My First Million

A framework for building audience connection by sharing five key personal elements: Done (track record), Deliver (what you offer), Do (work and fun activities), Dreams (aspirations), and Dork (obsessions).

A systematic method for generating personal stories by applying five question types (First, Last, Best, Worst, Weirdest) to any life category (jobs, relationships, projects, etc.).

Conflicts don't start as fights - they begin as accumulated small irritations (like dry brush on forest floor) that remain unaddressed until a minor trigger (dropped cigarette) ignites them into major arguments

Four communication patterns that predict relationship failure: criticism (attacking character), contempt (superiority/disrespect), defensiveness (victim mentality), and stonewalling (emotional withdrawal)

Successful relationships maintain at least 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction. Below this ratio, relationships are at higher risk of dissolution

98% of relationships are 'taking contests' where people measure what they get. The 2% that thrive are 'giving contests' where both parties focus on what they can contribute rather than what they receive

A life approach where you say yes to diverse experiences and opportunities, trusting they will connect meaningfully later

Classification of entrepreneurs as either idea generators who start things (0-1) or operators who scale things (1-100)

A systematic way to categorize potential acquirers into four distinct types based on their acquisition motivations and strategic needs.

A systematic 6-step approach to selling your company, adapted from the comedy show Always Sunny in Philadelphia's 'DENNIS System' for dating.

A four-question framework to assess whether you should sell your startup by comparing your current beliefs against your founding assumptions.

A four-part technological system for engineering viral content by detecting trending topics early, optimizing packaging, and testing variations before full distribution.

A time-boxed service model where customers pay fixed fees for specific duration access to facilities or experiences, optimized through session scheduling and capacity management.

Investment approach that involves buying assets when everyone else is selling during market crashes or crisis periods

Systematically borrowing proven visual and design elements from successful brands to quickly establish professional brand presence

A systematic approach to landing page design that maximizes conversions through clear value proposition, social proof, urgency, and personality

Reframing simple products as tools that give customers permission to express a desired version of themselves

Positioning your business as the opposite of a dominant trend, using that contrast to create value and differentiation

A structured approach to deepening conversations and relationships through five progressive levels of interaction depth

A content creation approach that prioritizes regular, scheduled output over sporadic attempts at viral content

A negotiation approach where the person willing to sit in discomfort the longest typically achieves better outcomes

The concept that everyone has a default emotional state they return to regardless of external circumstances, and this can be consciously changed through practice

A framework viewing video content as the primary communication medium of the internet, similar to how countries have native spoken languages

A content creation approach that applies film production techniques (scripting, cinematography, sound design, editing) to digital content, moving beyond raw or authentic styles

A systematic approach to identifying business opportunities by collecting generation-defining statistics and examining their implications rather than dismissing them as merely interesting facts.

A method for identifying business opportunities by tracking regulatory changes that unlock previously restricted markets or create new compliance requirements.

Focus on small, seemingly insignificant moments and details that reveal deeper patterns and insights, rather than obvious big moments

Physically position yourself in the center of a problem area and observe continuously for extended periods without preconceived judgments to understand root causes

The only valuable celebrity/high-status person relationships are mutual respect between peers, not fan-celebrity dynamics where you chase them for access

Build relationships with the second-in-command people (assistants, business partners, right-hand people) who have 98% of access with 2% of the attention load

A systematic approach to identify temporary advantages created by AI tools before markets become saturated or regulations catch up.

A mathematical framework from optimal stopping theory that determines when to stop searching and commit to a dating partner, based on sampling 37% of your dating pool to establish a benchmark.

A systematic approach to dating that involves running experiments with different types of partners to discover who actually makes you happy long-term, rather than relying on preconceived notions of your 'type'.

A counter-intuitive approach to dating that rejects the requirement for immediate chemistry or 'sparks' and instead focuses on slow-burn connections that develop over time through compatibility and shared experiences.

A business model based on identifying and removing inefficiencies in markets where transactions that should occur don't happen due to structural barriers.

A strategy for creating new business categories by building movements around ideas rather than products, making the category accessible to everyone including competitors.

A business approach based on mathematical induction: if you can start (n=1) and always take the next step (n+1), you'll succeed infinitely. Focus on ability to iterate rather than perfect initial strategy.

