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#408 How to Make a Few MORE Billion Dollars: Brad Jacobs

Founders

2025/12/29
Founders

Founders

2025/12/29

Shownote

In 2024 Brad Jacobs wrote the book How to Make a Few Billion Dollars [https://amzn.to/3LbNYUX]. In the book Brad explains how he built 8 separate billion dollar companies and other lessons from his 40+ year career as an elite entrepreneur. In the two years since Brad has made a few MORE billion dollars and so the sequel to his first book is: How to Make a Few MORE Billion Dollars [https://amzn.to/4pbOZKx]. In this episode I share some of Brad's ideas on raising tons of money (Brad has raised over $50 billion), mastering his integration playbook, ideas for organizational integration, org chart design, and how Brad keeps his mind centered and in a positive place to handle the inevitable ups and downs of building great companies. Episode sponsors: ⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://ramp.com] gives you everything you need to control spend, watch your costs, and optimize your financial operations —all on a single platform. Make history's greatest entrepreneurs proud ⁠⁠⁠by going to Ramp and learning how they can help your business control your costs and save time and money.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ramp.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazFhY0RlaUpGbzhBVDBGc3JkcnNsZVRzbmFhZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttS0ZsajNiUXVmbmtqRVlUbjl1WW5KM2VsMUJpUjlyamNBN2ZmYXNudDZnVHgtQ0NzaHJiWXkxM3JPMHFSQXlkcFQzZ1ZSUF9LMFd6T1ZLeWVCc3FYZEx4R05LN285Tk9hNFRCcklfbkE2XzdhVlJ6aw&q=https%3A%2F%2Framp.com%2F&v=2c4LWQpuw9s] Automate compliance, security, and trust with Vanta [https://vanta.com/founders].⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Vanta helps you win trust, close deals, and stay secure—faster and with less effort⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠Find out how increased security leads to more customers by going to Vanta⁠⁠⁠. Tell them David from Founders sent you and you'll get $1000 off. https://vanta.com/founders⁠⁠⁠ [https://vanta.com/founders] Collateral⁠⁠ [https://collateral.com] transforms your complex ideas into compelling narratives. Collateral crafts institutional grade marketing collateral for private equity, private credit, real estate, venture capital, family offices, hedge funds, oil & gas companies, and all kinds of corporations. Storytelling is one of the highest forms of leverage and you should invest heavily in it. You can do that by going to ⁠⁠https://collateral.com [https://collateral.com]

Highlights

Building billion-dollar companies isn't just about capital or strategy—it's deeply tied to mindset, structure, and the ability to stay centered amid chaos. Brad Jacobs, a serial entrepreneur with eight multi-billion dollar ventures under his belt, reveals the mental models and operational frameworks that have powered his decades-long success. This conversation dives into the less visible forces behind scale: how leaders think, organize, and recover from setbacks.
04:56
Work can be a generative source of motivation when you love what you do
09:36
Public companies offer easier capital access, free marketing, and better valuations.
15:02
The best investors offer more than capital—they bring strategic value and discipline.
23:22
An empty seat is less harmful than a poor fit in organizational design.
29:04
Meditation since age 16 helps enter a blissful state and stimulate creativity
34:50
External events don't cause distress—your self-talk does.
40:15
Reframing, DBT, positive psychology, and mindfulness help regain mental focus during stress

Chapters

What Does It Take to Build Eight Billion-Dollar Companies?
00:00
Who Should You Raise Money From—And Why It Matters
07:12
How Do You Integrate Acquisitions Without Losing Momentum?
15:02
Can Your Org Chart Become a Strategic Weapon?
23:22
Is Mental Clarity the Real Edge in Business?
29:04
How Do You Turn Fear Into Rational Action?
34:50
What Tools Bring You Back When Everything’s Spinning?
40:15

Transcript

David Senra: Two years ago, Brad Jacobs wrote a book called How to Make a Few Billion Dollars. I covered it all the way back on episode 335. In the two years since the book has come out, Brad has made a few more billion dollars. So his new book has the app...