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All rights reserved<![CDATA[How Jared Isaacman Will Make Us Interplanetary]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/how-jared-isaacman-will-make-us-interplanetary Qbd1zCotvsCOMNuAVatoFri, 17 Jul 2026 08:34:57 GMT**Newsletter examining the methods used by historical figures to accumulate wealth.**

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 125. It was originally deployed November 6, 2025. As of July 17, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.161: Vinod Khosla.

Methods of Prosperity newsletter is intended to share ideas and build relationships. To become a billionaire, condition yourself to think like a billionaire. That’s the agenda of this newsletter. Methods of Prosperity studies remarkable people in history who demonstrated what to do (and what not to do). Let me know how I can help you out. For more information about the author, please visit seanallenfenn.com/FAQ.

Most entrepreneurs worship growth. They sell their souls for venture capital. They become high-paid employees in their own companies.

Not Jared Isaacman.

“I have had the privilege throughout my career of observing many great companies through both the lens of an operator and investor. In that time, I have tried to distill all of the details into a simple list of what really drives success – and I use these criteria before making any investment decision.”

– Jared Isaacman

American billionaire entrepreneur, accomplished pilot, and private astronaut, Jared Isaacman.

Now you can PRE-SAVE my new single, Put It All Together here .

scan this QR code or click here to pre-save

This song, Put It All Together, like most of my songs, emerged from my subconscious. I enter a hypnagogic state. Doing this disconnects both the signifier and the signified. You have to break them from their purported referents in the phenomenal world. That’s when interesting ideas take shape. In that respect, this album, Opulence , is cohesive. What makes this song stand out is the visceral inference of incandescent evidence. That is, it’s the most vulnerable song on the whole record. It’s about love. Not being in-love as much as projecting it onto the listener.

HSRL is a production of SAFE New Media

Complexity Is His Weapon

Many founders chase easy problems. Isaacman hunted complexity. He built Shift4 Payments by solving a hard problem: messy, painful payment integrations.

Restaurants. Hotels. Theme parks. Old hardware. Bad software. Legacy systems duct-taped together.

Most processors wanted clean APIs and sleek apps. Isaacman wanted chaos.

“Shift4 wins because our ‘true north’ is to seek out complexity and simplify it.”

– Jared Isaacman [ techcrunch]

He understood a simple rule: If you can wire the nightmare, you own the castle.

The Basement Business

Isaacman was born in New Jersey in 1983. He dropped out of high school at 15. He later earned his GED.

At 16, he started a payments company in his parents’ basement in New Jersey. He called it United Bank Card. This company later became Shift4.

It was more than an idea. He attacked a specific pain: Merchants waited weeks for approval. They filled long paper forms. They had to pay for hardware.

Isaacman cut that down to days. He streamlined the sign-up. He made it cheaper and faster.

He used only $10,000 from his grandfather as seed money. From that basement, he built a profitable machine. Cash flow was his fuel.

Fifteen Years Of Control

For 15 years, Isaacman kept control. He didn’t raise from venture capital funds. He grew by selling and integrating. No pitching. No diluting.

Most fintech founders raise early. They sign term sheets. They surrender board seats. They chase vanity metrics.

Isaacman chose the slow knife instead of the fast gun. He built a real business. He stayed private. He printed profit.

He gained financial freedom before ever taking outside money. Long before any IPO, he already possessed negotiating power.

The First Big Deal

By 2014, the payments world was consolidating. Isaacman needed more firepower. That’s when he decided to make a deal.

When he did give up some control, he still kept a major equity position. He sold a majority stake in his business to a strategic partner. It was a control trade to gain scale.

He used capital and partnership to move up the food chain. He turned a basement processor into a national player.

This is the right model: Stay private while the business is fragile. Raise big money only when you have leverage.

Owning The Public Company

Shift4 went public in June 2020. IPO valuation was roughly $2.8 billion.

Most founders become figureheads at this point. They take big salaries. They wait for RSUs to vest.

Isaacman took the opposite path. He set his salary at a normal manager level. He said his wealth would come from stock ownership, “as it always has.”[ matrixbcg]

That’s the mentality of an owner, not an employee. He kept around one-third of the company after going public. Enough to matter. Enough to control his destiny.

