Podcast

My First Million book recommendations

Hosted by Shaan Puri · 57 episodes covered · 75 books · 4 people · Website

Sam Parr and Shaan Puri brainstorm new business ideas based on trends & opportunities they see in the market. Sometimes they bring on famous guests to brainstorm with them.

Latest mentions

  1. The 4-Hour Work Week

    Timothy Ferriss · Discussed 4 episodes

    On My First Million, hosts Sam Parr and Shaan Puri discussed "The 4-Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferriss across multiple episodes. In "56 Minutes of Money Wisdom for High-Earning Couples," Sam recalled Ferriss's "dream scenario" concept regarding financial planning. Earlier, in "How This +$80M Founder Launches A Startup In A Weekend," Sam shared how reading the book motivated him and his co-founder to generate income immediately over a single weekend. In "Brendan Schaub: From UFC Fighter To Selling Out Comedy Shows (#442)," Shaan praised Ferriss's approach to life, highlighting his habits of curiosity, experimentation, and sharing insights. The hosts also noted how the book propelled Ferriss toward unexpected career investments.

    Discussed
    “Do you remember Tim Ferris in 'The 4-Hour Workweek'? He had something called the 'dream scenario' or something similar.”
    Where to get it
  2. The Game

    Neil Strauss · Discussed 4 episodes

    Across several episodes of My First Million, the hosts and guests referenced Neil Strauss's book, The Game. In "Mark Manson: Money, Dating, & The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck" (2023-08-29), a guest asked about the work. In "This Is The Most Exciting Drama in HR SaaS History | Rippling vs. Deel" (2025-03-21), a host recalled using lines directly from it as pickup lines. In "This guy sold 3 YouTube Channels to Blackstone for $3B" (2025-03-25), a host cited the book's "bounce" technique to describe creative processes. Finally, in "“I’m moving 75% of my investments outside the US” - Scott Galloway’s Warning" (2025-05-16), a host remembered reading it at age 14 alongside Sean.

    Discussed
    “When Sean and I were 14, the game the book came out and like every 14-year-old read this book called The Game. It was about pickup artists and it like it took a whole bunch of internet nerds like us.”
    Where to get it
  3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

    Mark Manson · Discussed 4 episodes

    The hosts and guests on My First Million discussed "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" across several episodes. In "How To Make Millions By Pitching TV Shows To Netflix, Hulu And Apple (#358)," the host highlighted how Mark Manson turned a blog post into a massive book franchise. In "Ryan Holiday Reveals How Much Best Selling Authors Make, Crazy Peter Thiel Stori," guest Ryan Holiday cited sales estimates of 10 to 15 million copies. During "Mark Manson: Money, Dating, & The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck," Manson and the host discussed its rise to the top of bestseller lists and its enduring popularity.

    Discussed
    “you know that book um The Mark Manson book subtle art of not giving an F like I think that book it got so popular that it sort of got written off”
    Where to get it
  4. Atomic Habits

    James Clear · Discussed 3 episodes

    On My First Million, the hosts frequently referenced James Clear and his book Atomic Habits. Host Shaan Puri noted that he modeled an internal newsletter format after Clear's popular writing style. In another episode, the hosts asked a guest if he had read the book. They also analyzed the massive commercial success of Atomic Habits, attributing its widespread popularity to its distinct cover design and strong adoption among a demographic of women in their 30s living in the Midwest.

    Discussed
    “And what I would do is I copied James Clear's newsletter format; James Clear does something called 1-2-3. Um, guess what?”
    Where to get it
  5. Good to Great

    Jim Collins · Discussed 2 episodes

    On My First Million, Jim Collins's book is brought up in podcast episodes from August and October 2022. Guest Ryan Holiday cites 'Good to Great' as a rare example of a business book that continues to sell millions of copies in hardcover decades after its initial publication. Another speaker references the same book as an example of a business text that readers treat like a 'Bible'.

    Discussed
    “and this is why Tim ferriss's books are not widely available in paperback Good to Great by Jim Collins which has sold tens of you know probably 10 million copies still in hardcover even though it's a 20 year old book”
    Where to get it
  6. Grit

    Angela Duckworth · Discussed 2 episodes

    On My First Million, a host mentioned Angela Duckworth's book "Grit" in two separate episodes. In the September 27, 2022 episode, the host referenced the book while explaining the concept of delayed gratification through the marshmallow test. Earlier, on the February 26, 2020 episode featuring Stu Iverson, the host attributed the concept of grit to Duckworth, using her book to describe Tyson Fury's mental toughness and remarkable comeback story.