A systematic approach to creating multiple companies by combining deep industry research, patient capital, and specialist CEO recruitment rather than trying to be CEO of everything yourself.

A mental model for evaluating whether to raise capital and invest in growth by determining if you can reliably convert investment into higher returns.

A strategic approach to business building that focuses exclusively on trends and opportunities that will play out over 10+ years rather than immediate market gaps.

A framework where someone with high potential but low current evidence (penny stock) receives belief from someone who sees their future value (blue chip potential)

Investment strategy where you buy existing profitable businesses and use your audience/influence to dramatically accelerate their growth rather than starting from scratch.

Strategic combination where a mediocre-to-good business paired with the right influencer creates exponentially greater value than the sum of parts.

Framework for determining when to intervene with hired CEOs by classifying potential errors as either fatal (business-ending) or non-fatal (learning opportunities).

A business building approach where you leverage existing capital and distribution channels to launch multiple products/services rather than operating them directly.

Look for business opportunities in niches where demand exists but few entrepreneurs are competing, rather than crowded markets where everyone is competing

To succeed with a product, founders must obsess deeply enough to become genuine experts, not just celebrity endorsers or casual participants

A PR principle stating that when you spend time explaining or defending your position, you've already lost control of the narrative and message.

A structured approach to deciding whether to continue with current strategy or change direction using time-boxed milestones and faith vs worry metrics

Strategy where content creation and marketing become indistinguishable - every piece of content serves both audience value and business growth simultaneously

Paying 2-3x more for experienced hires who have already solved similar problems rather than betting on high-potential but unproven talent

If you're hardworking and talented, project selection becomes the only variable that matters for outcomes

Join stable, proven companies with 1000+ employees that still have 5-10x growth potential to build wealth through stock appreciation without entrepreneur risk

Alternate between high-level strategic thinking (10,000 foot view) and deep tactical execution (ground level details), avoiding the middle management layer

A decision-making approach where you commit to executing a well-researched plan despite emotional discomfort or temporary setbacks, separating logic from emotion throughout execution.

A business model that uses statistical probability and known odds to create profitable games or challenges, essentially functioning as an outdoor casino with favorable house edge.

A strategy of launching a business that serves or complements an existing company without their permission, using it as a forcing function to eventually secure official partnership or create standalone value.

A systematic approach to discovering profitable business opportunities by researching six key areas: demand, audience size, market leaders, shortcomings, business models, and unsolved problems

An investment thesis that assumes Mark Zuckerberg and Meta will overcome temporary setbacks due to Zuckerberg's track record of consistent execution and adaptation

A cognitive bias where obviously valuable problems get ignored because everyone assumes someone else must already be working on them, leaving trillion-dollar opportunities hiding in plain sight.

A methodical approach to reshaping yourself into the person capable of achieving an ambitious goal by identifying the specific 'hole' you need to fit through and systematically acquiring the required skills and attributes.

A systematic approach to understanding problems by going to root causes and fundamental physics rather than relying on rules of thumb, analogies, or conventional wisdom.

A systematic approach to evaluating business opportunities by examining multiple value creation angles within each deal, rather than looking at single-dimension returns.

A data-driven approach to optimizing all aspects of life (time, health, relationships, work) through continuous measurement, analysis, and adjustment to create consistently high-energy present moments.

A systematic approach to generating and sharing half-baked business ideas by using alcohol (or pretending to drink) as social cover for proposing intentionally bad concepts

Taking proven successful concepts and applying them to different markets, demographics, or contexts while maintaining the core mechanism that made the original successful

Sequential acquisition strategy where each successful business acquisition funds and de-risks the next, creating compound wealth building through cash-flowing assets

Binary leadership approach where you either operate with complete top-down authority or delegate full decision-making authority - never mixing the two approaches

Demonstrating understanding of another person's emotions and perspective without agreeing, designed to build trust and elicit information

A system to resist the two main impulses that destroy active listening: the urge to correct and the urge to relate

A framework that replaces 50/50 compromise with finding the optimal blend of ideas, like steel being 2% carbon and 98% iron to create maximum strength

A recruitment strategy that identifies high-performing salespeople from unconventional retail environments and trains them for B2B enterprise sales roles

A business model where famous athletes partner with experienced car dealership operators to leverage their local brand recognition for sales while the operator handles day-to-day management.

