing limits. 
• There are already severely water-constrained communities and farms, especially in the American west and Southwest. 
• Rainmaker’s cloud seeding program uses custom drones, radar, and safe, common chemical compounds. 
• Cloud-seeding is decades-old tech. The breakthrough was a new radar to precisely measure the effectiveness of cloud-seeding efforts. 
• China has more than 40,000 working on weather modification projects. The U.S. can catch up by supporting private sector innovation.
• Rainmaker is actively recruiting passionate engineers ready to work on cutting-edge tech.
• Being close to the frontier of innovation naturally drives the creation of new technologies and opportunities. Lots of examples inside Rainmaker. 
• A commission in the book of Genesis in the Bible to steward the garden and take care of God’s creation is an intrinsic part of Rainmaker's purpose.

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:24) - Watching the moon landing

(00:07:32) - Klaus’ career

(00:10:08) - Why Klaus wrote Leading To Thrive

(00:15:13) - Energy management, not time management

(00:19:37) - How do you implement these tactics in business?

(00:23:46) - Spiritual energy

(00:37:36) - Managing energy for life, work, and family & business

(00:54:52) - Instilling purpose as a leader

(01:04:59) - How do you approach balancing stakeholders?

(01:07:50) - What do you look for when building a team?

(01:12:01) - Closing advice

Links:

Leading to Thrive by Klaus Kleinfeld

Klaus on LinkedIn

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:

• Watching the moon landing as a child from East Germany inspired Klaus’ lifelong belief in the strength of human innovation.
• Shifting from time management to energy management.
• Finding your purpose is like "focusing a laser" that channels diffuse energy to achieve extraordinary results.
• From observing professional tennis players, Klaus learned how mental toughness and micro-recharges help maintain peak performance.
• Controlled breathing is a simple but powerful tool to manage emotions and maintain focus during high-pressure moments.
• Klaus helped transform and restore purpose to Siemens’ struggling angiography division with the most impactful team meeting you can imagine. 
• Aligning a team's work with a meaningful purpose motivates teams and improves long-term performance.
• His book was born from a desire to share lessons with young leaders, his daughters, and others seeking balance and performance.
• Creating memorable moments with his family helped Klaus maintain strong relationships despite a demanding career.
• You can instill urgency and align teams by clearly communicating that a situation absolutely requires change.

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

Scribe Media

Paul’s website

The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd

Good Work by Paul Millerd

Paul on X

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:15) - Introducing Paul, and the early days of the publishing industry.

(00:06:48) - The earliest days of publishing, distribution of profit, and printing methods.

(00:17:46) - The 2014 E-book collusion

(00:20:27) - The self-publishing surge, the $4.99 sweet spot, and where authors can optimize.

(00:24:47)- The history of paperbacks

(00:37:28) - Book deals and agents

(00:48:15) - The India market, publisher problems, and compounding disinterest.

(01:06:06) - The future of publishing

To support this podcast: 

>> Explore writing or publishing your book with Scribe: Scribemedia.com

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Here’s what we explored in the episode:

• We dive deep into the quirky history of the publishing industry, tracing it all the way back to the 1400s.
• In the 19th century, authors could increase their earnings by co-investing in fixed costs, like print plates and bookbinding.
• Traditional Publishing has always seen hardcovers as “the real books” and sought to protect them and their profits. 
• Trade paperback was published only after a successful hardcover, with those rights often sold separately. 
• Self-publishing changed the game for authors, with Amazon enabling print-on-demand and much higher royalty percentages.
• If you are an author signing with a traditional publisher, realize YOU ARE NOT THE CUSTOMER–book retailers are their customers.
• Lots of authors who earned big money retained their rights.
• Stephen King retained his paperback rights an early successful book. After the hardcover version succeeded, he sold those rights for $400,000
• Harper Lee made significant earnings from To Kill a Mockingbird by retaining movie adaptation rights.
• Tom Clancy held on to his film and international rights. This later became highly lucrative as his popularity grew and more of his books got adaptations.
• Traditional Publishers often prioritize prestige, tradition, and their profits – which doesn’t always align with author’s goals. 
• Indie authors can now disregard tradition and experiment with pricing strategies to maximize reach, revenue, and their own personal results. 

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

Links: 

Josh’s Bio - Autogeny.org

Where is my flying car? By J. Storrs Hall

Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper

The Martian by Andy Weir

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Beyond AI by J. Storrs Hall

Nanofuture: What’s Next For Nanotechnology by J. Storrs Hall

Other Episode You’ll Like:

Solocast #3: Nuclear, Nanotech, and the next Industrial Revolution (Book Recap: “Where is my Flying Car?”)

Massive Opportunities w/in Design & User Interface with Cliff Kuang

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

Links: 

Eric’s Blog

Eric’s blog post on digital scarcity

Eric’s Blog post on The Cost of Trust

Technological revolutions and Financial Capital by Carlota Perez

Topics:

(0:08) - Introducing the Web3 discussion

(4:13) - What is the Blockchain?

(6:06) - Lowering transaction costs across Web1, Web2 & Web3

(9:46) - Creating cheap, digital scarcity

(12:12) - Why does the blockchain matter? Trust & Decentralization

(18:50) - What happens when blockchains are deployed? Digital and Physical impacts.

(26:26) - Technological Revolutions & Financial Capital by Carlotta Perez

(28:23) - DAO: Distributed Autonomous Organization

(30:51) - Predictions: The biggest networks will be bigger than the biggest companies

(39:03) - Wrap Up: What do you have to do?

(42:02) - Web3 is supposed to be fun!

Andrew Wilkinson is the co-founder of Tiny, a venture capital firm that has helped to build over 25 profitable internet businesses over the last 15 years. He got his start founding MetaLab, one of the world’s top design agencies. He has gone from working out of his apartment a little over a decade ago, to today overseeing a group of companies with over 300 employees and tens of millions in revenue.

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:24) - Recapping FoundersOnly Conference

(00:36:36) - Helping others first

(00:44:32) - Baldridge updates & the power of working hard

(01:03:46) - How do you want to spend your time?

(01:10:38) - Great book recs, Scribe, and the knowledge gap

(01:44:38) - Unethical founders

(02:00:56) - Optimizing for usefulness

Links:

Founders Podcast

Mitchell Baldridge on X

Get in touch with Mitchell

David Senra on X

Perplexity AI

Books:

Hard Drive by James Wallace

So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

Jerry Seinfeld in GQ

Zero to One by Peter Thiel

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from David Senra and Mitchell Baldridge:

"People don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. And so like we could write a book on this two-hour or whatever long conversation we've had and every single person's going to have a different perspective."

— David Senra

"I'm here to be the best in the world at what I'm doing. And then you get around other people like that. Like we just talked about Mike Ovitz. You think he was optimizing for days on the golf course?"

— David Senra

“I wake up every day more obsessed to the point where, like, if this continues, we're going to have to be concerned about me. And what I love is I'm really trying to go after it.”

— David Senra

"Books don't have to make money to make you money."

— Mitchell Baldridge

"Mute the world and build your own world and it's like part of building your own world you don't want to start from zero like a feral child in the middle of the woods."

— Mitchell Baldridge

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:52) - The Gardener of Systems

(00:07:43) - Builders vs. Gardeners

(00:11:09) - Who are the best farmers of miracles?

(00:16:52) - How did you become a “systems” person?

(00:23:45) - What does Systems Thinking look like for you?

(00:53:09) - Alex’s Slime Mold deck

(00:55:12) - The iterative, adjacent possible

(00:59:53) - Alex’s experience at Google

(01:03:12) - AI uses and potentials

(01:17:54) - Book recommendations

Links:

Alex’s website

Alex on X

Alex on LinkedIn

Emergence by Steven Johnson

The Systems Bible by John Gall

The Origin of Wealth by Eric Beinhocker

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from Alex Komoroske:

"I think that to really wrestle with systems you have to let go and just dance with the system."

— Alex Komoroske

"I like the word gardening because it underlines that you are not in control of this system. You are influencing it."

— Alex Komoroske

"The builder gets immediately to work, but the gardener understands that other things can be alive."

— Alex Komoroske

"Technology should be about helping people create and use hand-tuned tools to extend their agency in collaborative ways."

— Alex Komoroske

"If people who are very unlike each other all find it interesting or intriguing, that's a good sign that it will spread out to be a very large audience."

— Alex Komoroske

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:43) - Russian interpretations of friendship

(00:09:28) - Thoughts on the state of society and its rate of technological adoption

(00:13:22) - Creating alliances between entrepreneurs, capitalists, and scientists

(00:17:17) - Rick Rubin on Creativity in Investing

(00:20:55) - Does Taste exist in the world of VC?

(00:26:06) - Becoming a better Communicator

(00:40:59) - What archetypes do you see in the folks you work with?

(00:44:18) - Arkady’s background and career

(01:00:34) - Arkady’s thesis and technical due diligence for rpv

(01:11:26) - Companies Arkady is excited about

(01:16:55) - What important problems are you not seeing pursued?

(01:21:11) - How can people get in touch with you?

Links:

Arkady on LinkedIn

Rpv Venture Fund

Specialist by Robert Sheckley

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from Arkady Kulik:

"Good communication is essential to avoid conflicts and build better relationships, both personally and professionally."

— Arkady Kulik

"Aligning visions with founders is critical. It’s not just about the business, it’s about shared values and missions."

— Arkady Kulik

"The alliance between entrepreneurs and scientists is the key to unlocking humanity's transition to an advanced civilization."

— Arkady Kulik

"Technology is the only source of never-ending growth. Our ability to reshape what we have with a small amount of resources into something fantastic is a never-ending source of creativity."

— Arkady Kulik

"People who are not true to themselves and lie to themselves are not founder material. The people who don’t lie to themselves and know what they are trying to do are the ones who can actually get there."

— Arkady Kulik

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:05:10) - The decision to live in Idaho

(00:08:21) - Nathan’s flying hobby

(00:15:09) - Building Flywheels

(00:46:07) - Incentive compensation and giving people ownership

(01:06:39) - Inflection points in building ConverKit

(01:14:16) - How to work on a ton of things

(01:23:15) - What are the rules of thumb you use the most in life?

Links:

Nathan Barry on X

ConvertKit

Nathan’s website

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from Nathan Barry on building audience, wealth, and startups:

"If I look back at all the good things that have happened in my career in the last 3 years, they all come from writing. One little habit of writing 1,000 words a day revolutionized my career."

— Nathan Barry

"ATTENTION IS THE MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE"

— Nathan Barry

"When you start writing you don’t have to worry about crafting perfect prose. Instead you just need to focus on teaching useful skills."

— Nathan Barry

Making money is a skill—like playing the drums or piano—that you can get better at over time. 

I wouldn’t expect to be able to sit down at a piano for the first time and play a concerto. The same is true for making money. 

This is why most first companies fail.

— Nathan Barry, Ladders of Wealth Creation

Join us in Rolling Fun!

Hear our other Rolling Fun eps!

