"How to get rich without getting lucky"

Imagine waking up every morning with a net worth bigger than Kanye’s ego and a business empire that makes the Roman Empire look like a lemonade stand. That's the power of owning equity.

Welcome to the no-nonsense newsletter that delivers practical insights and proven tactics to build real wealth and live life on your terms — all in 5 minutes.

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👇 Today’s Briefing

• Insight: Naval’s 3 Steps to “Escape the Rat Race” 🪤

• Story: Oprah, How Equity Fuels Media Empires 🎤

• Action: Start a “Scratch Your Own Itch” Business 💼

INSIGHTS

Naval’s 3 Steps to “Escape the Rat Race” 🪤

👉 INSIGHT: Own equity, embrace accountability, and compound success.

Naval Ravikant's tweet storm, "How to Get Rich (Without Getting Lucky)," is a treasure trove of wisdom packed with truth bombs, such as…

1. “You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity — a piece of the business — to gain your financial freedom.”

2. “Play iterated games. All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.”

3. “Embrace accountability, and take business risks under your own name. Society will reward you with responsibility, equity, and leverage.”

F******k, right? So good. In order words, stop trading your precious time for a measly paycheck and start grabbing equity under your own name.

THE STORY

Oprah: How Equity Fuels Media Empires 🎤

It's 1986, and Oprah's got a vision that's about to turn the world of daytime TV on its head. But there's a few problems standing in her way:

• She’s a black woman in a predominantly white, male industry

• She’s got major competitors: Sally Jessy Raphael and Geraldo Rivera

• Her manager's about as useful as a condom in a convent

Does she wait for the times to change? Does she give up and let her competitors win? Does she rely on her manager for help?

No! Oprah refuses to be a passive bystander in her own life and career. She recognizes that the world may not change fast enough to suit her ambitions, and that relying on others to pave the way for her success is a recipe for disappointment.

Instead, she takes matters into her own hands and decides to forge her own path. She founds Harpo Productions, a company that would become the golden goose laying diamond-encrusted eggs for her empire.

By owning Harpo, Oprah had the industry by the short and curlies. She could greenlight projects, hire the talent she believed in, and shape the direction of her shows without having to answer to any suit-wearing, cigar-chomping network execs.

Then came The Oprah Winfrey Show, a 25-year juggernaut that dominated the daytime ratings. It was the Super Bowl of sob stories and "a-ha" moments, with Oprah as the queen of the confessional (“There’s no such thing as an embarrassing moment.”)

Owning the rights to her show was like having a license to print money. Syndication deals and advertising revenue poured in faster than a frat boy's beer bong, making Oprah richer than a Saudi prince.

But Oprah no-last-name-needed didn't stop there. She expanded Harpo Productions to encompass a wide range of media ventures, including…

• Harpo Films (The Great Debaters)

• Harpo Studios (Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Rachel Ray)

• O (The Oprah Magazine)

• OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network)

• Oprah.com (all types of digital content)

By diversifying her business interests and maintaining ownership stakes, she continued to build her wealth and cement her status as one of the most influential and successful media moguls in the world.

Moreover, owning equity allowed Oprah to have a greater say in the direction and growth of her company, ensuring that it remained true to her values and vision, like a compass that always points to "filthy rich."

Oprah (net worth $3 billion) paid it forward by giving this same advice to film mogul Tyler Perry (net worth $1.4 billion) who then shared it with comedian Kevin Hart (net worth $450 million).

Key takeaway: If you want to swim in a pool of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, take a page from Oprah's playbook and own that equity like your life depends on it (watch her full interview here).

TAKE ACTION

Start a “Scratch Your Own Itch” Business 💼

We can’t all start our own television network, but you can start a business that scratches your own itch. Here’s how, straight from The 4-Hour Work Week.

1. Review your debit/credit card statements for the past 6 months.

2. Identify the top 3-5 categories where you spend the most money.

3. Brainstorm products or services that address similar needs.

4. Develop a plan to test your idea on a small scale.

By looking at where you hemorrhage cash like a drunken sailor on shore leave, you can gain insights into consumer behavior and spot areas where there may be demand for new products or services. Boom, 100% equity.

Memes of the Week 🤣 

Bite-Sized Reads 📚

[Read] Naval Ravikant: “Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games.”

[Read] Oprah: “One of the hardest things in life to learn is which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.”

[Watch] Oprah: “I wouldn't have been as comfortable with myself if I hadn't made mistakes”

[Watch] Oprah on career, life, and leadership

[Watch] Tyler Perry: “I’m not selling anything - I’m owning everything.”

[Read] Tim Ferriss: “Look at your credit card statement and identify where you spend the most money. Create a product that addresses those needs."

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Publisher: Jordan Belfort

Editors in Chief: Brock Swinson and Davis Richardson

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly for educational purposes and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.