A business philosophy that most plateaus or stuck points are temporary saddle points rather than true limits, because businesses have multiple dimensions (product, team, market, pricing) that create many paths forward.

A mindset that reframes adversity and failure as opportunities for growth and transformation rather than setbacks

A mental model that distinguishes between taking a victim stance (blaming external circumstances) versus taking complete responsibility for outcomes and responses

A customer service framework where fixing mistakes creates higher customer loyalty than perfect service from the start.

An entrepreneur evaluation framework that asks: 'Can you describe this person as an animal?' meaning they show exceptional tenacity, intensity, and speed in overcoming obstacles.

A face-saving mechanism where someone makes aggressive threats while ensuring they have an excuse not to follow through, maintaining reputation without actual risk.

A mental model stating that an individual's success is directly proportional to their ability to tolerate and persist through difficulty, discomfort, and extended periods of uncertainty without external validation or immediate rewards.

A pattern observed in high achievers where individuals who reach extreme success in one domain typically demonstrate above-average performance in 2-3 other seemingly unrelated areas, suggesting transferable meta-skills and competitive mindset.

Instead of clients paying coaches to fix their problems, offer financial rewards to clients for solving their own problems through structured challenges

The mental mechanism that automatically reframes negative experiences in positive ways to maintain emotional equilibrium, similar to how physical immune systems fight off threats

A business model where 90%+ of annual revenue is generated in a concentrated time period of 30-90 days, requiring 9-11 months of preparation for one intense selling season

A market domination strategy where competitors divide geographic territories into exclusive zones, each controlled by a single operator to avoid price competition and maximize margins

A positioning strategy that takes an existing, accepted solution and creates a dramatically superior version rather than inventing something completely new

A systematic approach to customer experience divided into three categories: one size fits all (improving every touchpoint for everyone), one size fits some (pattern recognition for recurring situations), and one size fits one (personalized gestures for individuals).

A systematic approach to giving feedback that positions criticism as investment in someone's growth rather than negative judgment. Based on six specific rules that maximize learning while minimizing defensiveness.

A 2x2 matrix plotting business opportunities on axes of total value (y-axis) and uniqueness (x-axis) to determine strategic positioning and profitability potential

Strategic positioning framework where businesses deliberately avoid heavy users who demand low margins and instead focus on light users who provide higher gross margins

A systematic approach to innovation where you fire small, low-cost 'bullets' (tests) first, then invest heavily in 'cannonballs' (full execution) only when bullets prove successful.

Building manufacturing operations from fundamental principles rather than copying industry norms, focusing on materials cost as baseline and automating everything possible.

The US tax system is intentionally structured to provide significantly more tax reduction opportunities for business owners and real estate investors compared to W2 employees.

A systematic approach to happiness based on four core environmental and behavioral components that drive well-being.

Creating a new category by dramatically changing the physical footprint and location requirements of an existing business model

A business model where your product increases host location revenue while you benefit from their foot traffic and infrastructure

Maintaining readiness and taking positive actions even during difficult periods so you can capitalize when opportunities arise

A framework describing how AI has fundamentally changed the startup success pattern from 'impossible-unlikely-inevitable' to 'very likely at zero-to-one but disrupted beyond $100M'

A method for creating domain-specific AI by heavily weighting custom content against generic training data to achieve superior performance in niche areas

A daily practice of intentionally breaking patterns by doing at least one thing you've never done before each day to prevent routines from becoming limiting ruts

A business partnership model where someone with a trusted audience becomes an equity partner to provide unfair distribution advantages, essentially acting as a non-fungible go-to-market cheat code.

The mental trap where entrepreneurs can easily envision 1-2x income growth (because they understand those mechanisms) but their brains short-circuit when trying to think of 10x growth paths.

