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Nov 2, 2021 20 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Sahil Lavingia (@shl) knows a thing or two about building a successful business.

He's the founder and CEO of @gumroad–a company that's loved by creators and does $1+ million in revenue per month.

Here are 15 of my favorite quotes from his book: Image
"Start as soon as you can. Start before you feel ready. Start today." Image
"This is what being a minimalist entrepreneur is all about: making a difference while making a living." Image
"Many winners are just the last ones standing. Don't give up." Image
"You don't learn, then start. You start, then learn." Image
• "Work in Public"
• "Teach Everything You Know"
• "Create Every Day" Image
"If you try to make something for everyone, you will likely end up making something that no one really wants or needs." Image
"To build a successful business, you need to build something people love. To stick with it, you need to build something you love working on." Image
"Every founder, even the most successful ones, knows nothing at the beginning, and learn from there." Image
"Every big idea was small first. If you don't start small, if you can't help people one by one, you will struggle to build a business around your idea." Image
"Your goal is to move away from being paid directly for your time. This is important because your time is far more valuable than your money, and so you should almost always welcome the trade." Image
"Just get going, and keep going. Your failures will fade, while your successes will stick around and compound." Image
"People don't care about companies, they care about other people." Image
"In order to stay alive, you need to make money." Image
"Before you're ready to hire anyone, you first need to make a company people want to work for." Image
"Keep doing what's working, stop or improve the processes that aren't, and always, always, always keep an eye on the numbers and your ears on your customers." Image
Want to learn more about Sahil's book?

Listen to my podcast with him here:

One more lesson:

“Even though social media can be incredibly effective for gaining distribution, you are building on rented land. That's why as soon as you have social media followers, you should start building an email list." Image
PS:

You can join my email list here 😉

(10,000 subscribers and growing!)

alexandbooks.com/newsletter
If you haven’t yet, check out my podcast with @shl (super cool & smart guy)! Image

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More from @AlexAndBooks_

Jan 5
Over the past few years I've listened to 100+ different podcast shows.

Here are 10 of the most valuable podcasts I've found:

(plus a must-listen episode from each one) Image
1) The Game by @AlexHormozi

Alex is one of the greatest marketers and salesmen of our time. He shares tons of advice on growing a business from $0 to $100M and how he's growing his company from $100M to $1+ billion.

A must-listen episode:
2) My First Million by @thesamparr & @ShaanVP

Learn about business and get business ideas from two incredibly smart (and funny) entrepreneurs who have built & sold multi-million dollar businesses.

A must-listen episode:
Read 13 tweets
Dec 31, 2025
I read 80 books in 2025.

Here were my top 10 favorite ones:

(in no particular order) Image
1) "The 5 Types of Wealth" by @SahilBloom

Everyone thinks success means being wealthy. But there are actually 5 types of wealth: time, social, mental, physical, and financial. Read this book to learn about all five and how to achieve them.

amzn.to/3N0e7GL
2) "The Expectation Effect" by @d_a_robson

Think of this book as the science behind visualization or manifestation. In it, the author explains how our beliefs shape our reality. A must-read for anyone interested in psychology, neuroscience, or mindset.

amzn.to/3Yegd8t
Read 13 tweets
Dec 29, 2025
I listened to 300+ podcasts in 2025.

Here were my top 10 favorite ones: Image
1) @naval with @ChrisWillx

This is the highest insight-per-minute podcast I listened to all year. Hearing Naval's harsh truths on success, happiness, and fame will dramatically change your perspective.

2) How Elon Works by @FoundersPodcast

@elonmusk has built 5+ companies that are now worth $1B+. Listen to this podcast to learn how he operates, how he manages his time, his 5-step algorithm for solving problems, and much more.

Read 13 tweets
Dec 26, 2025
10 Highly anticipated books coming out in 2026:

(you'll want to preorder these) Image
1) "Unhinged Habits" by @itscoachgoodman

The best way to get ahead in any area of life is not with slow and incremental progress, but by having a period of unhinged intensity. Everyone should have more unhinged habits in their lives.

Out Jan. 27th, 2026.
amzn.to/4ae552x
2) "Beyond Belief" by @nireyal

Bestselling author Nir Eyal reveals how the hidden assumptions you carry shape what you see, how you feel, and what you do—and how to replace them with beliefs that unlock your true potential.

Out March 10th 2026.
amzn.to/3XRjJp8
Read 13 tweets
Dec 23, 2025
I asked 350,000+ people for the best book they read in 2025.

Here were the 10 most popular answers: Image
1) "Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned" by Kenneth O. O. Stanley & Joel Lehman

amzn.to/4s0FBMw
2) "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle

amzn.to/4oXQb47
Read 12 tweets
Oct 30, 2025
Audible recently released its list of the 25 best audiobooks of the 21st century.

Here are their 25 best books of the past 25 years:

(non-fiction edition) Image
1) "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins

Both memoir and self-improvement guide, the retired Navy SEAL and endurance athlete's book has changed innumerable lives with its message of determination and resilience.

amzn.to/3Lz5phQ
2) "The Only Plane in the Sky"

This Audie Award-winning history is narrated by 45 different voices, crafting an experience that echoes the multitude of people who experienced 9/11 firsthand.

amzn.to/47eOaLo
Read 27 tweets

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