Rolling Fun GPs:

Al Doan - Founder of Creativity Inc., a $100m+ collection of e-commerce brands. Founder of Pretzel. BS from BYU Hawaii, OPM at HBS. Makes one hell of a peach cobbler. (Twitter, LinkedIn)

Bo Fishback - Founder of Lightspeed Genomics (acq 2008), Orbis Biosciences (acq 2020), Zaarly (acq 2020). BS in Biomedical Engineering from SMU, MBA at HBS. Once drank a whole gallon of milk in an hour. (Twitter, LinkedIn)

Eric Jorgenson - CEO at Scribe Media. Author of Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Has a podcast. Barely graduated from a state school. Received a cease & desist from Craigslist for some frowned-upon marketing techniques. (Twitter, LinkedIn)

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:49) - Showing love for new LPs

(00:10:25) - Q1 New Investment: Dirac

(00:16:23) - Q1 New Investment: Reactiv

(00:26:53) - Q1 New Investment: Longshot

(00:34:44) - How Founders can find lead investors

(00:52:05) - Stell Engineering raised a Seed round! 

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from Naval on building wealth and the difference between wealth and money:

How to get rich without getting lucky. - Naval Ravikant

Making money is not a thing you do—it’s a skill you learn. - Naval Ravikant

Seek wealth, not money or status. - Naval Ravikant

Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

Money is how we transfer time and wealth. - Naval Ravikant

Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. 

You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. - Naval Ravikant

Important quotes from the podcast by Naval on Leverage:

“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” 

—Archimedes 

To get rich, you need leverage. Leverage comes in labor, comes in capital, or it can come through code or media. But most of these, like labor and capital, people have to give to you. For labor, somebody has to follow you. For capital, somebody has to give you money, assets to manage, or machines. - Naval Ravikant

Capital and labor are permissioned leverage. Everyone is chasing capital, but someone has to give it to you. Everyone is trying to lead, but someone has to follow you. - Naval Ravikant

Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

If you can’t code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. - Naval Ravikant

Leverage is a force multiplier for your judgment. - Naval Ravikant

Apply specific knowledge, with leverage, and eventually you will get what you deserve. - Naval Ravikant

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

Join us in Rolling Fun!

Hear our other Rolling Fun eps!

Rolling Fun GPs:

Al Doan - Founder of Creativity Inc., a $100m+ collection of e-commerce brands. Founder of Pretzel. BS from BYU Hawaii, OPM at HBS. Makes one hell of a peach cobbler. (Twitter, LinkedIn)

Bo Fishback - Founder of Lightspeed Genomics (acq 2008), Orbis Biosciences (acq 2020), Zaarly (acq 2020). BS in Biomedical Engineering from SMU, MBA at HBS. Completed the ‘impossible’ Gallon Challenge, drinking a whole gallon of milk in an hour. (Twitter, LinkedIn)

Eric Jorgenson - Founding team of Zaarly. Author of Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Has a podcast. Barely graduated from a state school. Received a cease & desist from Craigslist for some frowned-upon marketing techniques. (Twitter, LinkedIn)

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:00:06) - Warming up the vocals/ catching up

(00:09:14) - Q4 Catch-up and new deal flow

(00:15:16) - Portola

(00:41:40) - Atomic Industries 

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from Naval on building wealth and the difference between wealth and money:

How to get rich without getting lucky. - Naval Ravikant

Making money is not a thing you do—it’s a skill you learn. - Naval Ravikant

Seek wealth, not money or status. - Naval Ravikant

Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

Money is how we transfer time and wealth. - Naval Ravikant

Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. 

You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. - Naval Ravikant

Important quotes from the podcast by Naval on Leverage:

“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” 

—Archimedes 

To get rich, you need leverage. Leverage comes in labor, comes in capital, or it can come through code or media. But most of these, like labor and capital, people have to give to you. For labor, somebody has to follow you. For capital, somebody has to give you money, assets to manage, or machines. - Naval Ravikant

Capital and labor are permissioned leverage. Everyone is chasing capital, but someone has to give it to you. Everyone is trying to lead, but someone has to follow you. - Naval Ravikant

Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

If you can’t code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. - Naval Ravikant

Leverage is a force multiplier for your judgment. - Naval Ravikant

Apply specific knowledge, with leverage, and eventually you will get what you deserve. - Naval Ravikant

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

Atom Limbs

Waitlist

Crowdfunding Round - Wefunder

Tyler on X

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:19) - Inside building Atom Limbs  

(00:18:37) - The process of researching what knowledge was needed to build this company

(00:27:26) - Feedback loops in prosthetics

(00:29:23) - Where is Atom Limbs today?

(00:40:48) - Wild, irresponsible speculation: Where do you hope this company will be in 50 years?

(00:48:30) - Are there ways for these prosthetics to extend lifespan?

(00:52:21) - What’s the price point you’re speculating for a prosthetic?

(00:55:32) - How do you see the next 18 months playing out?

(01:03:16) - How can people support you?

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from Naval on building wealth and the difference between wealth and money:

How to get rich without getting lucky. - Naval Ravikant

Making money is not a thing you do—it’s a skill you learn. - Naval Ravikant

Seek wealth, not money or status. - Naval Ravikant

Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

Money is how we transfer time and wealth. - Naval Ravikant

Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. 

You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. - Naval Ravikant

Important quotes from the podcast by Naval on Leverage:

“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” 

—Archimedes 

To get rich, you need leverage. Leverage comes in labor, comes in capital, or it can come through code or media. But most of these, like labor and capital, people have to give to you. For labor, somebody has to follow you. For capital, somebody has to give you money, assets to manage, or machines. - Naval Ravikant

Capital and labor are permissioned leverage. Everyone is chasing capital, but someone has to give it to you. Everyone is trying to lead, but someone has to follow you. - Naval Ravikant

Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

If you can’t code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. - Naval Ravikant

Leverage is a force multiplier for your judgment. - Naval Ravikant

Apply specific knowledge, with leverage, and eventually you will get what you deserve. - Naval Ravikant

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

Garrett Scott on X

Pipedream Labs

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:00) - Pipedream

(00:08:33) - What’s the existing infrastructure for this product?

(00:12:55) - Finding geographical partners

(00:14:52) - Hyperlogistics, regulations, and long-tail e-commerce

(00:30:35) - What are the toughest technical problems?

(00:34:32) - The ability to master multiple disciplines

(00:37:18) - The challenge of implementation

(00:42:20) - Finding partnerships and building trust

(00:47:46) - How did you become the person who’s pursuing this?

(00:52:30) - The first 18 months of ideating Pipedream

(00:56:47) - What’s the 50-year projection for hyperlogistics?

(01:01:31) - How can people be helpful to the mission

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

Important quotes from Naval on building wealth and the difference between wealth and money:

How to get rich without getting lucky. - Naval Ravikant

Making money is not a thing you do—it’s a skill you learn. - Naval Ravikant

Seek wealth, not money or status. - Naval Ravikant

Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

Money is how we transfer time and wealth. - Naval Ravikant

Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. 

You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. - Naval Ravikant

Important quotes from the podcast by Naval on Leverage:

“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” 

—Archimedes 

To get rich, you need leverage. Leverage comes in labor, comes in capital, or it can come through code or media. But most of these, like labor and capital, people have to give to you. For labor, somebody has to follow you. For capital, somebody has to give you money, assets to manage, or machines. - Naval Ravikant

Capital and labor are permissioned leverage. Everyone is chasing capital, but someone has to give it to you. Everyone is trying to lead, but someone has to follow you. - Naval Ravikant

Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

If you can’t code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. - Naval Ravikant

Leverage is a force multiplier for your judgment. - Naval Ravikant

Apply specific knowledge, with leverage, and eventually you will get what you deserve. - Naval Ravikant

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

Join us in Rolling Fun!

Hear our other Rolling Fun eps!

Ouros

AltHQ

Zencastr

Atom Limbs

General Fabrication Company

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:57) - Dear Listener

(00:09:44) - Eric’s life as a CEO & Scribe

(00:17:14) – Rolling Fun Q2 Investments

(00:30:21) - Rolling Fun Q3 Investments

(00:41:26) - Lessons from playing basketball with Mr. Beast for 3 days

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

David Senra on X

Mitchell on X

Founders Podcast

Better Bookkeeping

Mentioned on the episode:

Fiftyyears.com

Foundersonly.com

Poor Charlie’s Almanac

Liar’s Poker

Atomic Habits

The Pathless Path

Morgan Housel books

Tren Griffin Blog - 25iq

Brent Beshore on meeting Charlie Munger

Who is Michael Ovitz?

Powerhouse by James Andrew Miller

The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness 

Blake Robbins on Twitter

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:53) - David - Product launching machine & the power of building relationships

(00:24:18) - Thoughts on Podcast advertising 

(00:31:35) - Book Publishing

(00:38:27) - Eric’s new life as a CEO

(00:59:23) - The permissionless adding of value

(01:13:08) - The Power of Podcasting 

(01:17:04) - Updates on the Baldridge Empire

(01:34:19) - Reflecting on Main St. Summit

(01:56:57) - Book recommendations

(02:08:24) - Hire a paid critic

(02:22:30) - Wrap up

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Aalo.com

Matt on Twitter

Aalo on Twitter

Aalo Job Board

Link to invest alongside Eric in deals like Aalo: rolling.fun

Links to stuff mentioned:

Decouple Podcast

Titans of Nuclear Podcast

Nuclear Barbarian Substack

Atomic Awakening by James Mahaffey

Why Nuclear Power Has Been a Flop by Jack Devanney

Topics:

(00:03:08) How the popular opinion of nuclear has changed from the 1950’s

(00:15:16) The regulation issues surrounding nuclear

(00:17:20) Water-based nuclear reactors vs. advanced nuclear reactors

(00:19:40) Matt’s journey into nuclear energy

(00:34:42) Aalo’s strategy

(00:41:12) What is the TAM for this nuclear microreactors?

(00:45:53) The manufacturing process for a nuclear plant

(00:48:51) The nuclear supply chain

(00:50:01) The change in public opinion on nuclear energy

(00:55:56) Support for nuclear energy in the VC world

(01:01:12) Recommendations for learning more about the sustainable energy industry

(01:03:30) What do you look for when hiring?

To support this podcast:

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Important quotes from Naval on building wealth and the difference between wealth and money:

How to get rich without getting lucky. - Naval Ravikant

Making money is not a thing you do—it’s a skill you learn. - Naval Ravikant

Seek wealth, not money or status. - Naval Ravikant

Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

Money is how we transfer time and wealth. - Naval Ravikant

Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. 

You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. - Naval Ravikant

Important quotes from the podcast by Naval on Leverage:

“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” 

—Archimedes 

To get rich, you need leverage. Leverage comes in labor, comes in capital, or it can come through code or media. But most of these, like labor and capital, people have to give to you. For labor, somebody has to follow you. For capital, somebody has to give you money, assets to manage, or machines. - Naval Ravikant

Capital and labor are permissioned leverage. Everyone is chasing capital, but someone has to give it to you. Everyone is trying to lead, but someone has to follow you. - Naval Ravikant

Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

If you can’t code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts. - Naval Ravikant

Leverage is a force multiplier for your judgment. - Naval Ravikant

Apply specific knowledge, with leverage, and eventually you will get what you deserve. - Naval Ravikant

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.  

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start. 

