Business Book Club

Do you know anything about James Couzens or Roy Disney? Probably not. But you know their partners: Henry Ford and Walt Disney.
Walt Disney dreamed up the characters; Roy made the numbers work. Henry Ford revolutionized the car industry; James Couzens implemented the systems to scale it.
This is the core concept of Rocket Fuel: The relationship between a Visionary (the dreamer) and an Integrator (the executor). When this duo works, it is rocket fuel for a business. When it doesn’t, it’s chaos.
Joining me to unpack this is Jodie Imam, Co-founder and CEO of Tractor Ventures. Jodie explains how reading this book saved her working relationship with her co-founder, why they changed their job titles because of it, and how implementing the "Level 10 Meeting" completely transformed their team's culture and performance.
Key Takeaways & Timestamps
00:00 – Introducing Rocket Fuel and the concept of the Visionary/Integrator duo.
02:28 – Know Your Strengths: Why Jodie and her co-founder were stepping on each other's toes until they realized one was a Visionary and one was an Integrator.
04:44 – The Visionary/Integrator Test: How taking the official assessment brought clarity to their roles.
05:59 – Changing Titles: Why Jodie became "CEO" and her co-founder became "Head of Capital" to reflect their actual zones of genius—and why the team applauded the move.
07:43 – Structure Creates Flexibility (The 90-Day Scorecard): How giving every employee a single key metric enabled a 4-day workweek and flexible hours without sacrificing performance.
13:14 – The Level 10 Meeting: The 90-minute weekly meeting agenda that builds trust and solves problems before they hit the P&L.
16:12 – Rating the Meeting: Why every meeting must end with a rating out of 10 (and why you aren't allowed to choose "7").
22:16 – Tractor Ventures: Jodie explains their unique "non-dilutive" funding model for founders who want to build "tractors," not just "rockets."
Get the book here
📚 Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman & Mark C. Winters
Mentioned in the episode
Tractor Ventures: Jodie’s alternative funding firm for founders.
Visionary/Integrator Assessment: The official test mentioned in the book.
EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System): The broader system Rocket Fuel is part of.

Jodie Imam, Co-Founder & CEO of Tractor Ventures
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Unlike most business books, How to Get Rich doesn't sugarcoat the sacrifices, the ego, or the sheer obsession required to build wealth.
The late Felix Dennis—founder of Maxim magazine was one of Britain's richest self-made men. As he wrote How to Get Rich, he sat on a goldmine of hard-won lessons. He explains how wealth is really made and why most people will never do what it takes.
Joining me to unpack this unfiltered playbook is Alex Bodini, CEO and co-founder of Spin Group. Alex has built a global social media agency of 80+ people while launching multiple ventures like Acid Running and Janji Europe. For Alex, it’s never been about perfection but about momentum, learning, and loving the ride.
Key Takeaways & Timestamps
00:00 – Introducing How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis.
02:40 – Don't Listen to Jeremiahs: Why "wantrepreneurs" project their fears onto you.
06:40 – The Information Diet
09:23 – "Overhead Walks on Two Legs”: The dangerous trap of hiring too fast and buying fancy offices.
12:28 – Rules of Thumb: The "7% Rule”.
13:56 – Diversify Your Baskets (After Success):
15:21 – The Regret Minimization Framework: How to make decisions today that your 80-year-old self will thank you for.
Get the book here
📚How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis
Mentioned in the episode
Spin Group: Alex’s Social Media Agency
Acid Running: One of Alex’s side ventures
Janji Europe: Another venture in Alex’s portfolio

Alex Bodini, Co-Founder of Spin Group
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If there is a Bible for Silicon Valley CEOs, it is High Output Management by Andy Grove.
Though this isn't just a book—it is the operating system that helped Intel scale to become the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer. It is the framework used by leaders at Apple, Facebook, and Google. But does a book written about a chip manufacturer in the 80s actually apply to modern creative businesses?
To find out, I’m sitting down with my co-founder at Fascinate Productions, Rich Willan. Rich is obsessive about systems. He turned our creative workflows into a well-oiled machine, and he credits this book with changing how he leads.
Key Takeaways & Timestamps
00:00 – Introducing High Output Management by Andy Grove.
01:48 – The Breakfast Factory: Why everything—even creative work—is a process.
05:39 – The "Podcast OS": Rich reveals the system he built to produce the Zoe Science & Nutrition show
10:05 – Systemizing Personal Life: How Rich uses SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to book holidays and avoid "desert madness."
11:32 – Task Relevant Maturity (TRM): The definitive guide on when to micromanage vs. when to delegate.
16:56 – Leverage: How to distinguish between $10 tasks and $10,000 tasks.
18:19 – Negative Leverage: Why being late to a meeting destroys more value than you think.
19:37 – The Calendar Audit: Andy Grove’s method for color-coding your schedule to maximize output.