    Discussed
    “it's called um there's this awesome book by this woman named Angela Duckworth called grit”
    Where to get it
  7. How to Get Rich

    Felix Dennis · Discussed 2 episodes

    On My First Million, the hosts discussed Felix Dennis's book 'How to Get Rich' during episodes in September 2022 and February 2023. They expressed strong praise for the work, noting it as the best book they had read on the topic, and discussed how mentioning the title on platforms like Twitter and TikTok significantly boosted its ranking on Amazon and Audible.

    Discussed
    “There's this guy named Felix Dennis. Have you ever read uh this awesome book called How to get rich? I love that book. Yeah I love that book. I recommend that book to everyone. It's horribly titled but it's the best book I've ever”
    Where to get it
  8. Influence, New and Expanded

    Robert B. Cialdini, PhD · Discussed 2 episodes

    Robert B. Cialdini's book Influence, New and Expanded came up on My First Million in multiple episodes. During an episode in May 2021, the host recommended reading the book to understand persuasion in the context of a business idea. Earlier, in a March 2020 episode, the host referenced the book again while discussing a B2B gifting business concept, specifically highlighting Cialdini's rule of reciprocity where performing a favor leads to a returned favor.

    Discussed
    “you should probably go and read like ryan hoover's book hooked near iowa or yeah ryan who was like the editor whatever sorry near or go and read um influence by robert”
    Where to get it
  9. Shoe Dog

    Phil Knight, Philip H. Knight · Discussed 2 episodes

    On My First Million, host Shaan Puri and his co-hosts brought up Phil Knight's memoir 'Shoe Dog.' In '#168 - How to Reverse Engineer Businesses, The Indonesian King of Coal & the Sto,' a speaker highlighted 'Shoe Dog' as a widely popular account detailing the founding story of Nike. Later, in 'How I’ve Sold $1 Billion In Products Online (A Marketing Masterclass w/ Craig Cl),' Shaan Puri cited the book to describe how jogging was viewed negatively in mid-twentieth-century America, pointing out Knight's recollections of people throwing bottles at runners from passing cars during the 1940s through 1960s.

    Discussed
    “Um, if you read Phil Knight's book, he talks about if you went jogging in like the 40s, 50s, or 60s, people were like throwing bottles at you from their car because they're just like mad.”
    Where to get it
  10. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

    William L. Shirer · Discussed 2 episodes

    On My First Million, the hosts discussed William L. Shirer's massive historical text The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. One of the hosts mentioned just finishing the fourteen-hundred-page epic, describing it as a seminal text on Hitler, Nazism, and detailed historical events.

    Discussed
    “and then I just got done reading the rise of the Third Reich which is like which is like a 1500 or 1300 word like epic”
    Where to get it
  11. Twilight

    Stephenie Meyer · Discussed 2 episodes

    Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight was brought up on My First Million by the host in multiple episodes. In March 2025, the host mentioned the book while discussing romance novels, werewolves, and perceived beastiality undertones, referencing the film adaptation starring Robert Pattinson. In November 2022, the host highlighted Twilight as one of the biggest books in the last twenty-five years that originally started as fan fiction, noting how it subsequently inspired the creation of Fifty Shades of Grey.

    Discussed
    “like you know the what was the what was that Rob that movie that [ __ ] called what was that thing the Robert Patterson the the Twilight Twilight”
    Speaker 2 Trends Hidden in Plain Sight (+ $1M ideas) 2025-03-14
    Where to get it
  12. A Book on Books

    Victionary · Discussed 1 episode

    During an episode of My First Million from November 29, 2023, the hosts discussed business leader Brad Jacobs. The conversation noted that he had a new publication, referred to as a book on books by Victionary, coming out, which they believed made it likely to secure him as a podcast guest.

    Discussed
    “He has a book coming out; he’ll definitely come on.”
    Where to get it
  13. A Random Walk Down Wall Street

    Burton Gordon Malkiel · 1 episode

    Recommended
    “Sean you should read Ed Thorp's biography one of the best biographies I've ever read adding it to the list a man for market.”
    Where to get it
  14. A Room of One's Own

    Virginia Woolf · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million titled The 5 Levels Of Building Wealth | How To Climb The Ladder (#389) on 2022-11-24, the host mentioned Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own. It came up as the literary work that directly inspired the name and concept behind Archive of Our Own, a popular fan fiction website.

