Thread by @SystemSunday

If you want to give yourself a personal MBA (in 6 months), read these books:

Hi, I’m Ben.

I received an MBA from Cornell.

I’ve also read 300+ business books.

Trust me: You can get 90% of the knowledge from reading books

(and without spending $150k).

So, I put together a 6-month personal MBA for you...

The 6-month curriculum is 12 books

(you’ll read 2 books every month).

Subjects:

Strategy
Entrepreneurship
Accounting/Finance
Personal Finance
Marketing
Operations
Systems Thinking
Public Speaking
Negotiation
Networking
Leadership
Productivity/Effectiveness

Here we go...

Zero to One
by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

Subject: Strategy

Lessons:
• Escape competition
• Contrarian approaches create value
• Go from “0 to 1,” not “from 1 to n”

The Lean Startup
by Eric Ries

Subject: Entrepreneurship

Lessons:
• Build minimum viable products
• When in doubt, simplify
• Win by getting feedback + learning fast

Financial Intelligence
by Karen Berman, Joe Knight, John Case

Subject: Accounting/Finance

Lessons:
• Learn to read financial statements
(​​Income, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow)
• Fund projects based on expected ROI

I Will Teach You to Be Rich
by Ramit Sethi

Subject: Personal Finance

Lessons:
• Get clear about your ‘Rich Life’
• Save and invest money before you ever see it
• Create an automated money system

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
by Al Ries

Subject: Marketing

Lessons:
• Perception is reality
• Own a word/category to boost brand
• Follow the 22 law checklist

The Goal
by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Subject: Operations

Lessons:
• Identify and exploit bottlenecks
• Increase net profit + increase ROI + increase cash flow

Thinking in Systems
by Donella Meadows

Subject: Systems Thinking

Lessons:
• To change any system, focus on 12 points of leverage
• Purposes are deduced from behavior, not words
• Create feedback loops

Steal the Show
by Michael Port

Subject: Public Speaking

Lessons:
• Cut out filler words by practicing material
• Use pauses for impact
• Act “as if” to build confidence

Never Split the Difference
by Chris Voss

Subject: Negotiation

Lessons:
• Prepare your best-alternative-option in advance
• Let your counterpart make the first offer
• Be prepared for extremes
• Ask open-ended questions

How to Be a Power Connector
by Judy Robinett

Subject: Networking

Lessons:
• Your network is your net worth
• Choose your environment wisely (find power centers)
• Build depth and diversity in your network
• Follow the 5+50+100 Rule

Teams of Teams
by General Stanley A. McChrystal

Subject: Leadership

Lessons:
• The world is complex and chaotic
• Resiliency and adaptability are crucial to success
• Leaders create more leaders, not followers

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
by Eric Jorgenson

Subject: Productivity and Effectiveness

Lessons:
• Money and happiness are skills
• Productize yourself
• A good reputation is invaluable
• Play long-term iterated games, compound your growth
• And much, much more...

That was a 6-month personal MBA.

All it takes to complete? Read 30 mins/day.

If you enjoyed this thread, please RT the first tweet and follow me @SystemSunday

This account exists to help you:

• Learn systems + mental models
• Become your best self

Cheers,
Ben