
The Startup Ideas Podcast
I Met Charlie Munger and Discovered How Billionaires Really Think
Mon, 27 Jan 2025
Meet David Senra, the guy who turned his obsession with reading about successful people into a million-dollar podcast. He's read over 300 books about the world's biggest entrepreneurs and shares all the best bits on his show, Founders. In this episode, David breaks down exactly how he finds golden nuggets of wisdom in these books, building deep relationships with founders, and insights from meetings with figures like Charlie Munger.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro and Founders Origin Story 07:10 - The importance of Naming and Branding14:56 - Energy Transfer in Relationships and Cities 19:51 - How to become World-Class25:03 - Startup Idea 1: Founders for Kids26:52 - The Value of Biographies31:28 - The Power of Long Attention Spans37:42 - You’re never too late39:32 - Innovative ways entrepreneurs monetized their business44:05 - Work - Life Balance Problems with High Achievers48:38 - Meeting with Charlie Munger55:22 - Monetization strategy and business model of Founders 1:01:28 - Biography recommendations and reading strategies1:08:55 - Career Advice from Charlie Munger1) On Building a World-Class Podcast:"Find what you're meant to do and let time carry the weight"David's moat: 375+ books read, connecting historical figures across episodes. To compete, you'd need to read all those books first.And he keeps going. 2) On Business Models:Fascinating approach to podcast monetization:• Only 2 long-term partners (2-year contracts)• Focus on brand partnerships vs CPM• Deep relationships with founders first• Think Nike/Tiger Woods, not traditional podcast ads3) On Learning from History:"Biographies are the closest thing to finding a cheat code in real life"Every great entrepreneur studied other great entrepreneurs:• Elon read Franklin, Ford, Tesla• Edison read every bio in Detroit library• Jobs studied Edwin Land4) On Work Ethic & Balance:Key insight: Almost every legendary figure sacrificed balance for greatnessOne exception: Ed Thorpe (Episode 222)• Built first quant hedge fund• Amazing father/husband• Stayed in shape• Lived a thrilling life5) On Memory & Knowledge:It's not natural talent - it's "maddening repetition"David's method:• Rereads highlights daily• Re-listens to old episodes• Updates/re-edits past content• Constantly connects historical figures6) STARTUP IDEA "Founders for Kids" - Comic book-style biographies teaching entrepreneurship to childrenWhy it works:• Proven model (worked for @SamParr)• Huge educational value• Underserved market• Scalable content7) Key Quote Worth Remembering:"Money comes naturally as a result of service" - Henry FordThe best entrepreneurs don't chase billions - they chase excellence in service.8) Final Wisdom:Want to be world-class? The competition isn't as fierce as you think.Most people:• Never try• Quit quickly• Lack patienceNotable Quotes:"I think podcasting is building relationships at scale." - David Senra"Money comes naturally as a result of service." - Henry Ford (quoted by David Senra)LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/BoringAds — ads agency that will build you profitable ad campaigns http://boringads.com/BoringMarketing — SEO agency and tools to get your organic customers http://boringmarketing.com/Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.startupempire.coFIND ME ON SOCIALX/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenbergInstagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/FIND DAVID ON SOCIALX/Twitter: https://x.com/FoundersPodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@founderspodcast4055Founders Podcast: https://www.founderspodcast.com/
Full Episode
The reason I run a solo history podcast is because I think the best podcaster I've ever loved is Dan Carlin from Harger History. And so for like fucking years before I did my own podcast, I would fall asleep listening to Dan every night. Almost every night I still fall asleep listening to Dan Carlin. And so I just fell in love. I think there should be way more monologue podcasts.
I think it's a huge opportunity.
What do you love about Dan's podcast?
Him.
Just him. His personality, how he talks, his stories.
He's a phenomenal storyteller.
Yeah.
And I think somebody said something one time, one of the best tweets I ever read was that they said newspapers were a fad. The village storyteller is as old as language. And now the campfire is 6 billion people connected to the internet. And for Dan, his download numbers are nuts. He's only talked about it a few times.
My guess would be his audience size for some of his bigger things were probably like 10 to 15 million people, I would guess. Because I remember one time he said that, he never mentioned downloads, he's like, My last episode got like 19 million downloads. I was like, that's insane. But then he said that there was a glitch and it was double counted.
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