Written by: December 10, 2023
If you want to give yourself a personal MBA (in 6 months), read these books:
Principle-First
I received an MBA from Cornell.
I've also read 300+ business books.
Trust me: You can get 90% of the knowledge from reading books (and without spending $150k).
So, I put together a 6-month personal MBA for you.
Let’s get started.
SUPERHUMAN SCORING
In every edition of System Sunday, I assess the featured system across three superhuman dimensions: impact, setup, and maintenance.
Unlike your typical review, I focus on factors that influence personal growth. Get to know the evaluation system.
Impact (9.5/10)
Have you ever had a great business idea but don’t know what to do next?
These books will help you go from idea to execution.
The 6-month curriculum is 12 books. (You’ll read 2 books every month.)
Subjects:
- Strategy
- Entrepreneurship
- Accounting/Finance
- Personal Finance
- Marketing
- Operations
- Systems Thinking
- Public Speaking
- Negotiation
- Networking
- Leadership
- Productivity/Effectiveness
Here we go…
Setup (8.5/10)
By Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
Subject: Strategy
Lessons:
- Escape competition
- Contrarian approaches create value
- Go from “0 to 1,” not “from 1 to n”
By Eric Ries
Subject: Entrepreneurship
Lessons:
- Build minimum viable products
- When in doubt, simplify
- Win by getting feedback + learning fast
By Karen Berman, Joe Knight, John Case
Subject: Accounting/Finance
Lessons:
- Learn to read financial statements (
Income, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow) - Fund projects based on expected ROI
By Ramit Sethi
Subject: Personal Finance
Lessons:
- Get clear about your ‘Rich Life’
- Save and invest money before you ever see it
- Create an automated money system
📚 The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
By Al Ries and Jack Trout
Subject: Marketing
Lessons:
- Perception is reality
- Own a word/category to boost brand
- Follow the 22 law checklist
📚 The Goal
By Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Subject: Operations
Lessons:
- Identify and exploit bottlenecks
- Increase net profit + increase ROI + increase cash flow
By Donella Meadows
Subject: Systems Thinking
Lessons:
- To change any system, focus on 12 points of leverage
- Purposes are deduced from behavior, not words
- Create feedback loops
By Michael Port
Subject: Public Speaking
Lessons:
- Cut out filler words by practicing material
- Use pauses for impact
- Act “as if” to build confidence
By Chris Voss
Subject: Negotiation
Lessons:
- Prepare your best alternative option in advance
- Let your counterpart make the first offer
- Be prepared for extremes
- Ask open-ended questions
By Judy Robinett
Subject: Networking
Lessons:
- Your network is your net worth
- Choose your environment wisely (find power centers)
- Build depth and diversity in your network
- Follow the 5+50+100 Rule
By General Stanley A. McChrystal
Subject: Leadership
Lessons:
- The world is complex and chaotic
- Resiliency and adaptability are crucial to success
- Leaders create more leaders, not followers
📚 The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
By Eric Jorgeson
Subject: Productivity and Effectiveness
Lessons:
- Money and happiness are skills
- Productize yourself
- A good reputation is invaluable
- Play long-term iterated games, compound your growth
- And much, much more…
📌 Access a FREE copy of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.
Here’s an overview one-pager:
Download a high-resolution PDF of this Cheat Sheet here (free).
Sidenote: None of these are affiliate links (I don’t have any financial incentive here). I’m just trying to pass on something useful in a noisy world.
Maintenance (7.0/10)
That was a 6-month personal MBA.
All it takes to complete? Read 30 mins/day.
Instead of following sensationalized news, substitute a book.
You’ll learn; plus, it will improve your mental health.
BRINGING IT HOME
New Year’s Resolution idea:
Build the habit of reading with this list. 🙌
Start this month or next, and you’ll complete the challenge by June 2024.
All systems go,
2 MORE WAYS I CAN HELP YOU
Creator Method [Digital Course]: This is the system I used to grow an audience of 1M+ in under one year. Join 1,200+ students in this 5-star rated course.
1:1 Coaching:
