One of the great cheat codes is learning from others who are ahead of you in their journey of business or life.
When I heard Andrew Wilkinson talking about his new book, Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire, I had to give it a read. I didn’t know much about Andrew, but I’ve always enjoyed his point-of-view on podcasts like My First Million and Ali Abdaal.
In the book, Andrew talks about his life growing up in Canada, how he got his start in the web design world, and ultimately how he ended up running a public holding company of digital companies and retailers.
Some key lessons and highlights I gleaned from the book-
- Teflon for tasks. If you want to be a leader, you have to lead, not do. This can be difficult for many people, especially for those who master a craft before elevating to lead teams and companies.
- What’s next. You won’t achieve your GOALS by stopping at your last milestone. Andrew learned this from his father, who challenged him at a very young age to always contemplate the next step as soon as the last step was reached.
- Who, not how. Leading companies requires great people. If you want to scale a business, hire someone who’s done it before.
- Money won’t make you happy, but it doesn’t hurt. Each stage of success brought him more money, more wealth. The objects he acquired- cars, houses, gadgets- all provided fleeting joy.
- Keep swinging. Cat furniture. Skin cream. A pizza restaurant. Many of Andrew’s business ideas failed and cost him money. But building those ideas helped him learn about what success could look like.
- Everyone needs a purpose. This fact haunts most of us, especially as we age or reach our goals. Asking, what’s the point of all of it will ruin happiness.
- Find your match. Andrew credits much of his success to finding a great business partner in Chris Sparling. He hired Chris from a local bank to become the CFO of his fledgling design agency and later become his business partner in all endeavors.
- It’s never enough. Wealthy people are haunted by those that are ahead of them. There’s always someone with a bigger yacht, more mansions, and a newer Lamborghini. The yardstick keeps expanding.
The book is a good story and loaded with specific examples of Andrew’s journey in building Tiny, as well his personal life with family and relationships.
I think the most interesting part of the book lies within the title. Billionaire, or rather the obsession with making money and amassing billions. This theme persists throughout the story. Andrew is obsessed with money and goes so far as to interview other successful people, revealing that they are all deep into the game and will never retire from it. They need the goal and the subsequent acquisitions of houses, boats, cars, and jets that their wealth provides.
Does Andrew face up to his own personal issues with money? He ultimately decides to sign Warren Buffett’s and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge, which requires him to give away all of his money. It’s a good perspective on how money, in and of itself, isn’t the goal, but rather how it can do good in the world.
I would say this book is worth the read for anyone interested in business and entrepreneurship.