Business Book Review: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a unique blend of pragmatism and philosophy. It will have you rethinking some of your most basic daily actions.
My Rating: ★★★★
Length: 287 pages
Publisher: Bookbaby
Released: 2020
Key Takeaway for Personal Branding
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant was created by Eric Jorgensen as a public service. Digital versions of this book are available for free.
From interviews to tweets, the book is a careful curation of Ravikant’s revered words of wisdom. Ravikant has long been admired as a Silicon Valley and entrepreneurial icon.
He was an early investor in companies like Uber and Twitter. But, it’s his philosophies for wealth and happiness that have gained him a global audience.
Specific Knowledge
Ravikant discussed the importance of ‘specific knowledge’. He describes this as the knowledge you can’t be trained for. Because if society can train someone else in it, it can replace you. Like in personal branding, it's expertise only your unique interests can create.
Creating Leverage
The concept of leverage shared by Ravikant is often a key takeout for many. Ravikant posits the world is no longer about rich and poor nor blue collar versus white. But, rather leverage versus un-leveraged. Reflecting many principles in personal branding.
You are waiting for your moment when something emerges in the world, they need a skill set, and you’re uniquely qualified. You build your brand in the meantime on Twitter, on YouTube, and by giving away free work. You make a name for yourself, and you take some risk in the process. When it is time to move on the opportunity, you can do so with leverage—the maximum leverage possible.
His life formulas include:
Accountability = Personal branding + Personal Platform + Taking Risk
Favourite Quotes
All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.
Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep… If you can’t code, write books and blogs, record videos and podcasts.
Become the best in the world at what you do. Keep redefining what you do until this is true.
Wealth is assets that earn while you sleep. Wealth is the factory, the robots, cranking out things. Wealth is the computer program that’s running at night, serving other customers.
If you are fundamentally building and marketing something that is an extension of who you are, no one can compete with you on that.
Forget rich versus poor, white-collar versus blue. It’s now leveraged versus un-leveraged.
The genuine love for reading itself, when cultivated, is a superpower.
Jorgenson has so clearly painstakingly curated this book in the service of others. It is the gift that for you, will only keep giving.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson: Available on Amazon.