Shift4 now processes payment volume well into the hundreds of billions each year. Its market cap has floated between roughly $6–8 billion in recent years. This is what long-term equity compounding looks like.

Isaacman’s Method Of Prosperity

If you’re trying to “get rich by being CEO,” that’s not how Isaacman did it. He got rich by being the owner. Here’s how:

Most founders raise early.

They dilute heavily.

They answer to investors.

They hope for an exit.

Isaacman:

Started small, in a basement.

He fixed a painful, complex problem.

He made the business profitable early.

He kept control for as long as possible.

Only then did he trade equity for scale.

He used complexity as a moat. He used ownership as a weapon.

That is his method of prosperity: Solve hard problems. Own the machine that solves them. Let time do the compounding.

The Second Act: Fighter Jets

Most billionaires buy jets. Isaacman bought a fleet.

He co-founded Draken International. Draken provides adversary air training to the U.S. military and allies. It operates one of the largest private fighter jet fleets in the world.

Defense contracts. Pilot training. High-performance aircraft.

He is a serious pilot. Over 7,000 flight hours. Qualified in multiple military jets. He broke a world record for flying around the globe in a light jet in 2009.

The Third Act: Space

Then he went higher.

In 2021, Isaacman commanded Inspiration4. It was the first all-civilian mission to orbit, flown on a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

He funded the mission and used it to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The amount he raised was over $250 million.

In 2024, he commanded Polaris Dawn, the first mission of the Polaris Program with SpaceX. That mission achieved the first commercial spacewalk in history. Did he wait for a government agency to invite him? No. He bought the ticket. He shaped the mission.

His wealth gives him the right to bend reality. That is the endgame of true ownership.

What You Should Steal

You can follow his rules:

Hunt complexity.
Stay private until you have leverage.
Build wealth through ownership, not salary.

Isaacman built a payments machine in a basement. He turned painful integration into a moat. He sold control only when it scaled his power. He kept a massive equity stake through IPO. He now buys fighter jet squadrons and space missions with his own money.

His net worth sits in the low-to-mid billion range. Most of it comes from his stake in Shift4 and related ventures.

You don’t need to be a hired gun. Be like Isaacman. He is an owner who uses cash flow to play bigger games.

Don’t chase funding. Build a fortress. Then you buy your way into the sky.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of people. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)billionairewealthjared isaacman<![CDATA[How Herb Kelleher Killed Competition]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/how-herb-kelleher-killed-competition HahWU9ZJV95DtPWAzJ3eFri, 10 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT**Newsletter examining the methods used by historical figures to accumulate wealth.**

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 124. It was originally deployed Oct 30, 2025. As of July 9, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.160: Jan Koum.

Methods of Prosperity newsletter is intended to share ideas and build relationships. To become a billionaire, condition yourself to think like a billionaire. That’s the agenda of this newsletter. Methods of Prosperity studies remarkable people in history who demonstrated what to do (and what not to do). Let me know how I can help you out. For more information about the author, please visit seanallenfenn.com/FAQ.

“All the people that were telling me those things were expressing conventional wisdom. And if it’s conventional it ain’t wisdom. And if it’s wisdom, it ain’t conventional.”

– Herb Kelleher

Most entrepreneurs quit their jobs and go “all in” on their startups. Not the founder of Nike, Phil Knight.

He was an accountant.

Here’s another example of how to keep your day job before you become a billionaire at your own business.

Herb Kelleher is the co-founder of Southwest Airlines.

He spent 25 years as a corporate lawyer before fully transitioning to Southwest.

And he continued his legal practice during the airline’s early years.

Herb Kelleher was an American businessman, co-founder, & former CEO of Southwest Airlines.

Now you can PRE-SAVE my new single, Put It All Together here .

scan this QR code or click here to pre-save

This song, Put It All Together, like most of my songs, emerged from my subconscious. I enter a hypnagogic state. Doing this disconnects both the signifier and the signified. You have to break them from their purported referents in the phenomenal world. That’s when interesting ideas take shape. In that respect, this album, Opulence , is cohesive. What makes this song stand out is the visceral inference of incandescent evidence. That is, it’s the most vulnerable song on the whole record. It’s about love. Not being in-love as much as projecting it onto the listener.