Seven psychological triggers that hijack the limbic system and force attention, making humans unable to resist paying attention or responding to marketing messages

Marketing framework that focuses on selling the customer transformation from small Mario to big Mario who shoots fireballs, rather than selling the fireflower product itself

Framework showing how markets evolve through clueless, curious, and saturated stages, requiring different marketing approaches at each stage

Small adjustments in approach that create massive changes in outcomes, like a golf club being 2mm off causing the ball to miss by 100 yards

Finding activities that feel like play to you but appear as work to others, creating a sustainable competitive advantage

Waiting for high-probability, high-reward opportunities rather than swinging at every chance that comes along

A systematic approach to identifying underpriced attention opportunities by tracking platform mechanics and cultural trends simultaneously.

Treating attention as a tradeable asset class where you identify underpriced attention opportunities and execute quickly before markets correct.

Prioritizing the quality and capabilities of the founder/team over the business idea when making investment decisions.

A principle that company values are only meaningful when they explicitly acknowledge what you're sacrificing or what downside you accept

A one-page strategy document that lists 6 specific bets for the year plus explicit non-bets to maintain focus

A framework for creating memorable brand messaging using three core elements: strategic cringiness, repetitive brand mentions, and clear call-to-action, packaged in musical format

A revenue model where majority of income comes from tiny percentage of users ('whales') who spend extremely large amounts ($10K-$100K+), while most users spend nothing

A systematic approach to finding business opportunities by identifying existing tools or processes that can be made more efficient through AI integration

A product development approach that starts with identifying a single impressive AI-powered experience that can drive viral marketing, then builds a complete sticky product around that hook

A systematic practice of generating exactly 10 new ideas every single day to strengthen creative thinking capacity

A systematic approach to designing every touchpoint of customer experience by prioritizing customer delight over traditional business practices

A commitment to excellence that focuses on the 'insane' level of attention to detail rather than just achieving 'great' outcomes

A systematic approach to rapidly shifting business operations during crisis events to capture emergency demand in new markets

A rapid content/product scaling approach that prioritizes volume and speed over perfection to dominate a market category quickly

A systematic approach to finding business opportunities by identifying and analyzing rapidly growing trends before deciding what to build, named after Jeff Bezos noticing the internet growing 2700% per year before starting Amazon.

A systematic method for creating differentiated products by taking existing successful products and applying one of 10 proven differentiators rather than trying to innovate from scratch.

Moving talented people from highly competitive, intellectually demanding industries into underoptimized industries where that same talent level creates massive advantage

Building newsletter businesses by obsessing over content quality first, then layering on growth and monetization rather than optimizing for vanity metrics

Complete dedication to one specific goal where you eliminate all competing priorities and commit 100% of your energy and focus.

Deliberately seeking difficult physical or mental challenges to build tolerance for discomfort and develop mental strength that transfers to other areas.

A systematic approach to hosting low-cost parties that maximizes social connection and network building through structured activities

A systematic approach to finding business opportunities by identifying cultural shifts or macro trends that have impacted some categories but missed others

A method for creating compelling products by bringing together two disparate or opposing concepts to generate creative tension and deeper consumer engagement

A principle that limits innovation to changing only one major element of an existing product or service to maximize probability of success

A framework for positioning products at the optimal intersection between familiar (easy to understand) and novel (differentiated and interesting)

An investment approach that specifically targets assets that are widely disliked or ignored by the market, betting that negative sentiment creates undervaluation opportunities.

A relationship-building approach that focuses conversations on people's current passionate interests rather than their well-known achievements, creating deeper engagement and authentic connection.

A decision-making approach where money is no longer the primary motivator for choices, allowing focus on intrinsic fulfillment and optimal life design

A behavioral pattern where increasing wealth leads to associating with progressively wealthier people, creating endless competitive pressure and lifestyle inflation

A structured approach to life optimization using three measurable goals: 20 pounds weight loss, $20M portfolio increase, and 20 off-script adventure days per year

A principle that prioritizes spending time around people who embody the qualities you want to develop, recognizing that social environment is the primary driver of personal characteristics

A content strategy that focuses on attracting people who already share your beliefs and worldview rather than trying to educate or serve a broad community

An investment decision framework that prioritizes the quality and capability of the entrepreneur over the attractiveness of the business model or market opportunity

A framework for choosing between targeting a massive market with moderate per-customer value versus targeting a smaller market with very high per-customer value extraction

When one solution becomes dominant, it creates market demand for its opposite characteristics

A psychological influence technique where a charismatic person convinces others that their initial judgment or story is wrong, making them believe an alternative narrative even when evidence contradicts it.

