How to Make a Few Billion Dollars

By: Brad Jacobs

Narrated by: Brad Jacobs

Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Do you have a burning passion to make a lot of money in business? Are you ready to turbocharge your chances of professional and personal success?

During his more than four decades as a CEO and serial entrepreneur, Brad Jacobs has created seven flagship companies across different industries, delivering tens of billions of dollars of value to shareholders. In How to Make a Few Billion Dollars, Jacobs defines the mindset that drives his remarkable success in corporate America—and distills a lifetime of business brilliance into a tactical road map.

From provocative recommendations for “rearranging your brain”—an essential prerequisite to accomplishing enormous goals—to practical advice for dealing with colleagues, Jacobs will have you rethinking what it means to win big. He explains why it’s critical to spot key trends and capitalize on them, including the biggest trend of all—the rapid evolution of technology relative to human development.

And, he shares his techniques for:

• Turning a healthy fear of failure to your advantage.

• Achieving lots of high-quality M&A without imploding.

• Building an outrageously talented team.

• Catalyzing electric meetings.

• Transforming a company into a superorganism that kills the competition.

How to Make a Few Billion Dollars is an inside look at how this entrepreneurial titan leads with humility, compassion, and accountability, while running hard toward the American Dream. If your personal dream is to create wealth through free markets or to triumph in sports, the arts, politics, philanthropy, or any other part of your life, this book will help you make that a reality.

©2024 Brad Jacobs (P)2024 Greenleaf Book Group

Excellent and Insightful

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the background of Brad Jacob’s’ ventures, along with the deep thought processes Brad utilizes. It’s interesting and meaningful to experience each venture and what went into each. I especially enjoyed learning new ways to approach mindfulness and going ‘all in’ when setting and achieving goals. Excited for future published works from Brad!

Lots of good tips for any entrepreneur

Think big, take care of your team, lead the industry with technology and go all in.

Some great content in here, could use more refinement.

Overall I’m glad I listened to this book. But it’s not a “must read” and it definitely seems like it was a bit thrown together instead of carefully written and polished. If you need a decent book to read, it’s worth giving this a once-through.

Meh

Brad Jacobs is an amazing founder and the title is what drew me in as a startup founder and CEO.

Unfortunately the book is dry and lacks anything groundbreaking or novel.

Good advice and learnings, just not unique, unless you care to hear his belief that gives humans a 50/50 shot of surviving this century vs merging w robots to create a new species.

Billion Dollar Business playbook

It’s an unfair advantage building a business and having resources like this. From m&a, to people, to meetings. Brad shares it all. And it’s pure gold.

Compelling, Vision-Expanding Masterclass on High-Quality M&A

I found How to Make a Few Billion Dollars exceptionally enlightening. The author’s insights are authentic, precise, and delivered in an affirmative, high-level manner. The chapter outline is concise and clear, with short, impactful chapters that make the book easy to digest. The storytelling is exceptionally compelling and visual—I found myself re-listening to expand my own vision and storytelling ability. It’s very well put together, with the added bonus of being read by the author himself. This is a high-quality work that I’ll continue to reference, and I’ve already shared it with my colleagues and team. It’s truly expanded my vision on what it takes to acquire $100 million.

Practical guide on running businesses

I enjoyed this audiobook. It provides practical tips on running different parts of a business and is written in a very accessible way.

I found his take on the post integration process in M&A most insightful, although a bit short. He is the authority on M&A integration having been massively successful with multiple roll ups (even though most roll ups fail because they are so hard to integrate in practice).

The production was decent too. The author could easily have another career as a voice actor.

Finally, just be aware that this is a "how to" book not a biography. The author does sprinkle personal and professional anecdotes which are relevant to his advice but don't expect a biography.

Bold and unique approach to entrepreneurship

I love the simplicity of this story. The author shared his secrets for success and revealed the cause of his success as well. He laid out ideas that anyone can try to replicate. Great read!

electrifying masterclass in entrepreneurship

From the very first page, Brad Jacobs grabs your attention with a straightforward, no-nonsense approach that makes the complex world of billion-dollar businesses surprisingly accessible. His writing is both engaging and practical, breaking down tough concepts into clear, relatable insights. Centered around Jacobs' own journey, the book offers an honest look at both his successes and struggles along the way. What really sets this book apart is Jacobs’ focus on innovation. He doesn’t just give you a playbook for financial success; he pushes you to question the status quo and think outside the box. His stories about shaking up industries and leveraging new technologies are not just motivational but also offer a solid framework for you to innovate in your own ventures. Jacobs doesn’t shy away from discussing the importance of resilience and adaptability. His reflections on tackling setbacks and navigating market changes are powerful reminders that the path to massive success is rarely a straight line. This authenticity adds real value to the book, making it a genuine guide for anyone ready to tackle the challenges of entrepreneurship. Filled with actionable advice and practical strategies—like scaling operations, building a solid team, mastering negotiation, and managing risks—the book is loaded with real-world examples and Jacobs’ personal insights. This makes the principles not just theoretical, but immediately useful. How to Make a Billion Dollars is more than a guide; it’s an inspiring resource. Jacobs’ passion for entrepreneurship is evident, and his ability to convey complex ideas with clarity and enthusiasm makes this book essential reading for anyone serious about achieving big dreams. Whether you’re just starting out or already a seasoned pro, Jacobs’ wisdom will arm you with the tools and mindset needed to turn ambitious goals into reality. How to Make a Billion Dollars is an exceptional read that combines motivational storytelling with actionable business advice. It’s a powerful reminder that with the right strategies, relentless determination, and creative thinking, extraordinary success is definitely within reach.

Repetitive Useless Content

Talking about himself and his accomplishments for 4 + hours. Very repetitive useless Content. Waste of my time.