HSRL is a production of SAFE New Media

He viewed this legal experience as the key to his later success, not only something that came before it.

This unconventional approach gave him several crucial advantages.

The first advantage of keeping his day job was Financial Independence. He maintained his law practice income. That kept him from being desperate or financially dependent on the airline’s success. This allowed him to make better long-term decisions. He could do it without the pressure of immediate financial survival.

The second advantage of continuing to practice law was Strategic Patience. During Southwest’s founding, Kelleher represented the airline in legal battles. He fought legal battles for 10 years before Southwest flew a single flight. In one six-year period alone, he endured 31 administrative and judicial proceedings. His legal income allowed him to sustain this protracted fight.

The third advantage of being a lawyer for Southwest was Personal Financial Commitment. Southwest faced potential collapse during legal battles. That’s when Kelleher made an extraordinary offer:

“Gentlemen, let’s go one more round with them. I will continue to represent the company in court and I'll postpone any legal fees and pay every cent of the court costs out of my own pockets.”

– Herb Kelleher

Kelleher was born in Camden, New Jersey, in 1931. He worked at the Campbell’s Soup factory. He graduated from Wesleyan University. He earned his law degree from New York University. After that, he moved to Texas. This move increased his dissatisfaction with the status quo of air travel.

Up until the 1970s, airlines used the hub-and-spoke model. It’s an air travel system where airlines use a central airport (the “hub”) as a transfer point. Passengers connect from various smaller cities (the “spokes”) to their final destinations. Airlines didn’t offer nonstop flights between every possible city pair. Instead, airlines fly passengers from their origin city to a main hub. From there, they then transfer onto another flight to their destination.

The hub-and-spoke model consolidates passengers onto fewer flights. They want this to improve efficiency. They’re trying to make it economical to serve more city pairs through connections.

The hub-and-spoke model reduces the number of nonstop routes needed. They want this to lower operational costs. They’re trying to maximize the use of aircraft and airport resources.

The hub-and-spoke model centralizes services, staff, and maintenance at major airports. Which can create economies of scale.

But what the airlines fail to recognize is the unintended consequences. This model often requires passengers to make layovers at the hub. Which increases travel time, causing missed connections or delays.

Many entrepreneurs try to do something original. They try to build something before they have proof of concept.

They want to be pioneers, but pioneers end up with arrows in their back.

For example, there are countless failed startups that tried to be the Uber of toothpaste. Or the AirBnB for car sharing. Or the WeWork for pets.

Instead, do a proven thing but with a moat or differentiation. Improve on it.

Costco is a clone of Price Club. Walmart also evolved from the ideas of Sol Price, the founder of Price Club. Jeff Bezos built Amazon on the ideas of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart (Sol Price inspired him).

Southwest Airlines is a clone of Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). PSA was a low-cost airline headquartered in San Diego, California. PSA operated from 1949 to 1988. It was the first substantial scheduled discount airline. PSA called itself “The World’s Friendliest Airline”. They painted a smile on the nose of its airplanes, the PSA Grinningbirds.

Rollin King is a Texas businessman and pilot. He is the co-founder of Southwest Airlines alongside Herb Kelleher. King conceived the idea for a low-cost, intrastate airline connecting Texas’s largest cities. PSA inspired his idea.

He partnered with his lawyer, Herb Kelleher. Kelleher sketched out Southwest’s initial route map on a cocktail napkin.

Southwest Airlines rejected the hub-and-spoke model. Instead, they used the point-to-point model. Which focuses on direct nonstop flights between cities. Southwest bypassed the need for a central hub.

Like Phil Knight, the fact that Kelleher kept his day job didn’t exempt him from needing to raise capital. Herb Kelleher and Rollin King raised their initial $543,000 in startup capital. Their investors? A group of local Texas businesspeople and acquaintances in the Dallas area. These investors believed in the vision. Southwest Airlines would provide low-cost, convenient air travel within Texas. The investor group placed enough trust in Kelleher and King’s business model to fund the new airline.

Not everyone was as friendly to the idea. Before getting off the ground, Southwest Airlines faced initial legal battles. Southwest proposed intrastate flights between Texas cities. Established carriers claimed that such flights were unnecessary. There was no room for competition. Especially for a competitor that beat them on price.

