Audible – Page 3 – Marlo Yonocruz

Book notes: Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang

Rejection Proof book summary by Marlo Yonocruz

Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection by Jia Jiang

Synopsis:

“Jia Jiang came to the United States with the dream of being the next Bill Gates. Despite early success in the corporate world, his first attempt to pursue his entrepreneurial dream ended in rejection. Jia was crushed and spiraled into a period of deep self-doubt. But he realized that his fear of rejection was a bigger obstacle than any single rejection would ever be, and he needed to find a way to cope with being told no without letting it destroy him. Thus was born his “100 days of rejection” experiment, during which he willfully sought rejection on a daily basis.

Jia learned that even the most preposterous wish may be granted if you ask in the right way, and here he shares the secret of successful asking, how to pick targets, and how to tell when an initial no can be converted into something positive. But more important, he learned techniques for steeling himself against rejection and ways to develop his own confidence – a plan that can’t be derailed by a single setback.

Filled with great stories and valuable insight, Rejection Proof is a fun and thoughtful examination of how to overcome fear and dare to live more boldly.” -Amazon

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Book notes: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia book summary by Marlo Yonocruz

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

Synopsis:

“The astonishing and riveting tale of a man’s journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon, it steals its shape from the business self-help books devoured by ambitious youths all over “rising Asia”. It follows its nameless hero to the sprawling metropolis where he begins to amass an empire built on that most fluid, and increasingly scarce, of goods: water. Yet his heart remains set on something else, on the pretty girl whose star rises along with his, their paths crossing and recrossing, a lifelong affair sparked and snuffed and sparked again by the forces that careen their fates along.

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hope it depicts. And it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change.” -Amazon

~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or become a recurring donor as a YBC Scholar! 📖 🎓

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. 😊

Opening thoughts:

Another Tim Ferriss recommendation. Apparently, this book is supposed to have a unique twist to conventional self-help books in that it tells the fictional story in the first person. I believe I heard him reference this book twice in his podcasts so I decided to put it on my list. I chose it for my February list just to add to the variety of my reading this month.

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Book notes: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success by Matthew Paulson

40 Rules for Internet Business Success book summary by Marlo Yonocruz

40 Rules for Internet Business Success by Matthew Paulson

Synopsis: “Matthew Paulson, Founder of Analyst Ratings Network, Lightning Releases, and GoGo Photo Contest, has weathered the failures and triumphs of being an entrepreneur for nearly a decade. 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is his collection of core principles and strategies he used to grow his business.

By listening to this audiobook, you will learn to:

Throw away your business plan! Create a scalable business model that actually works.
Identify a target market that is desperate for your company’s products and services.
Launch your first product or service faster by building a minimum viable business.
Create a reliable and repeatable marketing strategy to keep new customers coming.
Build systems that make your business run like a well-oiled machine.
Maximize your company’s earnings potential with the three keys of revenue growth.” -Amazon

Opening thoughts: I’ve been meaning to pick up a book pertaining to online marketing or business for a while. I stumbled upon this while browsing similar books on online business. It had good reviews and seemed like a solid book with hard tactics so I was sold. I think one of the best venues to start a side project to create additional income streams would be an online, mobile business. I’m sure I would learn some solid nuggets from this one.

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Book notes: The Tao of Seneca by Seneca

Tao of Seneca book summary by Marlo Yonocruz

The Tao of Seneca, by Seneca presented by Tim Ferriss Audio

Synopsis: “The Tao of Seneca (volumes 1-3) is an introduction to Stoic philosophy through the words of Seneca. If you study Seneca, you’ll be in good company. He was popular with the educated elite of the Greco-Roman Empire, but Thomas Jefferson also had Seneca on his bedside table. Thought leaders in Silicon Valley tout the benefits of Stoicism, and NFL management, coaches, and players alike – from teams such as the Patriots and Seahawks – have embraced it because the principles make them better competitors. Stoicism is a no-nonsense philosophical system designed to produce dramatic real-world effects. Think of it as an ideal operating system for thriving in high-stress environments. This is your guide.” -Amazon

Opening thoughts: Recommended by Tim Ferriss on several occasions. How could I say no? This installment has been on my Audible wish list for a while now, so it was only a matter of time. Going in, I had no idea what Stoicism was. However, based on what Tim says, it’s an effective framework by which to operate in your daily life. Also per Tim’s recommendation, I would listen to these letters separately and reflect on each one. I would listen to one letter each time I got into my car and commuted to work, so I listened to two letters per day.

