Smart Friends

By Eric JorgensonBusiness Entrepreneurship

Smart Friends episodes

May 27, 2025#087 Nat Eliason: From Blogging to Sci-Fi Novels, Writing Books That Last, and Owning Your Audience
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:00:45) - Introducing Nat Eliason
(00:01:27) - Nat's Diverse Career and Writing Journey
(00:01:47) - The Transition from Nonfiction to Fiction
(00:02:13) - The Seven Act Structure and Writing Process
(00:02:44) - Publishing with Scribe and Launching Husk
(00:03:24) - The Rewards and Challenges of Writing
(00:04:29) - Building an Audience and Marketing Strategies
(00:06:54) - Balancing Writing with Other Ventures
(00:09:09) - The Reality of a Writing Career
(00:10:49) - The Importance of Consistency and Commitment
(00:22:37) - Navigating Traditional and Self-Publishing
(00:23:05) - The Journey to Becoming an Author
(00:40:56) - Exploring the Shift from Nonfiction to Fiction
(00:41:40) - The Joy of Storytelling in Fiction
(00:44:00) - Challenges and Rewards of Writing Fiction
(00:47:44) - Outlining and Structuring Fictional Works
(00:57:38) - Marketing and Selling Self-Published Books
(01:10:38) - The Future of an Author's Career
(01:18:18) - Conclusion and Recommendations

Links:
Nat on X
Nat’s Website
Crypto Confidential
Husk

To support the costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.

Quotes from Nat:
“Writing is the one thing I love doing enough to commit to for the next 30 years.”

“Traditional publishing taught me how to make a really good book, but I wouldn’t do it again.”

“Holding your book for the first time—and shipping it yourself to your first readers—is pure magic.”

“The best marketing for your book is writing the next one—that’s the fiction game.”

“I used to chase whatever was interesting… now I’m building something I want to last 30 years.”

“Fiction lets me explore big ideas without pretending to be an expert.”

“The self-pub stigma is fading… especially when the book looks and reads like a trad pub hit.”

“Characters start doing things I didn’t plan—then I realize, oh, that’s why they’re here.”

“There’s no product in the world like a book—you can sell the same file for 50 years.”

“My dream is to have a warehouse full of books I wrote. That’s the romantic version of success.”
1 hr 20 min
January 21, 2025#086 Jim O’Shaughnessy: Learning to Learn, AI Disruption, and the Future of Publishing
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:30) - What’s the most important thing you’ve ever learned?
(00:07:23) - Learning to Learn
(00:11:20) - How learning changes as you age
(00:18:51) - How do you think about your circle of competence?
(00:22:21) - The future of book publishing and how authors adapt
(00:35:29) - AI disruption in book publishing
(00:47:56) - Jim’s inaugural book: Two Thoughts
(00:56:46) - LLMs for authors, and UBI

Links:
Jim on X
Infinite Loops Podcast
Infinite Books
O’Shaughnessy Ventures
Margins: Book Tracker

To support the costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:
"The most important thing I learned was how to learn and unlearn... most people are never taught it. It is something that, almost by definition, you have to do yourself."
It’s important for leaders to admit when they are uncertain, and lead a culture of open-mindedness.
It’s important to adapt to new environments, not cling to outdated practices.
There’s an upcoming shift toward AI-driven, author-friendly publishing models that reduce inefficiencies and empower writers.
Jim predicts AI will allow a “tsunami of slop” content and open huge opportunities in curation.
In a world of abundant content, good taste and effective curation will be very profitable.
Jim shares his evolving views on Universal Basic Income (UBI), arguing for experimentation to address societal shifts caused by technological advancements.
Understanding opposing viewpoints to refine one's perspectives helps make better decisions. Jim uses AI to force him to debate and understand his own opinions better.
Jim credits his success to a lifelong commitment to curiosity, whether through broad reading or questioning established norms.
"Curiosity is a shit starter. It ignited my curiosity to the point where I just voraciously read everything."

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.
1 hr 8 min
January 07, 2025#085 Ben Reinhardt: How to Discover New Technology, Playing the Longest Game, and Philanthropy in Technology
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:05:25) - Studying both Medieval History and Engineering
(00:09:48) - Founding Speculative Technologies
(00:11:25) - Defining “Useful” in Science and Technology
(00:13:46) - Building the roadmap of discoveries to unlock futuristic tech
(00:17:24) - The need for new institutions
(00:25:22) - Why focus on material science and manufacturing technologies
(00:46:57) - The day-to-day work and impact of Speculative Technologies

Links:
Speculative Technologies
Ben on X
Ben’s website

To support the costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:
How studying history helps us see the present and the future more clearly.
Ben’s vision is to work with founders who are not just chasing profits but are driven by the desire to solve meaningful problems.
Most successful concepts emerge from multiple rounds of experimentation.
As institutions evolve, gaps formed around important research that used to be funded by universities or R&D labs of corporations. Ben is building a non-profit to fill that gap.
Ben shared why he chose to invest in startups rather than founding his own.
Ben invests in "physics-enabled" startups that apply scientific principles to solve tough problems.
For startups to be successful, there needs to be an alignment of motivations between investors and founders.
Founders should approach investors with clarity about their vision and expect honesty and support in return.
There are significant global issues that aren't being addressed by startups and opportunity abounds.
Leaders must build complementary teams where members fill each other’s gaps, particularly in technical and strategic expertise.
There’s a need for effective communication to bridge gaps between technical experts and the broader public. (hopefully some of what we’re doing here!)
If you’re looking for non-profit causes for your philanthropic donations, SpecTech may be among the highest-leverage ways to advance human civilization through donations.