Get the book here
📚 High Output Management by Andy Grove
Mentioned in the episode
Tim Ferriss & Tobias Lütke Podcast: The episode where Rich first discovered the book.
Zoe Science & Nutrition: The podcast Rich produces using his "Podcast OS."

Guest Info
Rich Willan, Co-Founder of Fascinate Productions
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Joe Dispenza is a New York Times bestseller known for bridging the gap between neuroscience, epigenetics, and human potential. He challenges the idea that we are hardwired to be a certain way for the rest of our lives.
In this episode, Annika Lundström, former Youth Olympian and founder of the medtech startup Reminded, explains how she used the principles of this book to transition from high-level sports to the high-stakes world of startups. She breaks down the science of "neuroplasticity" and why your internal dialogue is actually the architect of your business outcomes.
Key Takeaways & Timestamps
00:00 Introducing Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza.
02:14 Neuroplasticity 101: "To change your life, change your brain." Annika explains how to utilize awareness to rewire your mind.
03:20 Auditing your Inner Dialogue: Why the most important conversation you have is the one with yourself.
06:51 The "Future Anxiety" Trap: Sam shares a story about rugby legend Johnny Wilkinson to illustrate how high-performers struggle to live in the moment.
09:44 The 15,000 Euro Pitch: How Annika used "presence" to win the Google Pitching Competition in Helsinki.
11:02 Radical Responsibility: "Your thoughts are the architects of your destiny." Why you must stop blaming external circumstances for startup setbacks.
13:02 Pivoting based on feedback: How to detach your ego from your idea during fundraising.
16:46 Reminded: Annika’s mission to revolutionize stress hormone detection.
Get the book here
📚Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
Mentioned in the episode
Reminded -Annika’s MedTech startup.
The "Future Anxiety" Case Study: Jonny Wilkinson’s Mental Health Journey
The Power of Obsession: Mr. Beast on the Joe Rogan Experience

Guest Info
Annika Lundström, Founder of Reminded

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Kim Scott is a heavyweight in the tech world, having coached CEOs at companies like Dropbox and Twitter and led teams at Google and Apple University.
In this episode, Ramsey Marwan, co-founder of MG Relations, unpacks how Radical Candor became a turning point in his career. He explains why "ruinous empathy" is the most dangerous trap for nice founders and why the best managers are the ones willing to have the conversations that sting in the moment but help in the long run.
Key Takeaways & Timestamps
00:00 Introducing Radical Candor by Kim Scott.
01:54 To scale, you must let go: Why jumping in to "fix" things yourself destroys trust and prevents your team from growing.
06:44 Don't just keep it professional, actually care: You cannot run a team without trust. Treat your employees like human beings, not robots or resources.
11:15 Mastering Silence: Why you need to "shut up" during one-on-ones to let the real issues surface.
15:40 – The Trap of Ruinous Empathy: Ramsey breaks down the famous 4-quadrant diagram (Caring Personally vs. Challenging Directly) and explains why being "nice" can actually hurt your team's reputation.
16:03 The 4 Quadrants Defined: Understanding the difference between Radical Candor, Obnoxious Aggression, Manipulative Insincerity, and Ruinous Empathy.
17:14 The "Zipper" Analogy: A simple way to understand how to apply the quadrants in real life.
22:00 Real-World Application: Ramsey shares a story of confronting a colleague who spoke poorly of a team member in a meeting.
Get the book here
📚Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Mentioned in the episode
The Radical Candor Matrix: The 4-quadrant framework (Care Personally + Challenge Directly)
FX Digital (Ramsey’s previous startup)

Guest Info
Ramsey Marwan, Co-Founder of MG Relations

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