Carson Rowh

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough
- Mae West

[Michael (Hedge Fund Manager) @HedgeFundFomo]

Warren Buffett didn't panic sell airline stocks during a Pandemic, resulting in a $4 billion loss until he was 90 years old

Relax, you still have time

[Thomas Sowell Quotes @ThomasSowell]

Denzel Washington: “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.”

[Peter Schiff @PeterSchiff]

PepsiCo spent $2.8 million last year lobbying to keep junk food eligible for food stamps. Then RFK got 18 states to ban SNAP purchases of soda, candy, and processed snacks. Within a week, PepsiCo cut Doritos, Lay's, and Tostitos prices by up to 15%. The CEO blamed "affordability." But the timing tells the real story. SNAP is a $100 billion-a-year program. According to the USDA, 20 cents of every SNAP dollar goes to junk food. Frito-Lay products appeared in 7.2% of all SNAP shopping trips.

The moment the government stopped subsidizing demand, PepsiCo had to compete on price. No regulation. No price caps. No antitrust probe. The subsidy disappeared, and the market corrected overnight.

Now consider that this same pattern — government money in, prices up — plays out in college tuition, healthcare, defense, and every other industry with a guaranteed government buyer. Federal spending is nearly a quarter of the entire economy. All of it inflating prices. All of it eroding your purchasing power.
Central banks see the same math. That's why they're dumping dollars and buying gold. The gold companies we cover in our investment research newsletter Strategic Assets are earning record profits at these prices — some trading at just 3-4x earnings.

https://t.co/rQjQPHOY0p

[Chris Fralic @chrisfralic]

Golden advice on Selling

[Founder Mode @Founder_Mode_]

Jensen Huang: "People with really high expectations have very low resilience."

"I think one of my great advantages is that I have very low expectations. And I mean that.

Most of the Stanford graduates have very high expectations. And you deserve to have high expectations because you came from a great school.

You were very successful. You're top of your class.

Obviously, you were able to pay for tuition. And then you're graduating from one of the finest institutions on the planet.

You're surrounded by other kids that are just incredible. You naturally have very high expectations.

People with very high expectations have very low resilience. And unfortunately, resilience matters in success.

I don't know how to teach it to you except for I hope suffering happens to you. And I was fortunate that I grew up with my parents providing a condition for us to be successful on the one hand, but there were plenty of opportunities for setbacks and suffering.

And to this day, I use the phrase pain and suffering inside our company with great glee. And I mean that. Boy, this is going to cause a lot of pain and suffering.

And I mean that in a happy way, because you want to train, you want to refine the character of your company.

You want greatness out of them. And greatness is not intelligence.

Greatness comes from character, and character isn't formed out of smart people.

It's formed out of people who suffered.

And so if I could wish upon you, I don't know how to do it. For all of you Stanford students, I wish upon you ample doses of pain and suffering."

[Alexandra Semenova @alexandraandnyc]

wealth managers putting your money in an index fund

[Boring_Business @BoringBiz_]

Still think about this Peter Thiel quote

“Strategy is just euphemism for procrastination”

Great reminder that the best strategy is simply to execute. Nothing else comes close

[Alex Hormozi @AlexHormozi]

"Passion" comes from the Latin “passio” which means "suffering" and "endurance."

So people think that following your passion means doing something you love, when it really means finding something that you are willing to suffer for.

[Anthony Pompliano 🌪 @APompliano]

“You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” - @realErikDPrince

This quote is seared in my brain as we watch the US and Venezuela lock horns.

[Eric Hsu @lawyer4SMBs]

Working a good job your entire career is like investing in index funds:

Conservative, right for most people, & decent results.

Buying & operating a business is like investing in just one stock that you really believe in, on margin:

Riskier, not for most people, but the results can be spectacular.

[Dan Held @danheld]

The world has an unlimited supply of fiat to buy a limited supply of 21M Bitcoin.

That's it.
That's the bet.

[Carson Rowh @rowhby29]

@roblabonne Their bamboo stretch undershirts are so good you won’t be able to stand cotton anymore.

[Alex Hormozi @AlexHormozi]

It always costs more, takes longer and is harder than you think it will be.

Even when you know it always costs more, takes longer and is harder than you think it will be.

[Alex Hormozi @AlexHormozi]

Poor people suffer. Rich people suffer. Single people suffer. Married people suffer. Entrepreneurs suffer. Employees suffer.

Suffering is a fixed cost of life.

So pick a life worth suffering for.

[Russell Brunson @russellbrunson]

You’ll think nothing is working… then suddenly everything compounds at once. That’s success.

[Chris Hoffmann @STLChrisH]

10 reasons you should NOT buy a business:

You’ve seen the headlines: “Entrepreneur acquires a business, scales it, sells it, and retires rich.”

Here’s what you don’t see

1. The role of luck.

You can be doing everything right, and still lose. An exogenous shock can wipe you out overnight. Think about office building owners when COVID hit—punched square in the face. If you can’t stomach uncertainty, owning a business isn’t for you.

2. Personal guarantees.

If you’re a first-time buyer, chances are you’ll need to personally guarantee the debt you raise. That means your house—and everything you own—is on the line.

3. You are the “catch-all.”

The unsexy work, the gaps when someone quits, the customer emergency at 9:30 p.m.—they all land on your desk. Usually at the worst possible time.

4. Say goodbye to sleep.

Business ownership means 2 a.m. ceiling stares, running the numbers or replaying tough decisions in your head. The “off switch” doesn’t exist.

5. Litigation is inevitable.

We live in a litigious world. Frivolous lawsuits, real or imagined claims—it’s not if they come, but when. And each one burns time, money, and energy.

6. Bad actors find you.

Over the years, I’ve had employees I thought I could trust rob me blind and lie to my face. As an owner, you will encounter people whose ethics don’t match yours.

7. Tragedy strikes.

Few things are harder than navigating injuries, serious illness, or even suicides among team members. These moments leave permanent marks on an owner.

8. Difficult conversations are unavoidable.

Vendors who fail. Senior leaders who underperform. Team members who show up late again and again. Ownership means leaning into these conversations, not avoiding them.

9. Sometimes you lose money.

Hopefully it’s just for a month. But sometimes, losses stack up for multiple months in a row—and it’s scary.

10. You’ll make unpopular decisions.
Sometimes it’s layoffs. Sometimes it’s price increases. Sometimes it’s saying “no” when everyone else wants a “yes.” You carry the burden of those choices.

So why share all this?

Because business is hard. And too often, only the “highlight reel” makes it into the conversation.

If you crave certainty, easy work, and comfort—business ownership isn’t for you.

But if you embrace challenges, thrive in uncertainty, and (maybe) have a touch of gluttony for punishment…

then small business ownership might just be the most rewarding, meaningful path you’ll ever walk.

[Mark Manson @Markmanson]

The secret to happiness isn’t getting what you want—it comes from not wanting what you don’t have.

[Carson Rowh @rowhby29]

@APompliano Inability, or unwillingness?

[Carson Rowh @rowhby29]

@shaneparrish Really enjoyed this episode - thank you!

[Carson Rowh @rowhby29]

@APompliano