Book Review: 'FOUNDERS' Jimmy Soni
It is a quiet saturday morning and I am enjoying the warmth and comfort of a cup of coffee while I write this letter to you about my experience reading the book ‘FOUNDERS’ By Jimmy Soni
Here are some of my highlights
On Asking the Right Questions
"Framing the right questions was as important as divining the answers." Elon Musk once said, "A lot of times, the question is harder than the answer, and if you can properly phrase the question, then the answer is the easy part."
The quality of the questions we ask determines the quality of the answers we receive—and, ultimately, the quality of our lives.
Your brain is an answering machine. You are a goal-seeking being. Whatever questions you plant in your mind, it will work to find the answers and challenge you to come you with new capabilities, abilities, skills and relationships
Instead of asking, "How can I achieve my 2025 sales goals?" ask, "How can I achieve my one-year goal in six months?"
This will inspire you to:
Raise your prices
Add a new product offering
Increase your follow up
This forces your brain into a different mode—one that actively seeks solutions and accelerates progress.
On the Power of a Brand
"DePaolis and Weinstein turned down bids to sell the URL, underwhelmed by the various offer terms. In early 1999, they received fresh interest. 'Under the looming shadow of Y2K, we were approached by Elon Musk,' they said. This time, the deal terms proved more interesting. They sold X.com to Musk in exchange for cash and 1.5 million shares of the company's Series A stock."
Elon Musk bought the domain X.com in 1999. In June 2023, he bought Twitter and rebranded it to X.com. Today, the market capitalization of X (formerly Twitter) is $12 billion. Not bad for a $1.5 million investment.
The lesson? Trust your instincts. Don't hesitate to invest in your business. The upside is often far greater than the downside.
Get a better mic.
Get a better camera.
Invest in my 5-day sales challenge.
5-day make sales challenge webinar
On What a Company Is
Elon Musk’s definition of a company is simple: "Am I doing something useful for other people? Because that's what a company is supposed to do."
Too much precision in early plans stifles this purpose. When you frame your business around the question, "Does it make a customer’s life better?" everything changes—your approach, your marketing, and your commitment to improving your product.
100 Failed Sales Presentations
During what Peter Thiel called "an excruciating process," his team pitched over a hundred times—only to be rejected, again and again.
Can you relate? The discouragement of a client turning you down after a sales presentation? Many people get rejected once or twice and decide never to pitch again. But Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, was rejected 100 times. He kept going. And that’s why he won.
Rejection isn’t failure—it’s data. Every no refines your pitch for the next presentation.
GT Bank PLC was the first bank that I did training for but I had to follow up on them for 1 year to get the job.
On Hiring
"The dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 to one or even a hundred to one. Given this, it is advisable to build a team that pursues A-plus players." — Steve Jobs
Max Levchin maintained an unyielding standard for talent, even if it slowed down hiring. Engineer Santosh Janardhan recalled him saying, "As hire As. Bs hire Cs. The first B you hire takes the whole company down."
The lesson is clear: Spend money to recruit the best. The returns far exceed the salaries you’ll pay them. A high-caliber team will save you time, money, and stress.
I have run my whatsapp subscription business for 5 years. But two years ago i got a community manage and split revenue with her that single move 10x the effective running of my subscription business.
By the way running a community is very profitable you can join mine and study it then start yours. I community paid my rent in the UK consistently before I bought my property in the UK
On the Power of Words
In August 1999, Sequoia Capital invested $5 million in X.com, buying shares from Musk and placing Mike Moritz on the company’s board.
At the time, X.com had no product. Barely any staff.
Why did a top venture capital firm make such a bet? Because they weren’t investing in the company—they were investing in Musk’s drive, enthusiasm, and salesmanship.
People buy salespeople before they buy products.
Sales is the transfer of energy from the seller to the buyer. If your product moves you, it will move them.
On The Power Of Reading
“Musk's home one day, Payne walked into the bedroom. "The room was literally filled with books-biographies or stories about business luminaries and how they succeeded," Payne said, "In fact, I remember sitting there and at the top of this stack was a book about Richard Branson. It kind of clicked to me that Elon was prepping himself and studying to be a famous entrepreneur. He had some superordinate goal that was driving him."
This is the reason why I read 35 books a year because books are truly the cheat codes to business and life success.
There will obviously be a part two because the book is a 400 page book.
It will be interesting to see your emails about your favorite part of the book.
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