    Discussed
    “she writes a blog post that says we need an archive of of One's Own and that was playing off this thing a room of one Zone by Virginia Woolf”
    Where to get it
  15. An Immense World

    Ed Yong · 1 episode

    Discussed
    “It was called like the five senses or what's the the the animal? It's called an immense world. An immense world. You have heard me give this spiel so many times”
    Where to get it
  16. Atlas Shrugged

    Ayn Rand · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, the guest discussed Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. He recalled reading the book during his college days, identifying it as his favorite and highlighting Hank Rearden as his preferred character representing a combination business and technology hero.

    Discussed
    “I appreciate you're saying that. It's a weird again, I have a weird relationship with my ego on this, but I think back to like my days in college and I was reading my favorite book, which is Atlas Shrugged. And my my favorite character in Atlas Shrugged is this guy Hank Rearen, uh, who is this sort of combination”
    Where to get it
  17. Attack of the Mutant (Goosebumps #25)

    R. L. Stine · Discussed 1 episode

    On the podcast My First Million, specifically in the episode featuring Furqan Rydhan, the speaker referenced R. L. Stine's book Attack of the Mutant (Goosebumps #25). The speaker compared the app Hooked to the Goosebumps books they read as a child, using them as an example of a popular childhood product that could be modernized.

    Discussed
    “like cooked is the modern-day goosebumps so when we were growing up we would read Goosebumps books and that was what hooked us as a kid”
    Where to get it
  18. Between the World and Me

    Ta-Nehisi Coates · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million in May 2021, a speaker briefly mentioned another book by Ryan Holiday while discussing strategy, referencing a title that corresponds to The Obstacle Is the Enemy.

    Discussed
    “the enemy i think is one of his right”
    Where to get it
  19. Brothers Emanuel

    Ezekiel J. Emanuel · 1 episode

    Discussed
    “There's a book that I read years ago called, 'Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family.' Ari Emanuel is probably a billionaire.”
    Where to get it
  20. Bulletproof Web Design

    Dan Cederholm · Discussed 1 episode

    On the February 2, 2023 episode of My First Million titled How To Grow A Small Agency Into A Billion Dollar Company (#414), Andrew Wilkinson was quoted from a blog post about acquiring Dribbble. Wilkinson mentioned Dan Cederholm's Bulletproof Web Design as the first book he read, noting that Cederholm was his hero and that he used to reverse engineer the book's stylesheets on simple bits during his early days at Metalab.

    Discussed
    “he goes when I first started meta lab Dan cedarholm was my hero a great opening line a great one because I don't know who this guy is and now I'm like why is this person your hero he goes this bulletproof web was the first book I read I used to reverse engineer his style sheets on simple bits”
    Where to get it
  21. Cixin Liu Three Body Problem Collection 3 Books Set (Hard Cover)

    Cixin Liu · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, during the episode "I Built A $1B Company... Here's 7 Business Ideas I Would Start This Year" on March 27, 2025, the speaker mentioned "The Three-Body Problem" by Cixin Liu. The speaker noted that the book was currently on their reading list, though they had not yet read it.

    Discussed
    “three body problem that's like one of the one of the ideas I hav't I haven't actually read it now It's like on my kind of to-do to read list”
    Where to get it
  22. Conspiracy

    Ryan Holiday · Discussed 1 episode

    On the October 4, 2022 episode of My First Million titled Ryan Holiday Reveals How Much Best Selling Authors Make, Crazy Peter Thiel Stori, the host mentioned Ryan Holiday's book Conspiracy. The host identified the book as one of their favorites and noted that it centers on Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker, and Peter Thiel.

    Discussed
    “you uh one of my favorite books is conspiracy which is uh Nick Deton I believe is that his name Nick Denton yeah yeah Nick Denton the founder of Gawker and Peter Thiel”
    Where to get it
  23. Courage Is Calling

    Ryan Holiday · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, guest Ryan Holiday brought up his book Courage Is Calling, identifying it as the first installment in his current stoic virtue series.

