Episode · This Week in Startups · 2023-02-23
Jason Calacanis & Sophia Amoruso: books mentioned on This Week in Startups
Sophia Amoruso on branding, raising a fund, portfolio construction & more | E1684
Sophia Amoruso, Founder and GP at Trust Fund, joins Jason to discuss her angel investments (1:23), raising a fund publicly (5:54), and the creative process (12:14). Then, they discuss portfolio construction and putting past identities to bed (27:04).
Jason Calacanis recommended Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino and Amp It Up by Frank Slootman. Sophia Amoruso discussed #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso and Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Cinema Speculation
Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino is a critical and autobiographical exploration of 1970s American cinema, blending passionate film analysis with personal memories of the filmmaker's childhood theater experiences.
Recommended“I just read or I listened to I should say Tarantino's audiobook Cinema speculation did you get it yet or no but I heard it's so good it's great”
Where to get it
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#Girlboss
Discussed“the person who wrote This Book you know this girl Millennials 20 something year old with like an edgy haircut you know standing a Kimbo looking like she knew what was up inspired so many people”
Where to get it
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Lean In
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg is a prominent corporate manifesto that examines the structural barriers women face in the workplace and encourages female leaders to pursue professional ambition assertively.
Discussed“I didn't know that someone like you or me could start a business because girl loss came out a year after lean in and that was the big new modern yeah that was written by a woman in business and it was like Cheryl Sandberg”
Where to get it
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Amp It Up
Amp It Up by Frank Slootman is a direct management guide focused on building a high-performance execution culture, raising expectations, and driving hypergrowth through urgency and intensity.
Recommended“you know the you know snowflake the crazy company this guy Frank slooten have you read his book yet amp it up read this book amp it up this guy's a maniac”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“and uh she wrote an amazing Memoir girl boss that was made into a TV show”
“calendly SAS Shopify SAS like every person that read girl boss the 500 000 people who bought it and this entire generation if they're not entrepreneurs they're entrepreneurial”
“and so what's great is having sold 500 000 books and you know you're following you're just gonna get deal flow other people aren't”
“while I'm standing in front of a thousand people at a conference in Australia promoting a book that I was like you have to go on the book tour right”
“you know as best as I can tell now people have decoded what it means to be a Founder based on books like yours mine y combinator content podcasts”