A content creation approach where you write as if speaking to intellectual peers rather than dumbing down for masses or showing off for experts.

When a key insider publicly defects from controversial leadership decision, it immediately shifts public perception from 'fired person did something wrong' to 'leadership made wrong decision'

Partner with content creators who have audiences by building or buying the perfect business for their audience, giving them significant equity in exchange for organic promotion

Build businesses around government-mandated compliance requirements where non-compliance leads to jail time or massive fines

Young ambitious person works directly for successful entrepreneur for 2-3 years as protégé/chief of staff, getting mentorship and connections in exchange for dedicated service

A system for replicating high-performance decision-making by having new hires shadow the founder 24/7 for six months, then gradually taking on responsibilities while maintaining the founder's thinking patterns.

A currency must pass through three distinct stages to become truly functional: store of value, medium of exchange, and unit of account.

A systematic approach to redirecting addictive personalities toward positive, constructive behaviors rather than trying to eliminate the addictive tendency entirely.

A decision-making framework for choosing opportunities where your unique background, skills, and circumstances give you an unfair advantage over competitors.

A visual framework for understanding market positioning using a grocery store cereal aisle as a two-axis model where products are arranged left-to-right (least healthy to most healthy) and top-to-bottom (adult to kid-focused)

A brand building approach that starts with direct individual customer interactions and grassroots engagement rather than mass marketing campaigns or top-down messaging strategies

A method for evaluating any company by scoring how well it serves six core stakeholder groups: customers, vendors, employees, investors, regulators, and communities where it operates.

A systematic approach to gaining broad competence by learning the 2-3 most important ideas from each major discipline, creating a toolkit of mental models that can be applied across different domains.

A product seeding strategy where you deliver products for free to influential people in a concentrated geographic area while documenting the process on social media

A content format that directly compares mainstream products against better alternatives, explaining why one is bad and providing specific replacements

A business execution philosophy focused on tackling the most immediate, obvious problem in front of you rather than complex long-term strategic planning

A systematic approach to entering new fields by accepting beginner status, hiring experts as teachers, and building knowledge methodically

A systematic approach to preventing prospective students from withdrawing their college enrollment commitment at the last minute, typically during summer before freshman year.

A brand building approach that prioritizes storytelling and content creation over traditional advertising to achieve cheaper customer acquisition and authentic engagement.

A three-component system for achieving sustained happiness by controlling focus, state, and story interpretation

A legal tax strategy where wealthy investors finance films to claim 100% depreciation deductions immediately while using state tax credits and financing to minimize actual cash investment.

A framework for understanding how elite institutions combine tax exemption (church), investment management (hedge fund), and premium services (luxury daycare) to create massive tax-free wealth generation.

A personal goal-setting system that organizes life objectives into four categories: Family, Fitness, Finances, and Fun

A commitment strategy where you choose one area to become completely obsessed with for an entire year, believing that singular focus can create life-changing results

A mathematical framework for maximizing offer value: (Dream Outcome × Perceived Likelihood of Achievement) ÷ (Time Delay + Effort & Sacrifice)

A strategic pivot where you narrow focus from a broad, mediocre product for everyone to an excellent product for a specific niche that already shows traction within your existing user base.

A customer acquisition strategy focused on winning over community leaders and moderators first, who then authentically promote your product to their communities.

A method of analyzing successful companies by drawing out year-by-year timelines to reveal the 'forgotten grinding years' between start and breakthrough.

A decision-making framework where you categorize opportunities into 'obviously good', 'obviously bad', and 'too hard to judge' - then only act on the obviously good ones.

A competitive advantage gained by testing products in much smaller batches than competitors, enabling faster feedback loops and more iterations.

A framework identifying five core traits of entrepreneurs who build massive companies by being contrarian to typical business advice: high disagreeableness, extreme self-confidence, product obsession, total control retention, and refusal to sell at any price.

A product development approach focused on rapid experimentation, immediate feedback, and constant iteration rather than master planning. Named after Edison's approach to invention.

A conservative investment approach focused on maintaining purchasing power and reducing stress rather than maximizing returns, typically used after achieving a significant financial milestone.