    Discussed
    “The first one is uh courage is calling”
    Where to get it
  24. Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition)

    Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million titled MrBeast Isn’t Cute. Here’s His Brutal Business Lessons. from February 13, 2025, the speaker discussed Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition) by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace. They noted that Pixar maintains a copy of the book and highlighted its core lesson regarding the creative process, explaining that it is not about immediate perfection, but rather about taking something that is poor and removing its flaws.

    Discussed
    “and they had a thing where they were like at Pixar they have a book called creativity Inc I creativity Inc yeah and he said it's not people think oh we just come up with the best ideas right away he goes no he goes the creative process is taking something that sucks and removing suck”
    Where to get it
  25. Discipline Is Destiny

    Ryan Holiday · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, the host brought up Ryan Holiday's upcoming book, 'Discipline Is Destiny', during the discussion with the author.

    Discussed
    “and also because B you have a book coming out discipline is Destiny”
    Where to get it
  26. Don't Tell Me I Can't

    Cole Summers · 1 episode

    Recommended
    “The second person on my list is uh is it's a book by called um Don't Tell Me I Can't by Cole Summers. It's the most underrated business book in the world in my opinion.”
    Where to get it
  27. Elon Musk

    Walter Isaacson · Discussed 1 episode

    On the My First Million podcast episode from October 31, 2023, host Shaan Puri brought up Walter Isaacson's biography Elon Musk. Puri shared that he was currently reading the book and described it as great, using it to illustrate how people talk about the books they are actively engaged with.

    Discussed
    “Right now, I'm reading Elon Musk's biography; it's great. That's why I just told you about that, Sean.”
    Where to get it
  28. Encountering the Holy Spirit in Every Book of the Bible

    David Diga Hernandez · Discussed 1 episode

    On the February 26, 2020, episode of My First Million featuring Stu Iverson, the conversation turned toward physical books and aesthetics. Discussing David Diga Hernandez's themes around scripture, the guest compared standard Bibles unfavorably to modern coffee table books, remarking, "if you think of what is on people's coffee tables right now it's kinfolk right... it's not the best looking book it's okay." The dialogue contrasted traditional religious volumes with contemporary interior design trends.

    Discussed
    “I guarantee you their Bible has hidden away because it got passed down to them they got it for oral it's it's hideous but if you think of what is on I shouldn't say hideous but it's not the best looking book it's okay but if I think what is on people's coffee tables right now it's kinfolk right it's”
    Where to get it
  29. Eyewitness

    DK Publishing · Discussed 1 episode

    On the June 15, 2023 episode of My First Million titled 'How Rob Dyrdek Went From $15M to $350M in 5 Years (#465)', host Sam discussed a book being written by Rob Dyrdek. The project was described as a philosophy and book intended to accompany a new software system designed to help listeners transition from erratic habits to harmonious routines.

    Discussed
    “First, I’ll send it to you guys, and when the book and philosophy are out, along with the software, the goal will be to transform listeners' lives from being erratic to existing in harmony with a high-quality operating system.”
    Where to get it
  30. Give and Take

    Adam Grant · Discussed 1 episode

    During the May 17, 2024 episode of My First Million titled This Guy Copy-Pasted Warren Buffet’s Strategy (And Became A Billionaire), the speaker brought up 'Give and Take' by Adam Grant. The speaker noted that Adam Grant wrote the wonderful book and discussed its categorization of people into givers, takers, and matchers.

    Discussed
    “and you know we we talked about this Adam Grant uh wrote this wonderful book give and take right”
    Where to get it
  31. Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

    Michael Lewis · Discussed 1 episode

    On the My First Million podcast episode titled Just found out my neighbor’s business sold for $450M, released on January 14, 2025, the host mentioned Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis. The speaker referred to Michael Lewis as an amazing author and briefly touched on the downfall of FTX as the subject of the book during a conversation about Scott Galloway's podcast.

    Discussed
    “Michael Lewis is an amazing author wrote about ftxs um downfall”
    Where to get it
  32. Hackers & Painters

    Paul Graham · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million in the 2020-03-08 episode, one of the hosts brought up Paul Graham's essay collection Hackers & Painters. Specifically, the host highlighted the essay Do Things That Don't Scale as an essential resource for startup founders, connecting it to the early days of Airbnb.

