These books helped me build a $100M empire
read time 15 minutes
Just dropped a new video on YT. I am SO psyched about this one.
One of the greatest investors the world has ever seen recently passed away at the ripe old age of 99 years old.
If you were to ask most people on the street, they’d have no clue who this guy was, but Charlie Munger was revered in the world of finance as a sort of business-Yoda.
And he said something once that’s really stuck with me.
He said:
“In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time – none, zero.”
And while this has proven true in my own personal experiences, something I struggled with on my entrepreneurial journey towards self-mastery is just figuring out which books are actually worth reading.
I mean, a book can transform your life, but the harsh truth is that most are nothing more than 300 pages of fluff surrounding one interesting idea.
Well, I’m here to cut the fluff and share with you some of the books that played a pivotal role in my life as I’ve built a $100M empire over the past 12 years.
Sidenote: I recently did a video breaking down the 12 books you should re-read every year, so I’m just gonna leave those off this list.
But go check out that video when you’re done with this one to see my 12 favorite books of all time.
Alright, for this video I’m gonna break these down into categories based on what I call your Four Spheres of Influence, which are Mindset, Health, Wealth, and Skills.
So let’s dive in with the first sphere of influence, your:
Mindset
Letters from a Stoic – Seneca
The first book on our list is from one of the grandfathers of the Stoic philosophy: Seneca.
Now, Stoicism has gained a lot of popularity over the past decade thanks to the efforts of guys like Ryan Holiday who’ve done an incredible job translating these ancient works for modern audiences.
And don’t get me wrong, those books are great, but I think if you really want to understand something, you need to get as close to the source material as possible.
If you want to learn economics, go read the Wealth of Nations and Communist Manifesto.
Want to learn about biology and evolution? Go read The Origin of Species and The Eighth Day of Creation.
Reading from what’s called “Primary Sources” is THE best way to build up a latticework of understanding around a topic because you are starting at the ground floor rather than relying on somebody’s interpretation and summary of those topics.
So, if you really want to learn more about Stoic philosophy, I recommend you go straight to the Primary Sources, one of which is this one (Letters from a Stoic by Seneca).
This book is a treasure trove of wisdom broken down into easily digested sound-bites.
One of my favorite is this one:
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”
The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
The next book for developing your mindset is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
I think the world would generally be a better place if everybody was required to read this book as a child.
The lessons are simple, yet profound and universally applicable.
They are:
- Be impeccable with your word
- Do not take anything personal
- Do not make assumptions
- Always do your best
Now, you might hear those and think they’re incredibly simplistic and there’s no reason to dig any deeper.
In my experience, however, the most impactful lessons in life ARE the simplest.
My favorite lesson from this book, or at least the one that’s played the biggest role in my life, is that first one: be impeccable with your word.
Truly, I believe that you could accomplish literally anything in this world if you just do this one thing:
Become the type of person who always does what they say.
And this doesn’t just apply to the things we say to others… in fact, the most important promises are actually the ones we make with ourselves.
And yet, those are the ones we most often break.
I can’t overstate how big of a problem this actually is, because when we break the promises we make with ourselves, we pay a price that’s difficult to see in the moment…
It’s the price of your self-esteem…
Because at the end of the day, self-esteem is just the reputation you have with yourself.
You cannot break the promise you make to yourself without consequence. You will always know.
That is why it’s so important that you become impeccable with your words.
12 Rules for Life- Jordan Peterson
The next book on our list is The 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson.
Now, Jordan is a bit of a lightning rod for drama and I know he’s not everybody’s cup of tea.
However, I personally find his perspectives and insights to be deeply considered, well thought out, and in-good faith.
Which means, I believe he’s genuinely trying to have hard conversations in earnest so that we as a global collective can move forward towards a better and brighter future.
Now, regardless of whether or not you agree with all his political beliefs, I think there’s a lot to learn from him in regards to self-mastery.
After-all, he’s spent 30 plus years as a clinical psychologist trying to help people become better versions of themselves.
This book is a distillation of all that learning into simple rules we can use to govern our lives.
My favorite of the twelve rules is this:
“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”
I personally have to relearn that lesson pretty much every single day.
Alright, the fourth book on this list when it comes to developing your mindset is aptly named Mindset by Carol Dweck.
