Think like a billionaire

by James Altucher

What do Tyra Banks, Ev Williams, and Richard Branson have in common? If you answered that they’re all extremely wealthy, you’d be right. But you’d also be missing a big part of the story. James Altucher, the noted entrepreneur, venture capitalist, bestselling author of Choose Yourself , and host of the podcast The James Altucher Show — which has over 40 million downloads — has interviewed 15 of the most successful people in the world to figure out just what makes them tick. And the conclusions might surprise you. For each of these people, money wasn't their ultimate goal — it was a natural byproduct of following their passions and developing good habits that enabled them to take advantage of their successes, and to learn from their failures. From the founder of Spanx to the entrepreneur behind Home Depot, from a craft beer aficionado to the investors on Shark Tank, these visionaries honed their ideas and creativity, and used what they loved as a compass to guide their curiosity. That curiosity gave them the insights they needed to skip the line, to try new things, to diversify, and to hit the accelerator on their successes. This isn’t some lofty self-help book. This is about real people who achieved their dreams and gained wealth and influence as a result. As Altucher notes, ultimately it’s not the number in the bank account that defines anyone — it’s asking if you’re living life to the best of your ability.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Finance, Audiobook

Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2021

About the author

James Altucher is a writer, successful entrepreneur, chess master, and investor.

He has founded over 20 companies and sold some of them for large exits. He has also run venture capital funds, hedge funds, angel funds, and currently sits on the boards of many companies.

He has written and been profiled in most major national media publications like the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, CNBC, Forbes, and Business Week.

His blog, which began by detailing Altucher's precipitous fall from wealth and success to absolute rock bottom and then back to wealth, has attracted more than 10 million readers since its launch in 2010, and in 2011 inspired a comic book.

Reviews

[Rubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come soon

[Anangsha Alammyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SUCH an interesting book. More than an audiobook, this was like the collection of all the amazing interviews Altucher has had with billionaires on his podcast. While it's a little disheartening to hear only one woman among the multitude he interviewed, each interview is unique in its own way.

Altucher ends the book with personalised reading recommendations and I loved the eclectic list.

Are you wondering what's the common traits tying all these successful people together? I've written a post about it. Check it out here: 8 Meta-Skills of Eventual Billionaires

[Isla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I listened to this at all ahah. It was pretty boring for most parts but some interviews were really good and interesting; the guy from shark tank who created a clothing line, Richard Branson and the guy who wrote the Elon musk biography. However some interviews were next to inaudible and some were sexist ahaha. Defo would have appreciated more than one female interview.
2.5/3

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out as a pretty engaging audiobook. Then, it seemed to just be a collection of previously recorded podcast interviews. Some were good. Some were okay. I finished it and had some decent takeaways, but I wouldn’t listen to it again. I might look for the podcast, though.

[Bernard Sia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ton of inspiring stories straight from the source.

[Elizabeth Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned more from the interviews more than anything. But still very insightful.

[Omar El-Mohri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of his podcast interview, just in case you are expecting something different

[Mark McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little slow, but very interested to learn about billionaire's perspectives and attitudes. I didn't enjoy the podcasts interspersed with the author's work.

[Ayesha Ratnayake · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sometimes-interesting, sometimes-dull collection of interviews with a variety of billionaires. Some questions it got me asking: Am I in the right movie? (Courtesy Spanx Founder Sara Blakely) What do I value more than money? (Courtesy James Altucher) What would I do if I already had a billion dollars? (Courtesy Naveen Jain) What did I fail at today? (Courtesy Sara Blakely)

[Irene Yeung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting interview style with various successful entrepreneurs