    Discussed
    “by the way there's a you know there's probably like 10 blog posts that matter the most If you're gonna do a start-up One of them is the Paul Graham essay Do things that don't scale where he's talking about with Airbnb early on and if you're kind of in the startup world just fast forward 30 seconds But if”
    Where to get it
  33. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

    J.K. Rowling · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, the speaker discussed reading J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The speaker explained that after finishing the series, the love for the world and its characters led superfans to write their own stories on websites, treating the books as a foundation for extensive fan fiction.

    Discussed
    “imagine okay you read like it for me I read Harry Potter Harry Potter's great I'm done with the books but I want more Harry Potter I love that world I love the characters all that stuff so then there's people who are super fans who will just go write their own as if they're JK Rowling website”
    Where to get it
  34. How to Win Friends and Influence People

    Dale Carnegie · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, the host humorously mentioned How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie while discussing a potential philosophy for naming children to gain strategic advantages.

    Discussed
    “I think that's that's what happens when you read How to Win Friends and Influence People while you're uh you know you're at the hospital”
    Where to get it
  35. I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

    Tucker Max · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million during the episode Controversial Business Lessons From Napoleon, Edison & Hitler, a speaker discussed Tucker Max and his book I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell. The speaker noted Max's background as an author and mentioned that he currently runs a company while taking a right-leaning turn.

    Discussed
    “he's an author he wrote a I hope they serve beer in hell Now he has a company and lately he's taking kind of like a fairly right turn”
    Where to get it
  36. Killers of the Flower Moon

    David Grann · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million titled The Viral Marketing Strategy Behind Andrew Tate’s Rise To Fame, released on June 8, 2023, the host shared his current reading material with the audience. He mentioned that he was reading Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, describing it as a narrative centered on the Osage Nation and Native Americans during the 1920s. The host used this book as an engaging conversational segue before transitioning into the main business and marketing topics of the podcast episode.

    Discussed
    “I’m reading this book; it’s called 'Killers of the Flower Moon.' It's basically about the 1920s Osage Indians; there are Native Americans.”
    Where to get it
  37. Kinfolk

    Sean Dietrich · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million, a guest brought up Kinfolk to illustrate how modern, visually appealing, and beautifully bound publications dominate coffee table displays. The guest used it as a comparative example when discussing opportunities to reinvent the traditional appearance and format of the Bible.

    Discussed
    “but if I think what is on people's coffee tables right now it's kinfolk right it's things that are going that they're buying that are beautifully bound that they're visual and so I think there's this really great opportunity to reinvent what the Bible actually looks like and create like the kinfolk of Bibles”
    Where to get it
  38. Mastery

    Robert Greene · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million titled Ryan Holiday Reveals How Much Best Selling Authors Make, Crazy Peter Thiel Stori, released on October 4, 2022, the host discussed Robert Greene's Mastery. The host shared that reading the book changed his life by introducing him to the concept of apprenticeship.

    Discussed
    “dude I read that in in Mastery Mastery changed my life I remember like exactly where I was where I read it and I was like oh this this is called apprenticeship”
    Where to get it
  39. Mein Kampf

    Adolf Hitler · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, the host discussed Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. The speaker mentioned that Hitler wrote the book while in prison and quoted from it regarding his obligation to lead the German people to greatness.

    Discussed
    “and uh in prison he wrote his book called Mein Kampf and in the book he wrote like I've I've recently discovered that it is my obligation to lead the German people to Greatness”
    Where to get it
  40. Misbelief

    Dan Ariely · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, during an episode recorded on February 20, 2020, one of the hosts mentioned Dan Ariely, who served as an advisor. The host referenced Ariely's work in the context of using language and descriptions to influence perception and pricing, drawing parallels to behavioral insights commonly explored in his publications.

    Discussed
    “so we would you know we started just adding words as one experiment we would have one version of our website where it was all online ordering so is one version of our website would be the normal website then our a B test was the other variation was our Philadelphia roll would be called like we called the Philadelphia”
    Where to get it
  41. Moby Dick

    Herman Melville · Discussed 1 episode

    On the August 9, 2023 episode of My First Million titled How This Big Wave Surfer Built A +$10 Million Business Empire (#483), guest Laird Hamilton referenced Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Hamilton brought up the novel to highlight that a true story about a whale sinking a ship inspired the book, using it to connect to historical details about Nantucket and its early Quaker whalemen.

