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How to Make a Few Billion Dollars
Defining the mindset that drove my remarkable success by Brad Jacobs
Hope your 2025 is off to a great start. In order to give you some freshness as we head into the new year, we plan to mix it up for the next few weeks.
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Ever wonder what it takes to build a billion-dollar empire—again and again?
Brad Jacobs, a master of scaling companies across industries, shares his blueprint in How to Make a Few Billion Dollars.
Spoiler: it's not about luck; it’s about disciplined focus, relentless curiosity, and understanding the right timing.
SMARTEST TAKEAWAYS
People, Trends & Execution
1️⃣ Prioritize Exceptional People: Jacobs emphasizes that the people you hire are your greatest assets. His approach? Go for raw intelligence, integrity, and a hunger for learning. He’d rather hire someone who asks great questions than someone who claims to have all the answers.
2️⃣ Bet on Big Trends: Jacobs doesn’t just start companies—he identifies and rides waves of large, inevitable shifts in the economy. Whether it’s the rise of logistics or waste management consolidation, his moves are grounded in macro trends with long-term staying power.
3️⃣ Obsess Over Execution: Vision is vital, but execution is king. Jacobs stresses operational excellence, ensuring every detail is dialed in, and using data-driven strategies to keep improving. The result? Consistency that compounds over time.
Brad Jacobs has created eight flagship companies across different industries
INSIGHTFUL EXAMPLE
From Zero to $20 Billion
Take XPO Logistics. Jacobs entered a fragmented industry with a clear game plan: acquire strategic companies, integrate them seamlessly, and build a global business. In less than a decade, he transformed XPO into a $20 billion enterprise.
His key insight? Every acquisition wasn’t just about growth but synergy—finding companies that fit together like puzzle pieces and made the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
A QUOTE TO REMEMBER
Narrow Your Focus
“If I had tried to do everything I wanted to, I never would have accomplished anything big.
Narrow your focus to your most important dreams and tune out everything else.”
BOOK FACTS
How to Make a Few Billion Dollars
Publication date: January 15, 2024
Print length: 272 pages
Listening length: 5:37
Ratings: 4.4 Amazon, 4.0 Goodreads
INSIGHTS FROM THE BOOK
Founders Podcast
In this podcast, David Senra shares what he learned from reading the book How to Make a Few Billion Dollars by Brad Jacobs.
It’s 72 minutes of action-packed insights where he connects the dots between Brad’s lessons and 300+ other founder biographies he’s read.
WHAT’S MAKING US SMARTER
Top Picks for the New Year
2025 Goal Planner: Achieve more in 2025. Set your goals, measure progress, and track your daily tasks in one place. Get yours today.
The Art of Reading: Consistently find books you love, read 25-50+ books a year, and learn a note-taking system (so you remember the gold). Take the course.
NOAN: The ultimate business partner of entrepreneurs. Try NOAN for free.
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