Mindset – Carol Dweck
This is one of the most important books on the topic of mindset, and I don’t say that lightly.
In it, world renowned psychologist, Carol Dweck, introduces the world to a simple, yet profound concept called The Growth Mindset.
Now, to really understand the Growth Mindset, you have to understand its antithesis, The Fixed Mindset.
The Fixed Mindset is the belief that our traits, characteristics, and skills are fixed and unchangeable.
People who say things like “I’m just not a math person” or “I’m bad with languages” are falling victim to the Fixed Mindset.
The Growth Mindset, by contrast, believes that anything can be learned and developed. So instead of saying I suck at this and therefore will always suck at this…
The key to the Growth Mindset is a simple word called “yet”.
Yet changes everything.
When you say, “I’m not good at math… yet, you’re signaling one of the most important beliefs any of us can adopt, which is:
With enough time, effort, and intention… you can master practically anything.
Now, there’s a lot more nuance to this book than I can give justice here, so definitely go check it out.
In the meantime, let’s move onto our second sphere of influence:
Health
I’ve read hundreds of books on exercise and nutrition over the years… and without a doubt, the best book I’ve read on the topic is:
Outlive – Peter Attila
This book lays out a comprehensive framework for not only living longer, but living better.
I mean, what’s the point of living until you’re 100, if the last 20 years of your life are spent in absolute misery, unable to get out of bed, and do the things you love.
That’s not a life I think anybody wants for themselves, so it’s important you start doing the work now.
But that begs the question:
What exactly should you be doing right now to ensure you live a long, healthy, awesome life?
Well, Peter Attila breaks it down into core categories including Exercise, Sleep, Nutrition, Mental Health, and Relationships.
This book is a tour de force, but written in a way that you can start applying immediately.
And because this book is so damn good, it’s the only one I’m going to recommend in this section. So let’s move onto the third sphere of influence:
Wealth
Money is, by far, the thing that’s caused the most stress in my life.
Probably because it’s the one that impacts pretty much every aspect of our lives and yet, it’s the one that, if you’re like I was, you know the least about.
So let’s take our heads out of the sand and change that by learning the rules and strategies for winning the money game.
To do that, I’m gonna break down this section into two parts:
Basic Money Knowledge and Advanced Money Knowledge
We’re gonna start with Basic Money Knowledge, because you can immediately learn the lessons in these books by applying them to your personal financial situation.
The first book is:
The Psychology of Money – Morgan Housel
The first step in winning the money game is to change how you THINK about money.
And this is important, because most of us have accumulated all sorts of unhelpful baggage and misguided beliefs around money that are unconsciously sabotaging our efforts to get ahead.
Listen, how you THINK about money influences how you FEEL and ultimately ACT around money…and unfortunately most of us were taught how to think, feel, and act towards money by people who were not winning the money game.
As a general rule:
Don’t take advice from someone you wouldn’t trade places with.
Which means, don’t take financial advice from somebody who isn’t winning the money game.
If you do, you’ll adopt the same thoughts, beliefs, and actions that’re keeping THEM from winning the game.
Step one on your financial journey is to break this cycle and learn a new way to think about money, which is where this book, Psychology of Money, comes in.
Here’s one of my favorite quotes from this book:
“Saving is the gap between your ego and your income.”
The next book in developing your Basic Money Knowledge is:
I Will Teach You To Be Rich – Ramit Sethi
This is one of the very first books on personal finance I read when I decided to turn my life around all those years ago.
The beauty of this book is that it’s not just theory.
Ramit lays out a step-by-step plan with actionable next-steps you can start taking TODAY to automate your finances.
This is important, because as Ramit himself says in the book:
“It’s more important to get started than to spend an exhaustive amount of time researching.”
So read this book, understand the plan, and then start implementing it.
I promise you’ll be further ahead in 6 months than you are now.
The third book on Basic Money Knowledge has practically zero actionable steps, but it is my all-time favorite book on the topic of money.
It is:
How to Get Rich – Felix Dennis
Most of the people writing books on money are either millionaires or wannabe-millionaires…
Very, very, very few billionaires have ever written books on money.
And so when they do, it’s generally worth paying attention to what they have to say.
Now, unfortunately, most billionaires are actually kinda lame and have zero personality, so the books they write often suck.
But not this one…
This book, How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis, is one of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read (and I’m not just talking about money books here).
The reason this book is so well-written (and interesting) is because Felix Dennis spent his entire life immersed in the publishing industry.
Now, you’ve maybe never heard of Felix Dennis, but chances are good you’ve heard of his magazines like Maxim, Men’s Fitness, and Computer Buyer.
This book is the rambling insights of a man who managed to summit the money mountain and then spent his last few years on Earth sharing what he’d learned along the way.
Of all the lessons he shares in this book, my favorite is the following:
“Anyone not busy learning is busy dying. For as long as you foster a willingness to learn, you will ward of sclerosis of the brain and hardening of the mental arteries. Curiosity has led many a man and woman into the valley of serious wealth.”
Alright, now that we’ve laid the foundation, here are three books for developing your Advanced Money Knowledge.
First up is:
Economics in One Lesson – Henry Hazlitt
I’ll be honest… I did not enjoy learning about Economics in high school or college.
It always just seemed like an overly convoluted and esoteric way of understanding the world that politicians and economists created just to make themselves feel smart and important.
And that might be true, but it’s also true that Economics impacts absolutely EVERYTHING we do in life.
It’s everywhere affecting all things at all times.
Remaining ignorant of that truth only makes our lives harder than necessary and puts us at a disadvantage relative to those who do understand economics.
So do yourself a favor… arm yourself with a basic understanding of economics by checking out this book. It’s relatively short and easy to consume, but it packs a mighty punch.
The second book on Advanced Money Knowledge is:
Tax-Free Wealth by Tom Wheelwright
Alright, alright, alright… I can see your eyes already glazing over at the mention of taxes, but listen up because one of the most important lessons to be learned when it comes to winning the money game is:
It’s not about how much you make… It’s about how much you keep.
And like it or not, the biggest expense you will incur in this lifetime are taxes.
So if you want to keep more of what you make, you MUST develop a basic understanding of taxes.
Unfortunately, most books written about taxes are about as exciting as having your teeth drilled.
At least with this book, Tax-Free Wealth, it feels like they gave you anesthesia.
The last book on our quest to develop Advanced Money Knowledge is:
What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow by Frank Gallinelli
Don’t be deterred by the title, this book is actually really helpful even if you’re not interested in real estate.
In fact, if you’re any sort of entrepreneur, I highly recommend you check out this book because accounting is the language of business.
The better you speak that language, the better you’ll be able to communicate with the locals.
As you might imagine, the problem with books on accounting and financial measures is that they’re often very dry and boring.
Now, I’m not gonna pretend like this is a riveting frolic through fields of dandelions… but here’s what I like about this book:
It’s short, clear, and concise.
So suck it up, buttercup… If you want to play the money game at the highest levels, this is the price of admission.
Alright, now a lot of people like to say that knowledge is power.
But that’s not actually true…
Knowledge is potential power.
It’s useless if we don’t apply it.
Now, the beauty of applied knowledge is that it leads to our fourth sphere of influence:
Skills
Okay, so here’s the truth…
I don’t actually think reading books is a great way to learn most skills. In almost all cases you’re better off just doing the thing and getting more reps.
Afterall, you can’t learn to ride a bicycle by reading about it… you just have to go and try to ride the damn thing.
With that said, there are a few skills which, due to their nature, are helpful to read about, especially when it comes to the three legs of business.
Now, the way I think about it is that all businesses have three legs:
- Marketing
- Operations
- Finance
Marketing gets the customers, Operations creates the product and delivers it to the customer, and Finance manages the bank accounts to keep Marketing and Operations out of trouble.
Now, we’ve already discussed the Finance leg in the previous section, so let’s turn our attention to the skills we need for Marketing and Operations.
Let’s start with two books on operating a business:
Traction – Gino Wickman
This is the closest thing you’ll find to an out-of-the-box Operating System that you can immediately plug into your business.
In fact, this book will teach you a framework called EOS which stands for Entrepreneur Operating System.
And this is a very helpful system, especially when you’re new, because one of the biggest struggles all entrepreneurs ultimately face is a lack of structure.
Ya know, when you’re working for somebody else and collecting a paycheck, chances are there’s already systems and processes in place that you’re just expected to follow to produce the desired result.