    Discussed
    “If you've ever read Moby Dick, you know about the whale that sinks the ship. Yes, there's actually a true story behind it. So Nantucket originally was for Quakers, yeah, were whale men.”
    Where to get it
  42. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

    Michael Lewis · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million, the speaker referenced Michael Lewis's book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. He used the famous concept from the book to illustrate how relying purely on math and spreadsheets rather than subjective star power can be applied to find value in sports and other fields.

    Discussed
    “is football as like you know there's obviously the famous Moneyball thing where he's like I don't care what who's a superstar who's not I'm just going to look at the math and we're just going to pick people off spreadsheets”
    Where to get it
  43. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

    Jessica Bruder · Discussed 1 episode

    During an episode of My First Million on April 13, 2020, one of the hosts brought up Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, though mistakenly referring to the author's first name, stating that the work changed their life and inspired them to transcribe their own interviews.

    Discussed
    “and when I first started the company do you remember this book called the founders at work by Jessica”
    Where to get it
  44. Out Of Control

    Kevin Kelly · Discussed 1 episode

    On the February 14, 2023, episode of My First Million, the speaker referenced Kevin Kelly's work Out Of Control. The speaker discussed Kelly's popular concept of a thousand true fans, which originated from a blog post, and used it as an intuitive model and goal for content creation and niche hobbyist magazines.

    Discussed
    “and I was like and then I was like intuitively there's something more like um that Kevin Kelly thing the true fans thousand true fans where it's like uh he wrote this blog post that's amazing that's called a thousand true fans basically says if you can have if you can have a thousand true fans a true fan being”
    Where to get it
  45. Parting the Waters

    Taylor Branch · Discussed 1 episode

    In an episode of My First Million from October 4, 2022, guest Ryan Holiday spoke with the host and mentioned Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch. Holiday referred to the Taylor Branch series on Martin Luther King as an incredible example of a life's work biography series.

    Discussed
    “this is the Taylor Branch series on Martin Luther King also incredible”
    Where to get it
  46. Predictably Irrational

    Dan Ariely · Discussed 1 episode

    On My First Million, the host mentioned talking to Dan Ariely, the author of Predictably Irrational, about menu pricing strategies for a restaurant startup.

    Discussed
    “and we talked to this guy Dan ariely who was um he wrote this book predictably irrational”
    Where to get it
  47. Steal like an artist

    Austin Kleon · 1 episode

    Discussed
    “You didn't even know it was the guy's last name. I know the book cover. What's Isn't it like a what's it called? Great artist steal. Yeah.”
    Where to get it
  48. Stillness Is the Key

    Ryan Holiday · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million on October 4, 2022, guest Ryan Holiday mentioned his book Stillness Is the Key. He referenced the work when discussing the timeline of when he stopped publicly announcing his book deal sizes.

    Discussed
    “I think it was with Stillness it might have been after Definitely with this series”
    Where to get it
  49. The 48 Laws of Power (Special Power Edition)

    Robert Greene · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million on October 11, 2022, the book "The 48 Laws of Power (Special Power Edition)" by Robert Greene was brought up. The speaker described a Twitter account that automatically posted quotes from the book as part of a digital product strategy to build a large following.

    Discussed
    “One is is called the 48 Laws of Power bot or quote bot I believe another one is called the book of pook p-o-o-k and the 48 Laws of Power bot quote or quote bot is just like he's got a ton of quotes loaded into this and it has maybe two or three hundred thousand followers”
    Where to get it
  50. The 50th Law

    50 Cent, Robert Greene · Discussed 1 episode

    On an episode of My First Million titled The 6 Traits Of A Successful Entrepreneur (#431), the speaker discussed The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert Greene. The speaker noted that Robert Greene wrote the book about 50 Cent as a less popular follow-up to The 48 Laws of Power, connecting the work to a broader discussion on the theme of urgency.

