Koos Bekker's Billions

Book review

Just finished the first book on my 2023 reading list and thoroughly enjoyed T.J Strydoms Koos Bekkers  Billions

4.5 / 5

The book provides an informative and witty account of Bekkers career starting out from his gutsy move to bring pay tv to SA by founding MNet and later his tenure as Naspers CEO in which the company pivoted from a traditional print media business to a global tech holding company.

My key takeaways from the book are:

1. If you want to create meaningful wealth you need to be compensated like an entrepreneur based on performance and output. By simply only earning a salary with no performance incentives you are limiting your earnings.

2. Successful investors and entrepreneurs are able to spot trends early and execute on this. It is also just as important to know when the tide is changing and is industry is stagnating and you need to pivot your focus elsewhere.

3. Low cost experiments are an effective way to test an idea without the risk of financial ruin. Throw some spaghetti at a wall and if it sticks spend more money and time in this area. This is the same approach Amazon follows when launching new products or services.

4. Ego is the enemy. Know when to cut your losses if you have made a mistake.

Thanks for reading and making it to the end of the post.

Next up on my list on The Ride of a Lifetime the memoir of Disney CEO Bob Iger.