Show up at this time and do that thing for this long then move onto that thing for this long and then call it a day.
But you don’t have any of that structure when you’re building you’re own thing… and in the beginning, you’ll be tempted to just slap something together on your own.
And don’t get me wrong, that can work… but when you go this route, you’re building systems and processes for what you can see immediately in front of you…
And spoiler alert, in the beginning of your journey, ya can’t see very far.
This means you’ll eventually hit an inflection point where the systems you built to get you here are insufficient to get you there.
To be honest, this first inflection point breaks most businesses.
If you want to avoid this, then just start from day one by implementing a proven process. It might seem like overkill in the beginning, but if you do everything right, you’ll eventually grow into and be glad that you did.
Alright, the second book that’ll help you with your Business Operations is:
The Goal – Eliyahu Goldratt
This book is not so much a system as it is a framework for thinking through the obstacles that’re keeping your business from growing.
It’s called The Theory of Constraints.
And like all the best theories it is simple, profound, and universally applicable.
The core concept is this:
Every process has a single constraint and the total throughput of that process can only ever be improved when the constraint is removed.
Another way of putting this is that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
So the time and energy we put into improving any link in that chain OTHER than the weakest is a waste, because those links aren’t the limiting factor.
The difficulty in business and life is that it’s not always so clear which link is the weakest.
Learning to identify the constraint in any system is one of the most valuable entrepreneurial skills because it unlocks a roadmap for continual improvement and therefore growth.
This book, The Goal, will help you do just that.
Alright, now I personally lump product design into the Operations bucket and by far the best book I’ve seen on this topic is:
$100M Offers – Alex Hormozi
If you want to learn how to make offers so good people feel stupid saying no, then go grab a copy of this book for $0.99 on Amazon.
I wish this book had been available when I started my entrepreneurial journey as it almost certainly would’ve gotten us to a $100M company faster than we ultimately did.
But I’m psyched it’s here now, because even with a decade of business experience behind me, I still learned a ton in this book that I’ve used over the past couple years to make a lot of money.
Now, speaking of making money, the way that you do this in a business is by selling customers a product or service.
These last three books will help you design and deliver that product…
But where exactly do we get the customers?
Well, this is where Marketing comes in.
And honestly, there’s no shortage of great books that’ll help you develop this particular skill, but here are my two favorites:
First, is another Hormozi book:
$100M Leads – Alex Hormozi
This book only came out a couple months ago, so unfortunately it was a little late to cut down my learning curve.
But damn, if I would’ve had this book 10 years ago, it would’ve saved me so much trial and error.
Not to mention a ton of heartache.
Because at the end of the day, in the life of an entrepreneur, there’s nothing quite so disheartening as having a great product that you can’t find customers for.
This book is the best step-by-step process for generating leads. Period.
And by acquiring the skill of generating leads on-command, you pretty much have a money-printing machine.
As an entrepreneur, you can’t afford NOT to know how to generate leads…
But once you know how to find them, you’ve got to learn how to convert them into paying customers.
And to do that, there is no skill in the world more valuable than Copywriting.
My favorite book on this topic is:
Ogilvy On Advertising – David Ogilvy
Copywriting is the skill by which we use the written word to influence perception, conjure desire, and drive action.
And Ogilvy, himself, was one of the grandfathers of this powerful craft.
He practically pioneered the process by which we engage, educate, and convert leads into customers using nothing more than the written word.
And I don’t know about you, but I find there’s something almost magical about the fact that you could sell practically any product in the world if you just wrote down the right sequence of words on a piece of paper and put it in front of the right customer at the right time.
To be a great Copywriter requires clear thinking, a deep understanding of human psychology, and the ability to communicate a message with impact.
This book, Ogilvy on Advertising, is a great first step in learning what I consider to be one of the most valuable skills in the world.
And if you take the lessons from this book and you combine it with the lessons from all the other books on this list, then it’s just a matter of time until you build your own $100M empire.
Stay Hyperfocused, My Friend.
AV
P.S. We’re getting closer to releasing more info on Beyond the Apex University. This community includes every course I’ve ever created, monthly group coaching calls with, weekly accountability sprints, and so much more.
Reply to this email with the words “beyond the apex” and you’ll get a special early bird discount on launch.
