#089 David Senra + Mitchell Baldridge #6 : Writing the Founders’ Book, Building Natural-fit Businesses, and Craft

Smart Friends

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:52) - The Founder's book project

(00:04:06) - Effort and building relationships

(00:11:20) - The value of self-publishing

(00:24:00) - Bootstrapping a HoldCo

(00:46:05) - Finding natural fit in business

(00:47:48) - The role of trust in business

(00:49:07) - AI and changing perspectives

(00:50:26) - Daily use of AI tools

(00:55:49) - The value of deep research

(00:57:53) - The future of AI in business

(01:16:35) - Avoiding addictive apps

(01:18:27) - Collecting and using maxims

(01:20:45) - The power of lists

(01:24:40) - Collapsing organizational gaps

(01:28:05) - The role of AI in reducing friction

(01:29:59) - Closing remarks and recommendations

Links:

Andrew Wilkinson — https://twitter.com/awilkinsonDavid Senra — https://twitter.com/founderspodcastEric Jorgenson — https://twitter.com/ericjorgensonMitchell Baldridge — https://twitter.com/baldridgecpaNick Huber — https://twitter.com/sweatystartup

Eric Jorgenson — https://ejorgenson.com

Founders Podcast — https://www.founderspodcast.com

Better Bookkeeping — https://www.betterbookkeeping.comRE Cost Seg — https://www.recostseg.comScribe — https://scribemedia.com

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We discuss:

• How extreme effort and agency created the opportunity to publish the Founders' book.

• The economics, longevity, and cultural value of self-published books.

• Bootstrapping and scaling a HoldCo with multiple service businesses.

• Practical uses of AI for research, productivity, and creative leverage.

• The importance of doing the work for its own sake and loving the process.

Quotes from David:

1. “You don’t handle the stress—you like it. Or else you wouldn’t be doing this.”

2. “If you want the ups, you have to endure the downs. That’s just a fact.”

3. “This is the best version of my life, whether it’s 300 people at a club or 3,000 in a theater.”

4. “Most people try to keep things even—no extreme highs or lows. But all the exciting shit is in the variance.”

5. “If you have something else you’d rather be doing, then you should go do that.”

6. “Books are so valuable because of how long they take to consume.”

7. “Effort is universal. Doesn’t matter if it’s a garden or a podcast—people respect work.”

8. “AI is going to wipe out the middle. If you’re average, you’re gone.”

9. “Sage remembers things I don’t—and that’s priceless.”

10. “Don’t rush it. Make something great. A good book can sell for 50 years.”

Quotes from Mitchell:

1. “I get frustrated at how long this takes—but I want to build something meaningful.”

2. “Turn everything into a car wash. Put the customer into neutral and pull them through.”

3. “The tax code is getting more complex, but the systems are getting better.”

4. “AI is going to destroy everything below the 95th percentile.”

5. “I’m bootstrapping a holdco—and it takes time.”

6. “Send me a customer, I’ll give you $1,000. Send me 1,000 and I’ll mortgage my house for you.”

7. “I don’t want 25 meetings a month—I want results.”