    Discussed
    “Robert Greene he wrote that book 40 Laws of Power he has another book that was way less popular called the 50th law and it's really weird because he wrote it about 50 Cent and it's actually a great book”
    Where to get it

Host picks

Guest picks

Guests who recommended books

Latest mentions

Discussed The Game
“Do you know what I'm talking about? The Game, by Neil Strauss?”
Discussed Atlas Shrugged
“I appreciate you're saying that. It's a weird again, I have a weird relationship with my ego on this, but I think back to like my days in college and I was reading my favorite book, which is Atlas Shrugged. And my my favorite character in Atlas Shrugged is this guy Hank Rearen, uh, who is this sort of combination”
Recommended A Random Walk Down Wall Street
“Sean you should read Ed Thorp's biography one of the best biographies I've ever read adding it to the list a man for market.”
Recommended Don't Tell Me I Can't
“The second person on my list is uh is it's a book by called um Don't Tell Me I Can't by Cole Summers. It's the most underrated business book in the world in my opinion.”
Discussed An Immense World
“It was called like the five senses or what's the the the animal? It's called an immense world. An immense world. You have heard me give this spiel so many times”
Discussed The White Paper
“And then about a year later, I get an email from Philip saying, "Is this you? Did you do this?" And it's the Bitcoin paper.”
Speaker From making $6/week selling worms to making $110M+ 2025-04-15
Discussed Steal like an artist
“You didn't even know it was the guy's last name. I know the book cover. What's Isn't it like a what's it called? Great artist steal. Yeah.”
Discussed Cixin Liu Three Body Problem Collection 3 Books Set (Hard Cover)
“three body problem that's like one of the one of the ideas I hav't I haven't actually read it now It's like on my kind of to-do to read list”
Discussed The Game Design Reader
“I'm talking about pre-reading the book the game once I read the book the game then it was uh hey you got to you guys got to settle an argument here and I just literally ripped the line from the book”
Discussed The Great CEO Within: The Tactical Guide to Company Building
“I'm reading this great book right now called the Great CEO within I also keep it on my desk as a reminder and it helps me lead”
Discussed Twilight
“two of the biggest books in the last like 25 years started as fan fiction so uh Twilight started as fan fiction and then the whole Vampire series and then 50 Shades of Gray started as a fan fiction of Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray became that”
Discussed Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition)
“and they had a thing where they were like at Pixar they have a book called creativity Inc I creativity Inc yeah and he said it's not people think oh we just come up with the best ideas right away he goes no he goes the creative process is taking something that sucks and removing suck”
Discussed The intelligent investor
“Have you guys have you ever heard the Warren Buffett cloning story no so Warren Buffett when he was young he wanted to learn investing right so he goes to the guy who wrote the book on investing Benjamin Graham and he's like uh Mr Graham I wanna I'm I'm Warren Buffett I'm a big fan of your work I”
Discussed Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
“Michael Lewis is an amazing author wrote about ftxs um downfall”
Discussed The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
“we talked about mark manson and uh how he's got this amazing empire on this book called the subtle art of not giving it an f i'll say f there and how it started just as a blog post and turned into this amazing business that's making tens of millions of dollars for for for him”
Discussed The 4-Hour Work Week
“But I told him the honest answer: what Tim Ferriss does is awesome. It seems like he gets to wake up, be curious, run experiments, learn, and share cool insights with millions of people.”
Discussed Give and Take
“and you know we we talked about this Adam Grant uh wrote this wonderful book give and take right”
Discussed The Wolf of Wall Street
“I'm in Wall Street right now, I'm on the stock market floor shaking my money, saying take my money because I'm buying a stock. I don't think the Wolf of Wall Street used Robinhood, but that's okay.”
Discussed Brothers Emanuel
“There's a book that I read years ago called, 'Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family.' Ari Emanuel is probably a billionaire.”
Discussed Atomic Habits
“it's like did you read atomic habits”