Andrew on Twitter

Andrew’s Substack

The AI Salon

Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital by Carlota Perez

Topics:

(00:00:00) Eric welcomes you to the episode

(00:03:20) The rocketing popularity of superconductors

(00:05:28) The LK-99 Superconductor Breakthrough

(00:19:44) How to commercialize room-temp superconductors

(00:25:36) The value of superconductors and their impact

(00:34:16) When will Nuclear Fusion produce energy? 

(00:52:08) The overlap of engineering and science

(00:57:48) Understanding the physics behind economics

(01:03:53) How technology breakthroughs affect civilization 

(01:13:16) Predicting second-order economic effects from introducing this technology, punctuated equilibrium & 

(01:18:00) Crazy biotech breakthroughs

(01:21:47) How much of a breakthrough in the superconductor do we actually have?

(01:27:15) Where to get more of Andrew Cote

What’s Happening with Superconductors RIGHT NOW

Researchers have spent their entire careers researching room-temperature Superconductors. It’s one of the Holy Grails of material science. About a week ago, two papers were published simultaneously claiming a breakthrough – actual Room-Temperature Superconducting Materials, created in a lab in Korea.

There seems to be big drama between the scientists. A nobel prize may be at stake. Or even scientific immortality. It’s not the main story and there are many unconfirmed details, I won’t go into it here, but @8teAPi is basically live-tweeting an HBO series so follow them for that angle. 

We might be one week into a MASSIVE change in humanity, seeing the first ripples of a coming tidal wave. 

Now, RIGHT now, there are thousands of scientists all over the world working frantically to reprocuce these results, confirm theory, run simulations, and improve methodologies. It is INCREDIBLE to see the scientific base of humanity from all over the world rise as one and tackle this opportunity. Feel like a scene from a Michael Bay movie, but nerdier.

Here is what they’re working on…

Superconductors put simply

Superconductors are materials with zero electrical resistance. Normally, when energy moves between sources (an outlet to a phone battery), or over distance (through wires and power lines) there is loss of energy. Some estimates of that loss between generation and end user are 66%!! With zero resistance transmission materials, there could be near-zero loss of energy. Cost of energy could fall by one-third JUST by improving transmission. That would be great – and just the beginning.

I’m sure this description would make a Physics PhD cringe, but hey it’s my first week.

The problem is so far all of our superconductors only work at insanely cold temperatures. Those are complex and expensive to maintain, so superconductors have only been used very rarely in special circumstances to date.

Superconductors that work at room temperature would be an enormous breakthrough, making them less finnicky and cheaper to operate. We could put superconducting materials many more places like power lines, wires, computers, transportation, etc. 

Why is everyone SO DAMN EXCITED about the impact of room-temperature superconductors? So glad you asked…

Why It Matters

“If successful LK-99 would be a watershed moment for humanity easily on-par with invention of the transistor. Overnight, we revolutionize all of electronics and energy.”

-Andrew Cote

To support this podcast:

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

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>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Center for Growth and Opportunity

Where’s my Flying Car by J. Storrs Hall

Eli on Twitter

Eli’s Substack

Ethan on Twitter

Ouros Energy

Episode #32 of Smart Friends: book recap of Where’s My Flying Car?

Episode #34 of Smart Friends w/ J. Storrs Hall

Episode #58 of Smart Friends w/ Brett Kugelmass

Timestamps:

(00:04:09) Eli Dourado & Ethan Loosbrock’s backgrounds

(00:05:53) Impact of Next-Gen Batteries on the future: Flying Cars, EVTOL Jets, Electric Vehicles, AR Contact Lenses, Off-Grid Power, and more.

(00:10:51) Lithium-Ion Battery’s role in sustainable energy

(00:11:52) Higher Energy density is the key metric for battery quality

(00:27:18) Why Ethan Loosbrock devoted his life to battery technology

(00:30:55) How Ethan Loosbrock and Eli Dourado met and worked together 

(00:33:32) What needs to happen to change the world through batteries

(00:43:02) Starting Ouros Energy, the Standard Oil of Batteries

To support the costs of producing this podcast:

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

David on Twitter

Mitchell on Twitter

Founders Podcast

Stuff mentioned:

Jocko Go Drink

Capital Camp

People mentioned:

Jeremy Giffon on Twitter

Brent Beshore on Twitter

Clayton Dorge - CEO of Capital Camp

Books mentioned:

Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Coulombe

In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules by Stacy Perman

Sam Walton: Made in America

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda

Podcasts mentioned:

Jocko Podcast

Modern Wisdom w/ Chris Williamson

Founders episode 305 - Robert Caro

Invest like the Best w/ Sam Hinkie 

Smart Friends - Kevin Espiritu

Invest like the Best with Peter Chernin

Acquired - Louis Vuitton

Audience of one with Jeremy Giffon

Infinite Loops: Billy Oppenheimer

Timestamps

(00:04:09) David & Jocko Go: a Love Story

(00:15:49) Recapping Capital Camp

(00:40:35) The power of audio & writing, Sam Hinkie, Podcast recommendations

(00:50:37) Finding conviction in your career pursuits

(00:56:58) The opportunity for niche businesses

(01:06:29) Power Leaking & the HoldCo phenomenon

(01:21:47) Favorite moments from Capital Camp

(02:00:49) The power of taste

(02:09:23) The Climb and the Summit

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Epic Gardening

Kevin Espiritu on YouTube

Creator Capitalists post from Eric

Kevin’s first appearance on Smart Friends

Scribemedia.com/consult

Timestamps

(00:04:23) Kevin’s career leading to content

(00:14:00) What did raising capital unlock for you?

(00:20:36) Attaching a dollar value to your niche

(00:27:08) What is your high-leverage work today?

(00:28:24) What do you see for Epic Gardening over the next 10 years?

(00:29:43) What other places can this playbook work?

(00:37:29) Being *good* on every platform

(00:39:00) Not thinking about “Marketing”

(00:40:41) Is it easier to start with media and attach commerce after?

(00:46:52) The importance of authenticity

(00:53:55) Q&A

(01:03:00) Wrap up

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

(00:04:26) - Who are your influences?

(00:08:57) - When Facts Expire: The Half-life of Knowledge

(00:22:57) - The Playbook behind Boston Dynamics and DeepMind 

(00:28:36) - Research Orgs other than Academia, Govt, and Industry

(00:31:00) - DARPA and Speculative Technologies

(00:39:08) - Ink & Switch

(00:41:13) - Challenges of University Tech Transfer Offices

(00:47:42) - Transforming the future of Education 

(00:52:20) - Using AI tools in day-to-day life

(00:55:40) - Sam’s job at Lux Capital

(00:58:07) - Overperforming and Underperforming Technologies

(01:02:33) - What mental models do you use most frequently?

(01:03:45) - How to corner the market on a high-tech skillset

(01:05:40) - Industries you’re watching that no one else is paying attention to? 

(01:07:41) - Sci-Fi book recommendations

Links for more on Sam:

Sam on Tedx: The Half-Life of Facts

Sam’s books

Sam’s Website

Companies Mentioned:

Boston Dynamics

DeepMind

DARPA

Speculative Technologies

The Foresight Institute

Books Mentioned:

Why Greatness Cannot be Planned by Ken Stanley

The Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Cixin Liu

Neal Stephenson Books

Culture series by Iain Banks

Babel by R. F Kuang

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Don Swanson - Undiscovered Public Knowledge

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

David on Twitter

Mitchell on Twitter

Founders Podcast

Invest like the best

How to Take Over the World

Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

Joe Lonsdale - Lessons from Peter Thiel

Topics:

(5:51) - David’s dinner with Charlie Munger

(29:33) - The power of Podcasting, Chris Powers, and innovation

(36:21) - How to make a successful Podcast

(47:42) - The Scarcity of GREAT ideas

(55:30) - Self-funding businesses and the philosophy behind Venture Capital

(1:14:27) - Mitchell’s new business

(1:55:53) - Travel plans, meet-ups and live events!

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! 

XBE

Sean on Twitter & LinkedIn

ChatGPT

ChatGPT-4

BarelyKnown.com

OpenAI

CoPilot

Ben’s Bites newsletter

BaeKayla.com

Support our Sponsor:

Bread: https://www.madebybread.com/

Topics:

(5:04) - Setting the stage: Sean’s company & programming background

(20:38) - Part 1: Individual Contributor AI Applications: ChatGPT 4

(44:23) - Part 2: Product Improvement AI Applications

(1:11:40) - Part 3: Organizational expectations post-implementation

(1:21:26) - What resources would you recommend for people to learn more about AI tools?

(1:22:55) - How do you view the landscape of your company given the advancement of AI?

(1:26:50) - Will this cause margins to increase?

(1:30:21) - How do you feel about the potential risks of AI?

(1:36:14) - How helpful was your technical background in implementing AI?

(1:39:24) - Where can people find you online?

(1:40:07) - IF YOU ARE AN ELIGIBLE BACHELOR SEEKING A SMART & ENERGETIC WOMAN, LISTEN TO THIS SECTION

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

(4:21) - Introducing Omar & Zach (nerds)

(5:30) - Why will Web3 data take 100% of the market?

(7:22) - What are data flows?

(14:40) - Does the whole world need to be on Web3 to execute your vision?

(18:02) - Is there a gamification to this whole approach?

(25:05) - Are you seeing finance being the first industry to adopt Web3 Data flows?

(34:29) - CryptoPoops.com (Finest shit on the internet)

(36:02) - Being able to verify truth at any point

(44:59) - The history of HTTPS

(47:41) - The SVB crisis, wire transfers & chainalysis

(50:09) - Can we implement something like Weavechain without replacing the skeleton of the current financial system?

(1:01:15) - Distribution in Web3/Crypto & how Weavechain works in pharma and insurance

(1:14:49) - Decentralized Science

(1:17:35) - What is the 50-year vision for Weavechain?

(1:25:42) - Who are the best people for you to talk to regarding Weavechain?

Support our Sponsor:

madebybread.com

Links:

Weavechain

Omar on Twitter & LinkedIn

Zach on Twitter & LinkedIn

For Fintechsake Podcast

Money20/20 

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

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>> Text the podcast to a friend

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The Rolling Fun(d)

Al on Twitter

Bo on LinkedIn

Matt Loszak on Twitter

Midjourney

ChatGPT

Portfolio companies Mentioned:

FasterBetter

Solve.io

Sponsors:

Athena: Get a free first month (Worth $3k!) when you sign up with my code: athenago.me/eric-jorgenson

Listen and Learn more about Athena here: Creative EA Delegation with Athena on the Podcast

Topics:

(3:49) - Life Updates: Buying a cow, Sous Vide Bacon, and Eric’s book

(13:44) - Faster Better & Athena

(24:03) - Aalo Atomics (our first Nuclear company!!)

(33:25) - Solve Data, The Brain for Ecommerce Cos

(41:10) - Current fundraising environment & Artificial Intelligence

(52:02) - Portfolio Updates 

(1:01:02) - Growth of the fund

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners

Bret Kugelmass on LinkedIn

Last Energy

Titans of Nuclear Podcast

Energy Impact Podcast

Marc Andreesen regulatory capture podcast episode

The Energy Impact Center

Decouple Podcast

Invest your money alongside ours in high-tech, high-growth startups: Rolling.fun 

Rolling Fun Podcast episodes:

Rolling Fun Ep. 1

Rolling Fun Ep. 2

Rolling Fun Ep. 3

Rolling Fun Ep. 4

Sponsors:

Athena: Get a free first month (Worth $3k!) when you sign up with my code: athenago.me/eric-jorgenson

Listen and Learn more about Athena here: Creative EA Delegation with Athena on the Podcast

Topics:

(5:42) - “The more nuclear meltdowns, the better!”