They claimed those routes already had sufficient service. Existing airlines included Braniff, Trans-Texas Airways, and Continental Airlines. These competitors challenged Southwest’s right to operate at all within Texas. It was up to the Texas Aeronautics Commission (TAC). That’s who granted Southwest a certificate of public convenience and necessity. Existing airlines argued that the TAC had erred by granting it.

The established airlines also contended that Southwest was actually engaged in interstate commerce. According to them, the federal Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) should regulate Southwest. The CAB had much stricter controls on route approvals and fares. They sought to block Southwest’s flights. This involved obtaining restraining orders and filing lawsuits to keep the startup grounded.

The CAB controlled pricing, routes, and market entry for airlines. Federal regulations kept fares high, limiting competition. Southwest Airlines got around these regulations. They operated as an intrastate airline within Texas. Which allowed it to avoid some of these federal regulations. As well as price controls that applied to interstate carriers.

This legal fight stretched over several years. It went through Texas state courts until reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Southwest.

Kelleher and King launched their new airline in 1967. They named it Air Southwest Company. It was later renamed Southwest Airlines.

Kelleher spent 25 years in his legal career before Southwest took off. He didn’t become CEO until 1978. That’s 11 years after co-founding the airline.

Southwest made air travel affordable for the average person.

How?

By lowering fares.

But not against other airlines.

“You don’t understand. We’re not competing with other airlines. We’re competing with ground transportation.”

– Herb Kelleher

Kelleher had the ability to see beyond conventional competitive thinking. He identified the real market opportunity.

Without trying to be a pioneer, that’s what they became. Southwest Airlines opened up a new category of air travel. They pioneered the low-cost carrier (LCC) model.

“We have a strategic plan — it’s called doing things.”

– Herb Kelleher

Kelleher believed that “reality is chaotic” while “planning is ordered and logical.”

And the two don’t align well.

"The meticulous nitpicking that goes on in most strategic planning processes creates a mental straitjacket that becomes disabling in an industry where things change radically from one day to the next."

– Herb Kelleher

Unlike their competitors, Southwest Airlines has been profitable for 47 consecutive fiscal years. From 1973 through 2019 Southwest remained in the black. The airline made its first profit in 1973.

They turned around initial losses in the early years through innovative strategies. Such as low-cost off-peak flights and fast aircraft turnarounds. This remarkable streak ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Southwest returned to profitability afterward and never furloughed employees.

“Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy.”

– Herb Kelleher

Intangibles are more important than the tangibles.

Being the low-cost leader, you’d think that’s Southwest’s only moat. It isn’t. Their advantage is the culture of Southwest Airlines.

“The thing that I’ve always emphasized is culture. Because I think that is the most powerful competitive weapon you can have. Because it’s intangible. It’s spiritual. You can’t buy it. You know? Other airlines can buy airplanes. They can lease space. But if they don’t have the kind of outgoing, participative, happy, devoted culture, you’re going to have the edge.”

– Herb Kelleher

One last thing. Unlike most CEOs, Herb Kelleher wasn’t bothered with growth. He cared about profitability.

“Market share has nothing to do with profitability.”

– Herb Kelleher

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: Notice there’s only one action for you to take. The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of people. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthherb kelleherbillionaire<![CDATA[The Unfair Advantage of Guy Spier]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-123 D72W89vQcwgKBT03tCBoFri, 03 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

"The entire pursuit of value investing requires you to see where the crowd is wrong so that you can profit from their misperceptions."

– Guy Spier

Now you can PRE-SAVE my new single, Put It All Together here.

Put It All Together Cover

This song, Put It All Together, like most of my songs, emerged from my subconscious. I enter a hypnagogic state. Doing this disconnects both the signifier and the signified. You have to break them from their purported referents in the phenomenal world. That’s when interesting ideas take shape. In that respect, this album, Opulence, is cohesive. What makes this song stand out is the visceral inference of incandescent evidence. That is, it’s the most vulnerable song on the whole record. It’s about love. Not being in-love as much as projecting it onto the listener.

HSRL Banner

Newsletter examining the methods used by historical figures to accumulate wealth.

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 123. It was originally deployed October 23, 2025. As of July 2, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.159: Jerry Jones.