Episodes

EpisodeDateBooks
“I’m moving 75% of my investments outside the US” - Scott Galloway’s Warning2025-05-161
Meet the Man Who Made $200M+ By Copying Warren Buffett2025-05-090
How I Got $5 Billion In Preorders For A Supersonic Jet Company2025-05-071
The Most Valuable Skill For Any Founder2025-05-052
5 under-the-radar trends (+ our business ideas)2025-04-241
From making $6/week selling worms to making $110M+2025-04-151
Are tariffs good or bad for founders?2025-04-111
I Built A $1B Company... Here's 7 Business Ideas I Would Start This Year2025-03-271
This guy sold 3 YouTube Channels to Blackstone for $3B2025-03-252
This Is The Most Exciting Drama in HR SaaS History | Rippling vs. Deel2025-03-212
How I make $20M/year as a 17 year old2025-03-171
2 Trends Hidden in Plain Sight (+ $1M ideas)2025-03-141
MrBeast Isn’t Cute. Here’s His Brutal Business Lessons.2025-02-132
Just found out my neighbor’s business sold for $450M2025-01-142
56 Minutes of Money Wisdom for High-Earning Couples2025-01-061
This Guy Copy-Pasted Warren Buffet’s Strategy (And Became A Billionaire)2024-05-171
I Tried Outsmarting Nancy Pelosi's Investment Strategy2024-02-282
Decoding The Extreme Personalities of The Top 1% (Savage Mindset)2024-02-261
How I Went From Intern To CEO In 6 Months (My First Startup Gig)2024-02-051
How This +$80M Founder Launches A Startup In A Weekend2024-02-021
Everything I Learned From 48 Hours With MrBeast (The +$1B Mindset)2024-01-101
How Ali Abdaal Made 2 Million Dollars In One Week (#530)2023-12-131
3 Business Ideas You Should Start in 2024 (ft. Pomp) (#524)2023-11-291
My $100M Mistake + 6 Company Exit F**k Ups To Avoid2023-11-241
How I’ve Sold $1 Billion In Products Online (A Marketing Masterclass w/ Craig Clemens)2023-10-312
Mark Manson: Money, Dating, & The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck2023-08-293
How This Big Wave Surfer Built A +$10 Million Business Empire (#483)2023-08-091
How Rob Dyrdek Went From $15M to $350M in 5 Years (#465)2023-06-151
The Viral Marketing Strategy Behind Andrew Tate’s Rise To Fame (#463)2023-06-081
Why Podcasting Is The Most Underrated Business Model (#448)2023-04-271
Brendan Schaub: From UFC Fighter To Selling Out Comedy Shows (#442)2023-04-131
The 6 Traits Of A Successful Entrepreneur (#431)2023-03-161
How Nick Huber Built A $100M Self Storage Empire (#420)2023-02-161
How To Make $25 Million With A Niche Hobbyist Magazine (#419)2023-02-142
How To Grow A Small Agency Into A Billion Dollar Company (#414)2023-02-021
How To Grow A $75M Newsletter Business | Morning Brew Co-Founder (#398)2022-12-201
Start Planning Your 2023 Goals TODAY | Goal Setting 101 (#391)2022-12-011
The 5 Levels Of Building Wealth | How To Climb The Ladder (#389)2022-11-245
Ranking The Best And Worst Businesses To Start w/ Billionaire Investor Andrew Wilkinson (#386)2022-11-172
8 Profitable Side Hustles For The Halloween & Christmas Season (#381)2022-11-011
5 Business Ideas With High Demand & Low Supply | Start These In 2022 (#374)2022-10-131
This Guy Went From $0 to Billionaire By Starting A Toy Factory In China (#372)2022-10-111
Ryan Holiday Reveals How Much Best Selling Authors Make, Crazy Peter Thiel Stories & More2022-10-0411
Controversial Business Lessons From Napoleon, Edison & Hitler2022-09-303
How Roger Federer Became The First Tennis Billionaire (#367)2022-09-271
Robot Businesses That Will Take Over The Fast Food Industry And Showmanship2022-09-081
How To Make Millions By Pitching TV Shows To Netflix, Hulu And Apple (#358)2022-09-061
We Hosted A "Shark Tank" For Tech Startups | My First Million Demo Day2022-08-311
This Guy Is Making $100M/Year Selling Quilts To Your Grandma (#354)2022-08-291
#182 - How an Astrology App Makes $10m+, Why a Boxing Announcer is Worth $400m & Creating a Personal Monopoly2021-05-144
#168 - How to Reverse Engineer Businesses, The Indonesian King of Coal & the Story of Adida‪s‬2021-04-071
NEW Haircut At Home Business: Book A Barber Virtually Right Now | My First Million 05/20/20202020-06-031
My First Million Full Podcast - 03/26/20202020-04-131
Nicotine Gum, Dating Apps for the Elderly & Vested Shares Tax | My First Million Podcast 03-03-20202020-03-122
My First Million - 05/05/20202020-03-083
My First Million featuring Stu Iverson - February 26, 20202020-02-267
Startup Dojo, HQ Trivia & Life Advice | My First Million Podcast 02-20-20202020-02-201
2.13.2020 My First Million ft. Furqan Rydhan2020-02-141