(11:06) - Working with regulators on nuclear fission

(12:10) - Making regulation capability a competitive advantage in nuclear

(16:09) - Bret’s previous startup (drones)

(22:14) - Starting The Titans of Nuclear Podcast

(24:41) - The process of learning a new industry

(26:27) - Factions inside the nuclear industry?

(27:52) - Nuclear evangelist Dr. Chris Keefer

(29:46) - How did you form Last Energy’s strategy?

(37:26) - Avoiding supply chain risks in nuclear

(42:59) - Perceptions vs realities of nuclear waste, and Cognitive Biases

(44:29) - Public Opinion is more and more pro-nuclear

(49:16) - How do you see the next 50 years playing out for the Energy sector?

(51:42) - Renewables are fine, Nuclear is magic

(54:14) - The beauty of Nuclear

(55:37) - Hiring people without a background in nuclear industry

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

Austen on Twitter

Al on Twitter

Bloomtech (Formerly Lambda School)

Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Coulombe

Rolling.fun

Rolling Fun Podcast episodes:

Rolling Fun Ep. 1

Rolling Fun Ep. 2

Rolling Fun Ep. 3

Rolling Fun Ep. 4

Creative EA Delegation with Athena on the Podcast

Sponsors:

Athenago.com

MadeByBread.com

Topics:

(6:29) - Warming up & Austen escaping San Francisco

(13:35) - Catching up on Bloomtech’s growth

(24:34) - Hiring horror stories and strategies

(37:02) - A lot of advice is bullshit

(50:10) - How to deal with hypergrowth

(1:00:05) - Will VR be a real thing?

(1:05:43) - AI’s early investment in Bloomtech

(1:13:32) - Bottlenecks for future growth

(1:18:09) - Work/Life… balance?

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners

The Gray Lady Winked by Ashley Rindsberg

Ashley on Twitter

Ashley on Substack

Ashley’s writing

Sponsor:

MadeByBread.com

GiveWell.org

Topics:

(5:02) - The impact of Balaji’s love for your book

(6:54) - When did you realize this book needed to be written?

(10:35) - Rejected by publishers

(11:44) - What changed? How did this get published?

(13:51) - The research and writing process

(18:01) - Examples: Holocaust, Fidel Castro, Vietnam, Atomic Bomb… 

(30:45) - Who is responsible for the failures?

(34:45) - Is misreporting happening in other legacy media companies?

(39:15) - Like a real-life ‘Succession’

(43:15) - Do people know about these lies?

(46:04) - Ashley’s broad personal perspective

(52:10) - How Ashley reads the news

(54:27) - The future of legacy media

(57:07) - Building Alitheum to solve these problems

(1:04:58) - Final thoughts

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Domo.so

Grace on Twitter

Mitchell on Twitter

Domo on Twitter

Jorgenson’s Soundbox #38 with Athena

Jorgenson’s Soundbox #52 with Zach Pettet

Sponsor:

Athenago.com

Givewell.org

Topics:

(5:21) - Introducing Grace and Mitchell

(5:58) - Who are your heroes?

(8:27) - How did you discover there was a need for Domo?

(17:22) - How are you thinking about incorporating fiat-based companies with Domo?

(21:18) - Who are the customers for this and how would you get accounting done for this?

(25:41) - What kind of real world applications do you envision for Domo?

(31:49) - Is invoicing one of the bigger features?

(32:22) - How did you start the company?

(36:44) - DAO Tooling

(37:43) - Domo’s ability to build horizontally or vertically

(40:53) - The decades outlook for crypto & blockchain

(54:03) - How differently do these chains behave?

(58:32) - Has anything gotten measurably harder at the end of 2022 vs. the beginning?

(1:00:35) - Are you getting inbound interest from accountants?

(1:03:57) - What is the next step to getting crypto bookkeeping to the ideal person?

(1:08:20) - Grace’s experience hiring with Athena

(1:13:10) - Manifesting the crypto future

(1:15:18) - How can people reach you?

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

• Ambiologix
• Rolling Fun
• SBIR requirements
• Participating governmental agencies
• State funds for SBIR

Topics:

(6:00) - Maria’s origin story & the founding of Orbis

(12:03) - What is this technology?

(13:46) - What was Corey’s breakthrough?

(16:06) - How many months of burn did you have from the seed round?

(17:42) - What was the process of running down your first 4 contracts?

(18:49) - When did grant funding come into the picture and how do people go about getting this type of funding?

(27:51) - What happens to your options when you secure a phase 1 grant?

(30:10) - What was your experience pursuing these sources of funding?

(34:00) - What are some of the technologies you see coming into contact with grant funding?

(35:44) - How and where are you submitting requests for grants?

(37:03) - How are proposals filtered through the acceptance process?

(37:55) - How often is the motivation for funding so that agencies can become customers?

(39:38) - How much of your funding came from equity investors and then from grants?

(44:47) - How long does it take from start to finish in order to secure grant funding?

(48:15) - How many times the funding in a deck come down to minute details within a proposal?

(49:58) - What process do you walk entrepreneurs through when they want to work with you about securing grant funding?

(55:56) - How do you think about acquisition coaching?

(1:01:35) - What was your experience being acquired?

(1:05:27) - How can other founders position themselves for a sale?

(1:07:07) - How do you think about managing a team through an acquisition?

(1:08:59) - How did the licensing inflection point tie into the acquisition?

(1:11:58) - What are some facts from your industry that would blow people’s minds?

(1:13:55) - How far can this technology go?

(1:14:47) - What happens to an IP of a technology like Orbis?

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

Rolling Fun #1

Rolling Fun #2

Rolling Fun #3

Portfolio

Al on Twitter

Bo on Twitter

Positive Food Co.

Omella

Tonic Audio

Stell Engineering

NSION

Gently.com

Glyph

Terran Robotics

Topics:

(5:34) - Crypto has imploded, thanks FTX! What’s the long-term play?

(21:00) - Life and news updates

(23:20) - Q4 Investment updates

(1:01:00) - Elon and Twitter

(1:06:22) - Discussing the pros and cons of an uncapped Convertible Note and investment philosophies

(1:31:27) - Fund Growth Updates

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

Zach on Twitter & LinkedIn

Money 20/20

For Fintech’s Sake Podcast

TripleBlind

Rule 1033

Propel

Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller

Topics:

(4:25) - Recap the last episode with Zach and Eric

(5:34) - Fintech Industry Overview

(15:21) - Money 20/20 – the Biggest Fintech Conference in the world

(24:02) - Regulation looms over Fintech, always

(27:12) - The “Off The Record” Stage at Money 20/20

(29:28) - The CFPB and Rule 1033

(43:15) - Stripe, Adyen, Warren Buffett, and The Media

(49:01) - Behind the scenes at Money 20/20

(59:20) - How do you get Serena Williams on stage?

(1:01:58) - Holding the keys to so much potential ROI

(1:04:33) - Defining the relationship between a fintech org and a bank

(1:11:21) - Entrepreneurs buying their own community banks

(1:16:58) - The intersection of Crypto and Fintech

(1:27:11) - Is OnlyFans only a bad thing?

(1:35:34) - What is the overarching story that Money 20/20 tells?

(1:41:50) - Wrapping up

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

(5:29) - Max’s background and career

(14:15) - Is it reasonable to use Neural Net, Deep Learning and Machine learning interchangeably?

(26:37) - The Future of AI

(39:18) - Google & AI Writing

(49:42) - Hiring AI for help in our personal lives

(55:02) - How Improvements in Robotics will massively push things forward

(57:12) - Computers being able to smell and taste

(1:04:56) - Scarier futures of AI

(1:08:13) - Is there a new field of opportunities you’re paying attention to now in Computer Vision?

(1:16:03) - Prompt Engineering

(1:24:54) - Final recap

Links:

Max on Twitter

MaxOlson.com

Max’s Newsletter, Blog & Podcast - FutureBlind

Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders from Max Olson

Mashgin

LEX AI

GPT-3

Juggernaut AI

Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark

Turing Test

Midjourney community showcase

Jasper AI

Copy AI

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(4:12) - David on how to grow a podcast & Mitchell as a connector

(13:32) - David on changing the structure of his podcast

(15:58) - Creator-Led Business, Kobe Bryant, Arnold Schwarzenegger & Balaji

(36:49) - The genius of Berkshire Hathaway & The power of Twitter

(51:24) - Creator Economics & Story time with David Senra

(1:06:38) - Eric’s impact on David

(1:09:48) - Mitchell’s career model & Building a bookkeeping business

(1:28:11) - Focusing career growth

(2:04:32) - Thoughts on TikTok

(2:16:43)- How the guys spend their time (Finding operational leverage)

(2:21:29) - Trying to convince Mitchell to start a podcast

(2:24:34) - David’s thoughts on his new business model 

(2:33:38) - Wrap Up

Links:

- The Founder’s Podcast w/ David Senra

- Connect with Mitchell Baldridge

- Mitchell Baldridge on Twitter

- David Senra on Twitter

- BetterBookkeping.com

- David’s appearance on Jorgenson’s Soundbox

- Mitchell’s appearance on Jorgenson’s Soundbox

- Trung Phan on Twitter

- Sam Hinkie

- WorkWeek

- Coked Up Options on Twitter

- Ed Thorpe on The Tim Ferriss Show

- Business Breakdowns - Berkshire Hathaway

- Money20/20

- George Mack on Twitter

- Frank Niu on TikTok

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(1:05) - Life updates and catching up from Al’s Quilting Capital: Hamilton, MO

(20:08) - Fund updates for end of Q2

(25:15) - Fund updates for Q3: Omello, Ohm, Driv.ly & Glyph

(49:35) - Closing out Q3

(50:28) - Updates on old portfolio companies: StableCoin, Terran, Gently 

(55:23) - How to get involved with Rolling Fun!

Links:

Rolling Fun #1

Rolling Fun #2

Portfolio

Al on Twitter

Bo on Twitter

Wongo Puzzles

Positive Food Co.

Omella

Smart Ohm

Driv.ly

Glyph

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(5:53) - Start of Balaji Interview

(6:24) - How would you introduce yourself to a stranger?

(8:19) - Do you think of your work as “whatever it takes” to advance your ideology?

(10:05) - What would you like to see most achieved?

(13:14) - What are the things you believe you are the best at?

(20:52) - What are the ideas you are most confident telling others that you know for certain?

(30:22) - Balaji’s upbringing & growing up in an age before the internet

(1:03:35) - Have you always been like this? Was there an inflection point that made you who you are today?

(1:11:41) - Are there any formative media, movie or books that really had an impact on you growing up?

(1:19:15) - Doing math as a hobby & philosophical frameworks

(1:29:19) - The Feynman Lectures & Magic the Gathering

(1:51:29) - Were there any inspirations you looked to in your transition into entrepreneurship?

(1:56:45) - What do you consider your career or body of work?