A cash management principle where you never spend business income directly, but only spend the investment returns generated from that business income.

A systematic approach to evaluating competing investment or business theories by collecting multiple expert perspectives and weighing evidence like a legal case.

A 16-slide sequence that builds investor confidence by answering their core questions in logical order: Are you credible? Is the problem big? Does your solution make sense? How big can this get? Is it working? How are you different?

When you have meaningful accomplishments, put them as slide 2 to establish that you're worth listening to before diving into your business details.

Using brand power as a primary competitive moat instead of technology or network effects, particularly effective in luxury goods where perception drives value.

A systematic approach to evaluate whether someone is drawing the correct conclusions from their experiences, rather than just having experiences.

Using profits from a service business to systematically acquire better businesses with recurring revenue and product characteristics.

A systematic approach to acquiring undervalued magazines with loyal audiences and converting them into commerce platforms

An investment approach that takes multiple small bets where maximum loss is capped but upside is potentially unlimited

A career selection rule stating that the more attractive or glamorous an industry appears, the lower the financial returns for most participants

A mathematical representation of wealth building: Focus × Stoicism × Time × Diversification = Wealth

A diagnostic framework for understanding why employees aren't performing by examining four core areas: what (unclear expectations), how (lack of skills/training), when (unclear deadlines), and blocks (external obstacles)

Six core areas that limit business growth: More (traffic/leads), Metrics (tracking/optimization), Market (product-market fit), Model (business model), Money (capital/pricing), and Manpower (team/talent)

Instead of asking 'what should I do next in my current field,' ask 'what can I do next using my existing assets (audience, fame, skills) in any field'

A framework distinguishing between lack of intelligence (dumb) and poor judgment despite intelligence (dumbass). Dumb means lacking cognitive ability, while dumbass means having intelligence but consistently making poor decisions.

An investment heuristic that views companies started as revenge against perceived wrongs as strong investment opportunities

A principle that entrepreneurs with deep personal grievances or identity wounds often become the most financially successful

A framework for tracking two complementary metrics to prevent optimization of one metric from destroying overall value

Deliberately creating a sense of existential threat within an organization to maintain urgency and performance, even when the company is successful

Committing deeply to one core thesis or vision rather than constantly iterating and pivoting based on market feedback

Developing heightened sensitivity to details, inconsistencies, and opportunities that others ignore or take for granted

A three-step system for intentional year planning: getting light (decluttering), closing out the previous year (reflection and gratitude), and setting one year-defining goal (misogi).

Viewing your calendar as your most honest autobiography and highlight reel - what you put energy toward reveals your true priorities and creates the story of your life.

Using content creation to validate demand for products before manufacturing or sourcing them, by showcasing products in content and measuring audience response.

Building a media business (blog, YouTube, social) primarily to create audience and trust, then monetizing through higher-margin product sales rather than traditional advertising.

A business model where your marketing activities (content creation) generate direct revenue while simultaneously acquiring customers, resulting in negative acquisition costs.

A productivity technique where you identify and focus on completing one most important task each day, rather than managing long to-do lists.

A technique to overcome procrastination by using a physical 5-minute hourglass to commit to starting a task for just 5 minutes, leveraging momentum to continue.

A YouTube growth strategy that involves copying titles from videos that have gone viral (high view-to-subscriber ratio) and adapting them to your niche.

A business strategy that separates creating an irresistible offer from delivering the product, focusing first on making the offer so compelling people feel stupid for saying no.

A business model where customers pay you to become customers, then you sell them higher-value products or services

Using content engagement data to identify and validate high-value commercial opportunities before building them

Split significant capital between professional wealth management and self-directed investing to empirically compare performance over 5+ years

Focus optimization efforts on tax reduction strategies rather than trying to beat market returns through security selection

A method for predicting trends that will reach Western markets by observing what's popular in Dubai 1-3 years early

Building businesses around visible status displays that create peer pressure for neighbors to adopt the same service

Designing products primarily based on their viral content potential rather than traditional market research

A systematic approach to finding business opportunities by identifying expensive internal solutions that big companies built and turning them into products any company can use

A framework for identifying and categorizing major technological shifts that create trillion-dollar opportunities approximately every decade