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.
57 min
December 10, 2024#084 Augustus Doricko: How to Terraform Earth, The History of Weather Control, and The Mandate of Heaven
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:13) - Catching up
(00:13:14) - Making Earth (even more) Habitable by Controlling Weather
(00:26:54) - Doug Burgum: Next Secretary of the Dept. of the Interior
(00:31:30) - Building Rainmaker
(00:44:19) - Are we short on clean water in America today?
(00:50:37) - Drones, precipitation, cloud seeding, and the future

Links:
Rainmaker
Augustus on X
Augustus’ Thread on Doug Burgum

To support the costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:
Inspired by projects like China’s Green Wall, Rainmaker aims to terraform deserts into lush, habitable landscapes.
Water scarcity can be solved by creating more water rather than just conserving to stay in the existing limits.
There are already severely water-constrained communities and farms, especially in the American west and Southwest.
Rainmaker’s cloud seeding program uses custom drones, radar, and safe, common chemical compounds.
Cloud-seeding is decades-old tech. The breakthrough was a new radar to precisely measure the effectiveness of cloud-seeding efforts.
China has more than 40,000 working on weather modification projects. The U.S. can catch up by supporting private sector innovation.
Rainmaker is actively recruiting passionate engineers ready to work on cutting-edge tech.
Being close to the frontier of innovation naturally drives the creation of new technologies and opportunities. Lots of examples inside Rainmaker.
A commission in the book of Genesis in the Bible to steward the garden and take care of God’s creation is an intrinsic part of Rainmaker's purpose.

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.
1 hr 2 min
November 26, 2024#083 Klaus Kleinfeld: How to Lead Fortune 500 Companies, Manage Energy, Inspire Teams
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:24) - Watching the moon landing
(00:07:32) - Klaus’ career
(00:10:08) - Why Klaus wrote Leading To Thrive
(00:15:13) - Energy management, not time management
(00:19:37) - How do you implement these tactics in business?
(00:23:46) - Spiritual energy
(00:37:36) - Managing energy for life, work, and family & business
(00:54:52) - Instilling purpose as a leader
(01:04:59) - How do you approach balancing stakeholders?
(01:07:50) - What do you look for when building a team?
(01:12:01) - Closing advice

Links:
Leading to Thrive by Klaus Kleinfeld
Klaus on LinkedIn

To support the costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:
Watching the moon landing as a child from East Germany inspired Klaus’ lifelong belief in the strength of human innovation.
Shifting from time management to energy management.
Finding your purpose is like "focusing a laser" that channels diffuse energy to achieve extraordinary results.
From observing professional tennis players, Klaus learned how mental toughness and micro-recharges help maintain peak performance.
Controlled breathing is a simple but powerful tool to manage emotions and maintain focus during high-pressure moments.
Klaus helped transform and restore purpose to Siemens’ struggling angiography division with the most impactful team meeting you can imagine.
Aligning a team's work with a meaningful purpose motivates teams and improves long-term performance.
His book was born from a desire to share lessons with young leaders, his daughters, and others seeking balance and performance.
Creating memorable moments with his family helped Klaus maintain strong relationships despite a demanding career.
You can instill urgency and align teams by clearly communicating that a situation absolutely requires change.

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.
1 hr 16 min
October 29, 2024#082 Paul Millerd: Profits in Publishing, Why Self-Publish, How Authors Make Big Money
Links:
Scribe Media
Paul’s website
The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd
Good Work by Paul Millerd
Paul on X

Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:15) - Introducing Paul, and the early days of the publishing industry.
(00:06:48) - The earliest days of publishing, distribution of profit, and printing methods.
(00:17:46) - The 2014 E-book collusion
(00:20:27) - The self-publishing surge, the $4.99 sweet spot, and where authors can optimize.
(00:24:47)- The history of paperbacks
(00:37:28) - Book deals and agents
(00:48:15) - The India market, publisher problems, and compounding disinterest.
(01:06:06) - The future of publishing