(2:07:20) - Where have you seen some of the bigger obstacles in your career?

(2:25:57) - Wealth, Burn Rate, and feeling “free to speak your mind”

(2:38:40) - How are you spending time and resources to have an impact according to your mission?

(2:50:56) - Are you trying to start your own network state or help people start theirs?

(2:55:06) - What’s your process with getting up to speed on new technologies?

(3:00:23) - What do you think about the trade-off between focusing on learning vs. when to start doing?

(3:03:50) - Countries that impacted Balaji’s philosophy

(3:08:33) - Balaji’s predictions on what Eric chose to have in the book

(3:13:13) - What are the mental models or heuristics you use most often?

(3:19:21) - Eric’s Themes of Balaji’s work

(3:28:14) - What is your definition of technology?

(3:36:09) - Do you believe a startup is synonymous with a great new technology?

(3:37:20) - The co-evolution of technology and humanity & Youth-Extension

(3:43:34) - The long-term battle for Network systems

(3:45:50) - What do you envision transhumanism looking like?

(3:53:05) - Wrap Up

Links:

Balaji on Twitter

The Network State

Feynman Lectures on Physics

From Third World to First by Lee Kuan Yew

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos

Howl's Moving Castle

Isaac Azmov

Elements of Mathematical Modeling

Paul Tipler Physics books

Visual Complex Analysis by Tristan Needham

One Thousand Exercises in Probability

fast.ai

Quantum.country

Classical Electrodynamics by John Jackson

The PERL Cookbook

PLEAC

Obey the Testing Goat

Nobody cares by Ben Horowitz

The Jewish State by Theodore Herzl

How ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Color Wheel Explains Humanity

Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence by Kellie Jackson

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard Wrangham

Limitless

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(7:05) - Updates from Zach: hiring, firing, building software, and finding PMF

(13:41) - What drove the decision to focus more on the marketplace rather than services?

(20:18) - How different was it working with a fund rather than angels?

(23:03) - Cost cutting measures

(24:35) - What was it about services that made them not repeatable or scalable?

(37:00) - Fear mongering

(38:19) - Regional focused marketplaces

(41:07) - Corporate Enterprise focuses

(45:15) - Rebuilding community and staffing via website development

(50:38) - How does affiliate marketing discounts fit into your strategy?

(54:34)- Firing a customer

(59:17) - A bias for action, mixed with patience

(1:07:06) - What are your hopes for our next meeting?

(1:10:38) - Homework for the audience

Links:

Zach on Twitter

Conterra Security

Listen to Episodes 1-3 of this series

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawaski

Webflow

Zapier

AirTable

New Illinois crime law going into effect

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(1:46) - Who are your heroes?

(7:25) - Sebastian’s affinity for studying history, sports, art & professional gamers

(11:30) - How do you take lessons learned from these studies and apply them to entrepreneurship?

(13:01) - Why do you approach life and work with a lens of ruthless optimization?

(18:12) - Breaking down the concept of ‘productivity’

(26:56) - Non-value producing work

(28:11) - Do you find that you have a higher sense of baseline after experimenting with 

optimizing your entire life?

(34:25) - Maximum sustainable pace vs. Maximum possible pace

(39:44) - Optimizing for fun

(44:34) - Can you expand on the growth of Ultraworking?

(50:04) - Improving scope-to-quality of work

(55:36) - Sebastian’s period of life attempting to visit every country in the world

(1:00:59) - Sebastian’s writing eras and how they changed him

(1:14:40) - Agree or disagree: Self-measurement is self-punishment

(1:19:51) - Monthly themes for life

(1:22:45) - What is the mental model you find yourself implementing in your life the most?

Links:

Ultraworking

Sebastian Marshall on Medium

The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt

Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon by B. H. Lidell Hart

On Heroes, Hero-worship and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle

You and Your Research by Richard Hamming

Stedi Annual Letter - Operational excellence

Gateless by Sebastian Marshall

Extreme Productivity by Robert Pozen

Product Hunt

Clockwork Nutrition

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(3:15) - Mark’s career & background

(4:40) - Do you think there is a popular renaissance behind Nuclear Energy?

(6:27) - Realizing the regulatory problem holding back energy advancement

(15:35) - The costs behind Nuclear

(18:06) - The Nuclear customer & Europe’s approach to Nuclear

(31:46) - France’s energy price crisis

(37:00) - The history of Nuclear Power

(51:07) - The next wave: Advanced Nuclear

(1:01:51) - Who’s behind the push for Advanced Nuclear?

(1:03:27) - How did the USA lose its ability to build new reactors?

(1:08:38) - Nuclear success in the United States Navy

(1:21:57) - Debunking Plutonium

(1:224:26) - What is the supply chain of building reactors in the Navy?

(1:27:10) - What are reliable resources for people to learn more about or work in Nuclear?

(1:32:14) - Wrap up

Links:

Mark on Twitter

Radiant Energy Fund

Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air by David JC MacKay

The World Nuclear Association Library

Clean Corps

The rePLANET Network

The Mothers for Nuclear Organization

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(5:14) - Matt & Ben’s friendship origin

(8:42) - Starting Texts From Last Night

(18:17) - Matt’s early career with Google, Coachella & Lafayette American

(43:33) - Mille Mitten

(58:34) - Tik Tok, Ads and Algorithms

(1:06:55) - Elon Musk & Twitter

(1:15:38) - Fixing Movie Theaters & car charging infrastructure

(1:38:07) - Fixing conferences

(1:50:50) - Exercise: Rebranding the podcast

Links:

Texts from Last Night

Lafayette American

TickPick

Mille Mitten

Mil-Spec Automotive

Alamo Drafthouse

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

Rohun on Twitter

JT Capital

The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson

CBRE

JLL

4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Loom

Maven

The Fear Setting Exercise - Tim Ferriss

Topics:

(6:10) - Why Eric and Rohun Should have been friends 10 years ago

(8:30) - Rohun’s Heroes & family dynamic

(15:44) - Journeying into Real Estate

(20:52) - Getting Reps: Underwriting Deals

(26:57- The importance of scale

(30:14) - What is the order of operations for buying a deal?

(33:17) - How did you find your partners for JT Capital?

(35:26) - Did your uncle pay you for your apprenticeship?

(37:25) - What kind of expense ratios are you getting with these large deals as opposed to smaller properties

(40:31) - What was your vision for building the company?

(43:32) - Were you thinking about leverage at all in this process?

(47:26) - Was there anything you brought with you from your career in tech into the RE industry?

(50:49) - How are you using EA’s and Virtual assistants in your business?

(1:05:04) - Is there anything in your business that cannot be automated or delegated?

(1:10:46) - How has your life changed after making this investment?

(1:13:36) - How do you balance having partners when you’re structuring your career around freedom?

(1:16:15) - How do you compare the pressures of your job now vs. all the unique things you did before this?

(1:21:53) - What was the single biggest inflection point of your career?

(1:23:41) - Was there any single deal that was make or break for the company?

(1:24:56) - What is the mental model you use most frequently?

(1:28:50) - Final thoughts & Wrap up

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(6:21) - What is your specific knowledge?

(7:20) - Taylor’s career

(12:38) - Transaction Cost Economics

(20:02) - The work behind Taylor’s first book: The End of Jobs

(21:20) - Was publishing that book a major inflection point in your career?

(23:53) - Taylor’s writing on the crypto space and work in investing & finance

(29:03) - Mutiny Funds

(32:57) - The Long-Volatility Strategy

(36:33) - The Thousand-Year Portfolio

(40:49) - Who is using the long-volatility strategy and how are they using it?

(43:16) - What does the strategy look like day to day?

(50:07) - Volatility Index

(55:33) - Are there future products in the funnel for Mutiny?

(57:44) - What do you look for in the hedge funds you assemble?

(1:00:20) - How long have you been building this core of knowledge?

(1:04:11) - How do you know when to shift your focus?

(1:07:11) - Are there people you look up to who are great examples of playing the long game?

(1:09:25) - What is the long game for Mutiny?

(1:12:49) - How do you maintain discipline when the world tells you to take the other path?

(1:16:22) - What mental model do you use most often?

Links:

Mutiny Funds

Taylor’s website

Taylor’s The Interesting Times newsletter

The End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson

Blog post: Markets Are Eating The World by Taylor Pearson

The Kelly Criterion with Edward Thorp

The Cockroach Portfolio

The Volatility Index

The Origin of Wealth by Eric Beinhocker

Fortune's Formula by William Poundstone

A Man for All Markets by Edward Thorp

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(3:48) - David Hijacks the podcast: Eric’s Heroes, Munger as a copywriter and “Jeffisms”

(8:31) - How did you start Founders Pod and build it into a business?

(27:39) - How did you engrain this level of discipline in your craft?

(34:41) - Emulating Ed Thorpe

(43:59) - The power of podcasting

(50:43) - Eric and David discuss career goals

(57:46) - Thoughts on the ‘serial entrepreneur’

(1:08:18) - Deep dive into David’s approach to reading

(1:19:17) - Is this just a chapter of your life, or is this the business to dedicate your life to?

(1:25:24) - Do you think more people should do what you’re doing?

(1:28:20) - How to get the most value from what David is doing

(1:36:06) - How have you changed pre-Founders vs. today?

(1:38:29) - What does the best version of this podcast look like?

(1:53:48) - Compounding & Leverage

(1:59:38) - Books are the original links

(2:04:45) - Final thoughts

Links:

FoundersPodcast.com

Kevin Rose interviewing Elon Musk on the Tesla Factory Floor

Jocko Podcast

Paul Graham’s “How to Do what You Love”

Masters of Doom by David Kushner

Chapo Trap House

Edwin Land

Founders Podcast: Founder of Hyundai

Neckar’s Minds of the Market

Readwise

The Kanye West Genius documentary

The Great Books Program

Biographics on YouTube

Graphtreon.com

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(7:11) - Brett’s earliest memories of his strengths

(9:58) - Understanding different skills and abilities

(13:36) - Brett’s early career

(18:08) - What was the moment of conception for Remind?

(26:03) - What were some pivotal moments early on?

(30:08) - How much did Twilio aid your growth?

(31:18) - What role did investor selection play into the success of Remind?

(35:00) - Transitioning into Omella

(44:18) - How many customers did you talk to before building the product?

(45:11) - What’s the process of building conviction in your product?

(50:38) - How much wider is the purview of Omella than Remind in terms of the market it helps?

(55:11) - Thoughts on distribution, engagement and retention

(1:01:15) - How has the founder experience compared with your second company vs. the first?

(1:03:38) - How does leverage fit into structuring Omella?

(1:08:23) - What are the most common mental models you use to make decisions?

(1:12:50) - Do you find people to be overthinking while building a product?

(1:14:13) - Where would you like Omella to be in the next 5-10 years?

(1:15:09) - How do you ensure you can keep a small high-performance team rather than solve problems via headcount?

(1:16:16) - How often do customers that you interact with become evangelists for Omella?

Links:

BrettKopf.com

Brett Kopf on Twitter and LinkedIn

Omella

Remind

Acton academy

The Theory of Constraints

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(3:27) - Recapping Track Zach #2

(10:36) - What are customers buying now and how have the service offerings changed?

(20:06) - Do you know the bootstrapping process of these other industry marketplace products?