Key ideas/notes:

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Book notes: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Awaken the Giant Within book summary by Marlo Yonocruz

Awaken the Giant Within (abridged) by Anthony Robbins

Synopsis: “Anthony Robbins already has unlocked the personal power inside millions of people worldwide. Now in this revolutionary new audio production based on his enormously popular Date with Destiny™ seminars, Robbins unleashes the sleeping giant that lies within all of us — teaching us to harness our untapped abilities, talents and skills.

The ultimate program for improving the quality of every aspect of your life — personal or business, physical or emotional — Awaken the Giant Within gives you the tools you need to immediately become master of your own fate.” -Amazon

Opening thoughts: Tony Robbins always delivers. I’ve had this book on my list for awhile now, but kept putting it off because I don’t like reading the abridged version of anything. I figured that based on the reviews, I’m sure it would deliver value and cover some of the main points of the full version. At the same time, I felt I needed something short to offset Open, which was 18 hours long.

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Book notes: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

The Hard Thing About Hard Things book summary by Marlo Yonocruz

The Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Synopsis: Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup – practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.

While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Ben Horowitz analyzes the problems that confront leaders every day, sharing the insights he’s gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies. A lifelong rap fanatic, he amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs, telling it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.

Filled with his trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from Horowitz’s personal and often humbling experiences.

Opening thoughts:

Again, I found this book through listening to Tim Ferriss’s podcast when he interviewed Mark Andreessen and this book came up. The reviews looked good and so far all of the books I’ve read from the podcast were great. It definitely had a weird title, but I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

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Book notes: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

The Checklist Manifesto book summary by Marlo Yonocruz

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

Synopsis: We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to master the tasks they face. Longer training, ever more advanced technologies‚ and neither seems to prevent grievous errors. But in a hopeful turn, acclaimed surgeon and writer Atul Gawande finds a remedy in the humblest and simplest of techniques: the checklist. Even in the immensely complex world of surgery, a simple ninety-second variant has cut the rate of fatalities by more than a third.

In riveting stories, Gawande explains how checklists actually work to prompt striking and immediate improvements. And he follows the checklist revolution into fields well beyond medicine, from homeland security to investment banking, skyscraper construction, and businesses of all kinds.

Initial thoughts:

I put this book on my Audible wish-list primarily because I heard Ramit Sethi, author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, recommend the book on a podcast with Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Workweek. I follow and look up to both of them, so it was one of those easy decisions to read.

While the title and main idea seems pretty straightforward, I figured if these two authors recommended it, I knew it would have more nuggets than its face value.

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Book notes: Alibaba’s World by Porter Erisman

Alibaba’s World by Porter Erisman

Synopsis: In September 2014, a Chinese company that most Americans had never heard of held the largest IPO in history – bigger than Google, Facebook, and Twitter combined. Alibaba, now the world’s largest ecommerce company, mostly escaped Western notice for over 10 years, while building a customer base larger than Amazon’s and handling the bulk of ecommerce transactions in China. How did it happen? And what was it like to be along for such a revolutionary ride?

In Alibaba’s World, author Porter Erisman, one of Alibaba’s first Western employees and its head of international marketing from 2000 to 2008, shows how Jack Ma, a Chinese schoolteacher who twice failed his college entrance exams, rose from obscurity to found Alibaba and lead it from struggling startup to the world’s most dominant ecommerce player. And he analyzes Alibaba’s role as a harbinger of the new global business landscape – with its focus on the East rather than the West, emerging markets over developed ones, and the nimble entrepreneur over the industry titan. As we face this near future, the story of Alibaba – and its inevitable descendants – is both essential and instructive.

Initial thoughts:

Just like when I purchased The Automatic Customer during the Audible BOGO sale, this was the only other book in the list that caught my eye. I was largely ignorant to what Alibaba was exactly, but I knew its founder Jack Ma was one of the wealthiest men on the planet and had a reputation for being a business Titan.

I figured this would be a great opportunity to educate myself on one of the most influential companies in history. I figured I would learn a lot just like when I read Age of Amazon, the story of Jeff Bezos and his company.

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