To support this podcast:
>> Explore writing or publishing your book with Scribe: Scribemedia.com
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Here’s what we explored in the episode:
We dive deep into the quirky history of the publishing industry, tracing it all the way back to the 1400s.
In the 19th century, authors could increase their earnings by co-investing in fixed costs, like print plates and bookbinding.
Traditional Publishing has always seen hardcovers as “the real books” and sought to protect them and their profits.
Trade paperback was published only after a successful hardcover, with those rights often sold separately.
Self-publishing changed the game for authors, with Amazon enabling print-on-demand and much higher royalty percentages.
If you are an author signing with a traditional publisher, realize YOU ARE NOT THE CUSTOMER–book retailers are their customers.
Lots of authors who earned big money retained their rights.
Stephen King retained his paperback rights an early successful book. After the hardcover version succeeded, he sold those rights for $400,000
Harper Lee made significant earnings from To Kill a Mockingbird by retaining movie adaptation rights.
Tom Clancy held on to his film and international rights. This later became highly lucrative as his popularity grew and more of his books got adaptations.
Traditional Publishers often prioritize prestige, tradition, and their profits – which doesn’t always align with author’s goals.
Indie authors can now disregard tradition and experiment with pricing strategies to maximize reach, revenue, and their own personal results.

Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship

There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant

You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.

Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That’s a fine way to start.
1 hr 38 min
October 02, 2024 #081 The Next Industrial Revolution w/ J. Storrs Hall [Replay]
This is a replay of episode 34 of this podcast.

Links:
Josh’s Bio - Autogeny.org
Where is my flying car? By J. Storrs Hall
Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper
The Martian by Andy Weir
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Beyond AI by J. Storrs Hall
Nanofuture: What’s Next For Nanotechnology by J. Storrs Hall

Other Episode You’ll Like:
Solocast #3: Nuclear, Nanotech, and the next Industrial Revolution (Book Recap: “Where is my Flying Car?”)
Massive Opportunities w/in Design & User Interface with Cliff Kuang

To support this costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners
>> Name-your-price subscription monthly, annual, or one-time: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa
>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson
>> Get in touch about sponsoring this podcast by replying to an email or DMing me on Twitter.
1 hr 38 min
September 17, 2024 #080 Solocast #3: Nuclear, Nanotech, and the next Industrial Revolution [Replay]
This episode is a replay of episode 22 of this podcast.

Links:

Eric’s Blog

Eric’s blog post on digital scarcity

Eric’s Blog post on The Cost of Trust

Technological revolutions and Financial Capital by Carlota Perez

Topics:

(0:08) - Introducing the Web3 discussion

(4:13) - What is the Blockchain?

(6:06) - Lowering transaction costs across Web1, Web2 & Web3

(9:46) - Creating cheap, digital scarcity

(12:12) - Why does the blockchain matter? Trust & Decentralization

(18:50) - What happens when blockchains are deployed? Digital and Physical impacts.

(26:26) - Technological Revolutions & Financial Capital by Carlotta Perez

(28:23) - DAO: Distributed Autonomous Organization

(30:51) - Predictions: The biggest networks will be bigger than the biggest companies

(39:03) - Wrap Up: What do you have to do?

(42:02) - Web3 is supposed to be fun!

54 min
August 21, 2024 #079 Andrew Wilkinson: De-risking Leverage, Investing vs. Operating, and the Best Part About Business [Replay]
[This is a replay of episode #002]
Andrew Wilkinson is the co-founder of Tiny, a venture capital firm that has helped to build over 25 profitable internet businesses over the last 15 years. He got his start founding MetaLab, one of the world’s top design agencies. He has gone from working out of his apartment a little over a decade ago, to today overseeing a group of companies with over 300 employees and tens of millions in revenue.

To support the costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

1 hr 7 min
July 30, 2024 #078 David Senra + Mitchell Baldridge #5: David’s Private Conference, Writing Books, and Building Networks
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:24) - Recapping FoundersOnly Conference
(00:36:36) - Helping others first
(00:44:32) - Baldridge updates & the power of working hard
(01:03:46) - How do you want to spend your time?
(01:10:38) - Great book recs, Scribe, and the knowledge gap
(01:44:38) - Unethical founders
(02:00:56) - Optimizing for usefulness

Links:
Founders Podcast
Mitchell Baldridge on X
Get in touch with Mitchell
David Senra on X
Perplexity AI

Books:
Hard Drive by James Wallace
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
Jerry Seinfeld in GQ
Zero to One by Peter Thiel

To support the costs of producing this podcast:
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/
>> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/
>> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage
>> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun
>> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter
>> Text the podcast to a friend
>> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners!

Important quotes from David Senra and Mitchell Baldridge:

"People don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. And so like we could write a book on this two-hour or whatever long conversation we've had and every single person's going to have a different perspective."
— David Senra

"I'm here to be the best in the world at what I'm doing. And then you get around other people like that. Like we just talked about Mike Ovitz. You think he was optimizing for days on the golf course?"
— David Senra

“I wake up every day more obsessed to the point where, like, if this continues, we're going to have to be concerned about me. And what I love is I'm really trying to go after it.”
— David Senra

"Books don't have to make money to make you money."
— Mitchell Baldridge

"Mute the world and build your own world and it's like part of building your own world you don't want to start from zero like a feral child in the middle of the woods."
— Mitchell Baldridge
2 hr 19 min

About Smart Friends

From the publisher's feed

Casual conversations with founders, technologists, investors, and artists about building a brighter future, together. Welcome to our digital living room.