(21:49) - How did you arrive at home security audit and family protection as the right first products to offer?

(29:20) - What’s your ultimate revenue goal as it pertains to fundraising?

(38:35) - What do your internal operations look like?

(41:06) - Zach’s experience in Launch New York

(43:32) - Spending too much time on “shiny object” opportunities

(48:55) - Traction and the fundraising process

(57:01) - Entrepreneurship is really hard

(1:06:01) - Is there anything you’ve changed your mind on in the past quarter?

(1:17:06) - Are there other mental models from your time as a SEAL that you apply in business?

(1:20:44) - Feeling high leverage work shift over time

(1:26:22) - How can people listening help Conterra?

Links: 

ConterraSecurity.com

LaunchNY.org

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen

NfX Marketplaces

Other Episode You’ll Like:

Kevin Espiritu: Bootstrapping Epic Gardening to 8 Figgures by mixing Media + D2C Biz Models. Oh and Poker, Pink Pineapples, and Male Models.

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(4:56) - Chris’ background and work at Athena

(6:53) - What does a Chief Client Officer do?

(10:20) - Robert’s background and work at Athena

(17:00) - Robert recruiting Chris to Athena

(20:20) - What distinguishes Robert as an operator

(25:02) - Robert’s first year with Athena and how the company has scaled 

(33:39) - Chris’ decision to join Athena

(37:28) - Creating a great experience for both clients and the EAs

(46:17) - What people use their EAs for at Athena

(50:28) - How Athena focuses on leverage

(57:46) - Thoughts behind recruiting EAs and training 

(1:09:04) - Playbooks and systems for delegation

(1:13:14) - biggest moments of relief gained from an EA?

(1:17:58) - How does someone know when they need an EA?

(1:32:28) - Where is Athena today?

(1:38:40) - Where do you predict the global workforce goes over the next several decades?

(1:46:30) - What are the mental models or heuristics you use in making decisions?

(1:55:41) - Athena helps clients provide feedback

(1:58:06) - Wrap up

Links: 

Athena - www.athenago.com

Island Heights Construction - https://www.islandheights.ca

Humi - https://www.humi.ca

Eric’s Site: www.ejorgenson.com 

Other Episodes You’ll Like:

EA Delegating w/ Michelle Penczak: Founder of Squared Away - Military Spouses becoming Top Tier Virtual Assistants

Drug Cartels, Vanguard, And Goldman Sachs with Codie Sanchez

Andrew Wilkinson: De-risking Leverage, Investing vs. Operating, and the Best Part About Business

To support the costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

Important quotes from Naval on building wealth and the difference between wealth and money: 

How to get rich without getting lucky. - Naval Ravikant

Making money is not a thing you do—it’s a skill you learn. - Naval Ravikant

I came up with the principles in my tweetstorm (below) for myself when I was really young, around thirteen or fourteen. I’ve been carrying them in my head for thirty years, and I’ve been living them. Over time (sadly or fortunately), the thing I got really good at was looking at businesses and figuring out the point of maximum leverage to actually create wealth and capture some of that created wealth. - Naval Ravikant 

Seek wealth, not money or status. - Naval Ravikant

Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. - Naval Ravikant

Money is how we transfer time and wealth. - Naval Ravikant

Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. 

You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. - Naval Ravikant

The most important skill for getting rich is becoming a perpetual learner. You have to know how to learn anything you want to learn. The old model of making money is going to school for four years, getting your degree, and working as a professional for thirty years. But things change fast now. Now, you have to come up to speed on a new profession within nine months, and it’s obsolete four years later. But within those three productive years, you can get very wealthy. - Naval Ravikant

David Senra, the host of Founders Podcast, is a biography-reading machine. If you don’t have time to spend 40 hours reading the full-length biography of some gilded-age entrepreneur, listening to David’s high-quality recap is the next best thing.

The Founders Podcast is a paid podcast that costs $99/year or $299 for lifetime access. Subscribing gives you access to more than 200 episodes including the back catalog with episodes about Anthony Bourdain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elon Musk, and many more.

Visit founderspodcast.com to subscribe or listen to sample episodes.

Links: 

FE International

FE International Whitepapers

Client Case Studies

Thomas on Twitter

Thomas on IG

Thomas on Facebook

Join our Fund at Rolling.Fun

Support our sponsor: founderspodcast.com 

Other Episode You’ll Like:

Andrew Finn: WaitButWhy and G64 C-Founder on How to Acquire a Free Company

Codie Sanchez: Drug Cartels, Vanguard, And Goldman Sachs

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

(2:11) - Tech Gossip about Elon, Twitter & Fast 

(9:26) - Q1 Portfolio Recap: Gently & Terran Robotics

(28:36) - Q2 Portfolio Update: Lumo, Stablegains

(43:05) - How listeners can help portfolio companies

(46:07) - Fund Updates

(51:29) - Explaining how quarterly investments work in the fund and deadlines

(53:01) - Reasons we passed on companies

Links: 

Rolling.Fun

Gently.com

Terran Robotics

Terran Robotics on YouTube

Lumo.co

Stablegains.com

Other Episode You’ll Like:

Shane Mac: Building Messaging Protocol for Web3 (XMTP), Company Culture, and Scaling Trust

Chris Powers: Starting A Real Estate Empire at 17, Focus, Podcast Flywheels

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

David Senra, the host of Founders Podcast, is a biography-reading machine. If you don’t have time to spend 40 hours reading the full-length biography of some gilded-age entrepreneur, listening to David’s high-quality recap is the next best thing.

The Founders Podcast is a paid podcast that costs $99/year or $299 for lifetime access. Subscribing gives you access to more than 200 episodes including the back catalog with episodes about Anthony Bourdain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elon Musk, and many more.

Visit founderspodcast.com to subscribe or listen to sample episodes.

Links: 

Michelle on LinkedIn

Michelle on Medium

info@gosquaredaway.com

Squared Away 

Asana

Trello

Zirtual

Harvest

Support our sponsor: founderspodcast.com 

Other Episode You’ll Like:

Shane Mac: Building Messaging Protocol for Web3 (XMTP), Company Culture, and Scaling Trust

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

David Senra, the host of Founders Podcast, is a biography-reading machine. If you don’t have time to spend 40 hours reading the full-length biography of some gilded-age entrepreneur, listening to David’s high-quality recap is the next best thing.

The Founders Podcast is a paid podcast that costs $99/year or $299 for lifetime access. Subscribing gives you access to more than 200 episodes including the back catalog with episodes about Anthony Bourdain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elon Musk, and many more.

Visit founderspodcast.com to subscribe or listen to sample episodes.

Links: 

Josh’s Bio - Autogeny.org

Where is my flying car? By J. Storrs Hall

Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper

The Martian by Andy Weir

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Beyond AI by J. Storrs Hall

Nanofuture: What’s Next For Nanotechnology by J. Storrs Hall

Support our sponsor: founderspodcast.com 

Other Episode You’ll Like:

Solocast #3: Nuclear, Nanotech, and the next Industrial Revolution (Book Recap: “Where is my Flying Car?”)

Massive Opportunities w/in Design & User Interface with Cliff Kuang

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

David Senra, the host of Founders Podcast, is a biography-reading machine. If you don’t have time to spend 40 hours reading the full-length biography of some gilded-age entrepreneur, listening to David’s high-quality recap is the next best thing.

The Founders Podcast is a paid podcast that costs $99/year or $299 for lifetime access. Subscribing gives you access to more than 200 episodes including the back catalog with episodes about Anthony Bourdain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elon Musk, and many more.

Visit founderspodcast.com to subscribe or listen to sample episodes.

Support our sponsor: founderspodcast.com 

Links: 

Zach Pettet on Twitter

Zach’s Podcast - For Fintech’s Sake

On YouTube

On Spotify

On Apple Podcasts

Money 20/20

V-Sum

SoLo Funds

MoneyLion

Blooom

Figure

Other Episode You’ll Like:

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

Andrew Finn: WaitButWhy and G64 Co-founder on How To Acquire A Free Company

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

Where Is My Flying Car? By J. Storrs Hall

WTF Happened in 1971?

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

Rolling.Fun

Alan Doan

Bo Fishback

Airtasker

Lambda

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Chris Powers: Starting a Real Estate Empire at 17, Focus, Podcast Flywheels

Shane Mac: Building Messaging Protocol for Web3 (XMTP), Company Culture, and Scaling Trust

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

Modern Wisdom Podcast

Chris Williamson on Twitter

Eric’s leverage course

Jordan Peterson & Chris Williamson Podcast

Mathew Fraser on Instagram

Sky King on Twitter

The School of Life

Sam Harris

Taylor Pearson

Chris Sparks

Aubrey Marcus, CEO of Onnit on what he would change about his life

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron

Tim Ferriss: 11 reasons not to get famous

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Sky King: The Next Level of the Internet, Decentralization, and Becoming a Player in the Game of Life

Andrew Finn: WaitButWhy and G64 co-founder on How to Acquire a Free Company

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

Propy

NAR (National Association of Realtors)

Natalia on Twitter

Natalia on LinkedIn

Adam on LinkedIn

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Sean O’Connor: How Blockchain is Changing Society with Costless Transactions

Shane Mac: Building Messaging Protocol for Web3 (XMTP), Company Culture, and Scaling Trust

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

To start our discussion, I ask Jeannine to dispel some of the misperceptions of HR – she says often they are spending more time and energy fighting on behalf of employees. She also talks about the relationship between the CEO and the People Team and says she considers the CEO as a part of the People Team.

We transition to talking about recruiting and why Jeannine self-proclaims herself to be the world's worst recruiter as she shows candidates the underbelly of the company and paints a realistic landscape of what working for the company will really be like and the hurdles they may face. She elaborates on the different kinds of recruiting, and she highlights how the People Team changes as companies reach different milestones in growth.

Jeannine walks us through internal communications and some of the different systems she’s used, and she gives some examples of why people may seek out HR business partners for assistance. We talk about using Slack and whether it is a synchronous or asynchronous tool. She explains the necessary systems and processes and likens them to tree rings, with the HRIS (human resources information system) at the center, a ring for how the company gives and receives feedback, which we dive further into, and a third ring for things such as bonus programs and learning and development tools.

Towards the end of our conversation, we talk about why people leave companies as well as the difficulties of having to fire someone, and we discuss companies’ compensation philosophies. We also explore the reality of Flat Organizations and how transparency and clarity are the more important factors. Jeannine says that now companies are focusing more on creating better work-life balances and true wellness including physical, mental, and financial health. We wrap up with Jeannine’s learning journey and talk about building company culture.

Links: 

Jeannine on Twitter

Density.io

Casper

Notion

CultureAmp

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Andrew Wilkinson: De-risking Leverage, Investing vs. Operating, and the Best Part About Business

Shane Mac: Building Messaging Protocol for Web3 (XMTP), Company Culture, and Scaling Trust

To support this costs of producing this podcast: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun

>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter

>> Text the podcast to a friend

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.

To kick off the conversation, I ask about who their heroes are and both Wills talk about their fathers as well as Munger and Buffet, and then we transition into how they met and came to start In Practise. They both worked for Third Bridge, an expert network that connects mainly investment companies with operators in private one-to-one phone calls, and they came together to build the content side of the business. They fell in love with the work, and seeing a niche in the market for a more affordable solution for smaller hedge fund managers, they spun out from Third Bridge and formed In Practise.

We discuss how they are building a system to understand what quality means in a business and how they build conviction for investors. We talk a bit about Dee Hock, the founder and CEO of Visa, and how he has inspired and influenced In Practise. Their core offering is a library of interviews; they first aim to get their client up to speed quickly on the workings of the company they are interested in and then to delve into what really matters, and the next part is the analysis phase in which they offer investor dialogs about the company. Moreover, they are aiming to build a community for learning founded on trust.

We explore how they approach the interviews of executives and the balance between noticing patterns but also allowing the interview to go where it flows. They must understand the business and what the customers care about but also have to be willing to really listen. Will Barnes emphasizes the importance of the line of questioning rather than just the questions and says the epiphanies often come when the original hypothesis was wrong. They walk me through a couple of company examples, Naked Wine and Burford, and what really matters in them. To wrap up, I ask about the companies they can list that they believe to be in the hundred highest quality public businesses in the world today and about their project of In Practise 40 years out.

Links: 

In Practise

In Practise on Twitter

Eric’s Newsletter

Third Bridge

Iain McGilchrist

Books by Dee Hock

Naked Wines

Burford Capital

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Phil Huber: Crazy Alternative Assets, Crypto for Financial Advisors & the Book Writing Process

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

Shane Mac: Building Messaging Protocol for Web3 (XMTP), Company Culture, and Scaling Trust

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

We talk about how they all keep up in the industry and decide what to pay attention to. Each team member has their own approach, but generally, the community you belong to can help inform you as well as following “thought leaders” on Twitter and Discord. Jason says he focuses on what will make money and tries to sort whether people are right about opportunities or if they are being duped. Adam shares a theme he’s adopted from the space, “We’re all gonna make it,” and says everyone is working to help grow the pie.

In the second half of the conversation, we talk about block explorers as the next Googles of the world, we explore the analogy of where crypto is at in comparison to where internet was in the 90s, and we talk about OpenSea as the Amazon of crypto and whether it will be disrupted or not. We also explore some thoughts on the metaverse and its opportunities. I then ask about some predictions for their fund in 10 years and am told they expect the fund to have several billion in proof stake tokens and that they’ll be able to take on other subadvisor arrangements with other types of treasuries.

To wrap up, we talk about some steps people can take if they want to learn more or get started in DeFi. Jason talks about building a portfolio to earn yield, which can then be sold to start building up a dream portfolio, or it can be compounded back into your strategy to earn more yield. Adam points out the common characteristic of successful crypto investors is resourcefulness and that it is a do-it-yourself industry. Boz suggests learning while earning; he says a first step is starting to yield on a stable coin, then learning through podcasts, Discords, Twitter, etc., and then the next phase is going from stable coin to a web3 interface and staking.

Links: 

Sushi Swap

Kingsly Capital 

Danny Ryan on Twitter 

Cosmos

Luna

PolkaDot

Dogepunks NFT

Jason on Twitter

Boz on Twitter

Adam on Twitter

Adam’s Subsctack

Ethropy.finance

The Crypto Barbell Strategy

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

SquidDAO: Web3 Project Deep-Dive: Part Crypto Hedge Fund, Part NFT DAO. An Anonymous Conspiracy for Mutual Enrichment

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

Shane Mac: Building Messaging Protocol for Web3 (XMTP), Company Culture, and Scaling Trust

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

To kick off our conversation, we talk a bit about Shane’s decision to move to Nashville, driven by the exhausting culture of work scale at all cost in San Francisco, and the music scene there. Shane then discusses how he came to work with Matt Galligan and start XMTP. When looking for an opportunity to build a new company, he had a lightbulb moment when Robert Leshner, the founder of Compound, presented a communication problem in the web3 space. Shane realized that people who have wallets want to be able to communicate with others that have wallets and to be able to prove ownership, and he recognized the potential for a new messaging communication protocol with the wallet as a means of sending and receiving messages. XMTP was thus founded as a decentralized messaging protocol with a universal backend that developers could build on top of and that we can all be owners of.

In the second half of the conversation, we explore Shane’s ability to create an awesome company culture. Shane says that while he can’t compete with renowned companies on having the most interesting idea, he can compete on culture. Shane aims to remove people’s anxieties so that they can be more productive. He does so by hiring personal assistants and coaches not only for executives but for everyone, removing the vesting cliff, and teaching people how to quit. We wrap up the conversation by talking about how Shane goes about investing. He says he focuses on what he knows well and believes in. Regarding crypto, he thinks of it as startup investing, and he has invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum and plans to hold for the long term. He also is the General Partner of the Logos Fund which invests similarly in startups, mostly focusing on the seed stage.

Links: 

Eric’s Newsletter

XMTP.com

How to Quit (and have everyone support you)

Compound 

Squared Away

Koinly

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

SquidDAO: Web3 Project Deep-Dive: Part Crypto Hedge Fund, Part NFT DAO. An Anonymous Conspiracy for Mutual Enrichment

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

They sell NFTs, they issue tokens, they invest a treasury… they earn money! And they share it with token and NFT holders. 

This is my first pseudonymous podcast as well as the longest one I’ve ever done. In this episode, we explore a relatively new web3 project, Squid DAO, with a few guys I only know by their online handles. Squid DAO is described as an economic flywheel backed by Ethereum and is part company, part DeFi investment fund, and part NFT project. SQUID is currently trading for roughly the value of the assets it holds in the treasury, which could make it a great investment opportunity. Squid DAO is a great microcosm of the world of web3 as it is essentially a megatron of the various forks of web3 projects, which makes it a great learning opportunity.

We explore the economics of the DAO and why it is denominated in ETH rather than dollars. It can be valued via income derivative, the multiple on the treasury, or what it is trading at against what is on the balance sheet. Recently, a new governance proposal was passed making Squid and NFTs productive assets so that users may better run analyses. ETH is considered the best index and essentially operates like cash for the DAO. 

We wrap up the episode by talking about how to learn more and get involved. Squid DAO’s Twitter and Discord are great ways to learn more, but the best way to gain mastery is by investing your own money. If looking to get involved, you can help with whatever skills you have to offer, be it marketing, as a developer, a degen or coding strategist, or someone with a web2 background.

Links: 

Squid DAO NFT Auctions

Squid Docs

Squid Treasury Dashboard

Squid Discourse (Governance Forum)

Olympus DAO

Index Coop

SquidDAO Discord

The Squids on Twitter

@SquidDAO

@BigSquid0x

@Zoption

@0xSquidSteed

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Simon Judd: How Index Coop is building Crypto Index products

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

Sean O’Connor: How Blockchain is Changing Society with Costless Transactions

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

To start our conversation, Tim talks off the cuff about one of his heroes, Charles Fort, who compiled books of anomalous phenomena and is the source of the term “Fortean.” This explains a lot about Tim. We then explore Tim’s role as a trade journal sommelier and the Trade Journal Cooperative which provides a quarterly exploration of various industries. We talk a bit about the vastness of the trucking industry and also about the elevator, i.e., vertical transportation, industry.

Tim also tells us the awkward story of how he somewhat unintentionally ended up going to law school secretly, and we explore some of the projects he started after graduating, including Rosen, Wolfe and Hwang, a boutique law practice that specializes in serving the unique needs of independent creators and small to midsize technology businesses, and Robot, Robot & Hwang, which was created off the notion of creating a fully automated law firm. Among other projects, Tim also started the academic journal The California Review of Images and Mark Zuckerberg, which explores why Zuckerberg seems to be exceptionally good at ending up in strange images and what that says about the media and culture. 

I ask Tim to talk about his 2019 paper titled “Maneuver and Manipulation: On the Military Strategy of Online Information Warfare,” which is about how bots shape discussions online and the possible strategies of combating public manipulation. We also talk about a couple of branches off the information warfare piece, the National Conspiracy Writing Month (NaCoWriMo), in which participants complete a “daunting, but straightforward challenge to develop a deep, viable and complete conspiracy theory during the 30 days of November,” and COGSEC, which is a conference on the real-world practice of countering online influence operations. We wrap up our discussion talking about Tim’s recently published book The Subprime Attention Crisis that explores the bubble of online advertising and its potential implications on web2 giants.

Links: 

Charles Fort Books

The Trade Journal Cooperative

Iron Clad Contract Management 

Maneuver and Manipulation: On the Military Strategy of Online Information Warfare

Sub-prime attention crisis by Tim Hwang

The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber

TimHwang.org

Tim on Twitter

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Sean O’Connor: How Blockchain is Changing Society with Costless Transactions

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

Why does this all matter? My answer to this question regards the implications of web3 on the cost of trust and decentralization. Currently, the cost of trust in the market is relatively high, and with increasing transactions and original creations occurring via the blockchain, we will have to pay less for trust. Also, there will be less need for centralized parties such as brands or centralized banks, though it’s too early to say which authorities will all be affected.

Next, I make some predictions about what will happen as the blockchain gets deployed. The first to be impacted is the management of digital items, with finance and gaming among the earlier industries. Also, we will likely see digital components getting separated from analog components so that they can be managed on the blockchain. Another trend that may happen is that the blockchain may be implemented to manage atoms in the real world.

To wrap up the SoloCast, I explore the implications of web3. It will probably impact managerial culture, and DAOs (distributed autonomous organizations) will likely take over some market share from companies. I also believe the biggest networks will be bigger than the biggest companies, in part because there is no cap on involvement in web3 networks and ecosystems.

My goal in sharing my thoughts is not just to tell you what I think will happen but to provide some notions and rough directions so that you can hopefully overlay some of these lessons into your own experience and expertise. Web3 is still not easy to navigate, and it is still early in its implementation, but it provides incredible opportunity, and it is fun to get involved.

Links: 

Eric’s Blog

Eric’s blog post on digital scarcity

Eric’s Blog post on The Cost of Trust

Technological revolutions and Financial Capital by Carlota Perez

SquidDAO

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3

Simon Judd: How Index Coop is Building Crypto Index Products

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

This quarter, Zach’s target was at least ten customers, 300 professionals to sign up on the supply side, and a new website launched by October 1st. His original thesis was to collect the supply side of the marketplace first. The website ended taking up longer than expected, which made him think he’s building the wrong thing. Zach stopped pushing for signups and though he didn’t get 300, there was a ton of word of mouth and recommendations going around. Zach was “collecting no’s” the second-best thing to yesses, and from the no’s, he was able to listen to what customers want, learn from that, and alter how they go to market. 

He highlights that one of the main issues in the security industry is a lack of trust amongst providers/security professionals and a fear of being taken advantage of. With this, he found collecting demand to be proving to be more difficult, while the supply side is coming easier, prompting him to alter his original thesis and focus more on the demand side. 

With all these observations, Zach says he gained clarity, and now things are starting to come together. He intends to focus the business on being the connective tissue and reputation for the major players in the space, and by doing so, they can cut out the major middlemen and reallocate that cash to those in the industry that should really have it. He is also shifting expectations and being clearer on focusing in on the things that will impact the business in a greater and faster way rather than the things that won’t have as much impact, and he is getting better at vetting and hiring. 

Zach explained his new technical roadmap as a process that starts with building a wheel, then a skateboard, then a scooter, then a bicycle, then a motorcycle, then a car. He explains that at this point, they have built skateboards.

During the next quarter, Zach expects to be neck-deep in fundraising and finding the right partners, and he is aiming to be confident in knowing the right amount of capital he’ll need. He predicts the team will look a little different as he continues to recruit for an operations person. For the next 90 to 180 days, he will be mainly focused on operations, and he hopes to learn exactly what a world-class security recruiting company looks like. 

Links: 

Conterra

Workrise

Zach on Twitter

Jeremiah Rogers Coaching

Attivo outsourced accounting

Ben & Jerry’s vs. Amazon: Strategy Letter

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Kevin Espiritu: Bootstrapping Epic Gardening to 8 figures by mixing Media + D2C Biz models. Oh and Poker, Pink Pineapples, and Male Models

Introducing "Track Zach" with Former Navy SEAL Zach Marshall

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

We started the conversation by asking Chris who his heroes are. He shared the story of his father who went back to college to pursue medicine even after being a lawyer for 13 years. His dad taught him the valuable lessons that you only live one life and that money can only make you so happy.

Chris bought his first house at 17 when he was starting college and got into real estate as a means to make money during his studies. He was driven by constantly waking up and feeling behind and wanting to do something. Before graduating, he bought more student housing, started a property management business, and started a leasing business. He graduated in 2008, during the economic collapse, and had no choice but to continue in real estate.

From 2010 to 2015, Chris was doing a bit of everything related to real estate – he was building custom homes and spec homes, buying land, VC investing, and had a small team that he managed. Despite having some success, he realized he wasn’t compounding his business the way he wanted. Reading Good to Great by Jim Collins motivated him to narrow the focus of his business.

Chris talks about his need to be able to recruit and the importance of having a mission. We also discuss how flywheels can propel us forward, and for Chris, his flywheel is based on his podcast, Twitter, real estate business, and investors that create a virtuous cycle of growth.

Recently, Chris has transitioned out of being the CEO of Fort Capital, and he is learning how to be an owner. He is also focusing on his VC Funds and building Powers Capital, which he says will function like a family office but also will function like private equity. We wrap up the conversation discussing when enough is enough and measuring impact; Chris says he’s no longer in it for the money but rather to see what it is possible to accomplish during the one life he has.

Links: 

Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fortworthchris

The Fort Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dLKPVTiXWmrFwd43iN2LZ 

Chris Powers & Pete Chambers Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X8vKyUIQaIxV5Mr9J5KMv

Good to Great by Jim Collins: 

https://amzn.to/3yJV9Jc

Owned and Operated Podcast w/ Chris Powers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/21-chris-powers-building-%24600mm-commercial-real-estate/id1560999545?i=1000527344852

Fort Ventures: https://www.fort-ventures.com/

On Deck: https://beondeck.com/

Token Economy - How the Web3 Reinvents the Internet by Shermin Voshmgir: 

https://amzn.to/3mpmHi7

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Mitchell Baldridge: Defeating Taxes, Crypto & Financial Planning

Codie Sanchez: Drug Cartels, Vanguard, and Goldman Sachs

Nick Huber: How to Build Leverage, Buy Businesses, and Go Viral on Twitter

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

We begin the episode with a discussion about financial advising and what goes into becoming a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and a CFP (Certified Financial Planner). We also talk about how it’s important to find the right financial advisor as a person’s financial life becomes more complex. I ask Phil if any of his clients ever ask if he can YOLO them so hard with investing, and he discusses advisors’ business of growing and preserving wealth responsibly.

Phil’s new book focuses on alternative investments, and he gave us a glimpse of what those investments are. He demonstrates how diversifying clients’ portfolios help manage risk. Phil explains catastrophe reinsurance, and we discuss the recent proliferation of alternative investing apps and platforms and how barriers are being broken down to previously inaccessible asset classes for average investors.  

Any conversation involving alternative investments would in one way or another, end up with crypto. Phil talks about how advisors are trying to navigate crypto and the current difficulties of incorporating it into clients’ investment portfolios as well as possibilities for its inclusion in the future.

We end the episode talking about the process of writing a book and how it differs from blogging. Phil wrote The Allocator’s Edge for himself ten years ago. By reading his book, Phil believes that investors can become more comfortable discussing and using alternative assets.

Links: 

The Allocator’s Edge by Phil Huber - https://amzn.to/3m1tu1d

Savant Wealth Management - https://savantwealth.com/ 

Phil Huber’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/bpsandpieces 

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Mitchell Baldridge: Defeating Taxes, Crypto & Financial Planning

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

David Perell: Intellectual Openness & Mental Models for Success

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support!

We dive right into talking about Startup Stash, which is listed as the number one product on Product Hunt. Startup Stash is described as a curated directory of resources and tools for startups. Two years after launching and going viral, he sold the micro product for Ethereum. He also discusses the first company he sold, roadtoscale.com, and says that both products’ success came from delivering value to the right audience.

Bram talks about how he discovered and fell in love with Product Hunt, which became the tool for his hobby of curating and discovering new startups. He loved Product Hunt so much that he joined the company a short few weeks after launching Startup Stash.

Bram got involved crypto when he was still a student and learned through experience. He recounts a funny crypto story of creating an account in the game, Second Life just to buy some BTC. After day trading for a period around 2013, he sold his Bitcoin and forgot about crypto for a while. In 2017, he discovered Ethereum and got back into crypto. Recently, Bram launched an NFT collection based on a color alphabet.

Currently, Bram is consulting a large company on innovation practices and validating new ideas. He is also teaching an online course, No Code MVP, and is working on his new idea, seedrounds.eu, which is aimed at improving deal flow for investors. The main TLDR he wants to share with everyone is, “fucking around the internet can pay off.”

Links: 

Product Hunt - https://www.producthunt.com/

Startup Stash - https://startupstash.com/

Microacquire - https://microacquire.com

LAUNCH Conference - https://launch.is/

Road to Scale - https://roadtoscale.com/

No Code MVP - https://nocodemvp.com/

Seedrounds.eu - https://seedrounds.eu/

Bram on Twitter - https://twitter.com/bramk

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Kevin Espiritu: Bootstrapping Epic Gardening to 8 figures by mixing Media + D2C Biz models. Oh and Poker, Pink Pineapples, and Male Models

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

David Perell: Intellectual Openness & Mental Models for Success

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

Pro poker player Chris Sparks is training for the highest-stakes tournament he has ever played in after a long sabbatical. He says he has already decided he is going to win, and now he is doing the necessary things to create that outcome.

What is the dynamic amongst poker friends? Chris says “frenemies” – all bets are off when the cards are on the table. Chris only plays when he expects to make money, and elaborates on the role of recreational players, stating that if you can’t recognize the fish at the poker table, you are the fish.

In the poker world, the meta skill of finding good games, of getting invited, and staying invited are critical. A good example is how Chris got invited to a famous comedian’s poker parties multiple times. Chris recounts these parties that feature full sets of dealers, cocktail waitresses, and masseuses--and it all ends when the comedian gets tired.

We talk about Chris’s consulting agency, Forcing Function, travel, and living with one of the world’s best pianists. Currently, Chris is coming out of a sabbatical and is preparing to play his largest tournament to date, with the prize pool potentially reaching seven figures. 

For Chris, everything is a bet. But with any bet, the decision should be weighed with the things surrounding it and you go in with eyes wide open.

Links

Chris’ Website - https://www.chrissparks.io/

Forcing Function - https://www.forcingfunction.com/

Chris Spark’s essay on Poker: Play to Win: Meta-Skills in High Stakes Poker

Rounders Movie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r-K5dmt0Rc 

Molly’s Game movie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu4UPet8Nyc 

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - https://amzn.to/3ljtOIh 

Forcing Function Podcast - https://www.forcingfunction.com/podcast

Forcing Function Performance Library - https://www.forcingfunction.com/library 

Experiment without limits workbook - https://www.forcingfunction.com/workbook 

The Fifth Discipline Field Book by Peter Senge - https://amzn.to/3I5rrCU 

The Systems Bible by John Gall - https://amzn.to/3D3S9bj 

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Kevin Espiritu: Bootstrapping Epic Gardening to 8 figures by mixing Media + D2C Biz models. Oh and Poker, Pink Pineapples, and Male Models

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

David Perell: Intellectual Openness & Mental Models for Success

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

We talked about how Kevin transitioned from making a living out of playing poker, to building websites, to marketing and blogging, and finally, working full-time on Epic Gardening. This project went on to garner the biggest gardening audiences on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram and has branched into direct-to-consumer business without any ad spend.

Kevin relates his mistake in scaling the company revenue faster than he built the team, saying he likely left growth on the table. Leveraging people was a challenge at first. He says he thinks of himself more as a content creator and not really as a writer or YouTuber or podcaster, which eventually helped ease the process of trusting new team members to take on such responsibilities as he grew the company.

Kevin is now raising PE money and making an acquisition as an independent entrepreneur. We’ve had such a wonderful conversation that goes beyond Epic Gardening and into fun stuff like how creators can implement web3 tools, Kevin's short career as a male model, pink pineapple piracy, and so much more.

Additional Resources

Epic Gardening - https://www.epicgardening.com/

Epic Gardening on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/EpicGardening

Epic Gardening on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/epicgardening

Epic Gardening on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/epicgardening/

Epic Gardening on Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@epicgardening

The Epic Gardening Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/epic-gardening-daily-growing-tips-and-advice/id1221085548

Scribe Media - https://scribemedia.com/

Missouri Star Quilt Company - https://www.missouriquiltco.com/

The Fish that Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen - https://www.amazon.com/Fish-That-Ate-Whale-Americas/dp/1250033314

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Jason Hitchcock: Your Guide to Web3 (DeFi, NFTs, and The Metaverse)

Nick Huber: How to Build Leverage, Buy Businesses, and Go Viral on Twitter

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Follow @FirstsFamous on Twitter 

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support! 

As always, additional resources to enrich your experience below:

Topics Covered: 

• The upcoming Porter Robinson documentary that David is working on. 
• How David applied the ideas of Peter Thiel to… everything in life
• How to learn writing the fun way (less grammar more jammin) 
• Mental models for building successful products and companies
• What it means for something to “move” us
• The most interesting modern art form of today
• What deliberate consumption looks like

 Additional Resources:

• The Economy is Mind-Bogglingly Huge — Eric Jorgenson

• Practice Analytically, Perform Intuitively - David Perell
• My Principles of Company Building - David Perell
• Peter Thiel's Religion - David Perell
• Saving the Liberal Arts - David Perell
• David's Essays
• Write of Passage Course
• David's Twitter
• David’s Newsletter
• Eric Jorgenson Newsletter
• Eric Jorgenson Twitter 

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Solocast: Metagames, Feedback Loops and Transcending The Muggle World

• Joe Hertler: Tapping Into Creative Genius & Pursuing Joy Through Creativity

Huge thanks to Modern Stoa (modernstoa.co) for their help on creating and growing this very podcast you’re listening to now. If you need help with podcast growth or monetization, go to modernstoa.co or hit the founder up on Twitter (@consumersky) or Instagram (@iamaskyking).