Methods of Prosperity newsletter is intended to share ideas and build relationships. To become a billionaire, one must first be conditioned to think like a billionaire. To that agenda, this newsletter studies remarkable people in history who demonstrated what to do (and what not to do). Let me know how I can help you out. For more information about the author, please visit seanallenfenn.com/FAQ .

123 The Unfair Advantage of Guy Spier

Guy Spier

Guy Spier is a Zurich-based Swiss-German-Israeli investor, author, and hedge fund manager. Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham inspire his value investing philosophy. He’s the founder and managing partner of Aquamarine Capital.

Ambition. Greed. Naïveté.

On Wall Street, many hard-working people stumble into grey areas. No member of D.H. Blair management asked Guy Spier to lie or misrepresent anything. It was 1993 and his first job out of Harvard Business School (HBS) where he earned his MBA. His First-Class degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics is from Brasenose College, Oxford. Guy Spier received the George Webb Medley prize in Economics.

His boss was Morty Davis at D.H. Blair Investment Banking Corp located at 44 Wall Street, New York. Spier noticed some bad press about his employer. Labels such as "infamous brokerage house whose brokers... refuse to let customers sell when they request that a stock be liquidated". Securities regulators in Delaware tried to revoke Blair’s license. Regulators in Hawaii accused Blair of using "fraudulent and deceptive sales practices".

Morty’s response?

"People envy success and try to take you down."

Guy was gullible enough to believe him. Guy ignored the warnings from his friends about working at a shady investment bank. He was desperate to look successful. A year or so into it, he realized his job was to more or less put lipstick on a pig. Ignore downsides. Make a bogus deal sizzle.

Execs of D.H. Blair:

"Yes, we are bullshitting you. This is almost certainly not going to work, but we’ve been working on it for years and have invested substantial personal funds in it. In any case, nobody can prove one hundred percent that it won't work. Moreover, think of the excitement that this thing will cause among investors and the press..."

Other D.H. Blair investment bankers:

"Yes, this is extremely unlikely to fly. But we need to fill our pipeline of deals so that you, the company management can get rich on the founders’ stock, and we, the investment bank, can get rich on fees and from trading the stock.... and who knows, it might even succeed. In which case, our clients might even make money too."

A few years after Guy left D.H. Blair, the retail brokerage business, D.H. Blair & Co, closed down in 1998. In 2000, The Wall Street Journal reported that the SEC indicted fifteen of its employees. Racketeering was the charge, with 173 counts of stock fraud. Other charges against the retail brokerage included manipulating stock prices. As well as engaging in illegal sales tactics. Four executives pleaded guilty to securities fraud and collusion to fix stock prices. The SEC revoked Blair's broker-dealer registration in 2002.

"It certainly took me far too long to grasp that this business was set up in such a way that if I wanted to win, I’d have to lose whatever was left of my moral compass."

– Guy Spier

His eighteen gut-wrenching months at D.H. Blair had destroyed his reputation for years.

"I hope that decision to work at D.H. Blair will turn out to be the worst mistake of my professional life, but thankfully, it didn’t break me."

– Guy Spier

Guy was at his low point, unable to get another job. He wondered what attracted him to work in that kind of toxic culture in the first place. He did some serious soul searching. Which led him to drop his guard and pretense enough to attend a Tony Robbins Fire Walk event.

"In some ways, my original misgivings were right. Robbins’ seminars are a form of brainwashing. Shouting things out often enough really does pound it in. And any idea can be implanted by repeating it over and over. There’s a danger to this. One that can be exploited by religious fundamentalists and political extremists. But in this case, it was brainwashing for the good, designed to help us live a better, more successful life. I’m all for that sort of brainwashing."

– Guy Spier

Guy also read and re-read a compilation of Berkshire’s old annual reports. To the point where he began to start thinking as Warren Buffett would. Desperate to lead a life that was more like Warren Buffett’s, Guy asked himself one question. "What would Warren Buffett do, if he were in my shoes?" It wasn’t a fleeting thought. Guy imagined that he was Warren Buffett.

Tony Robbins calls it modeling. Mohnish Pabrai, fellow value investor and Guy’s best friend, calls it cloning.

The lesson? Study the kind of person you want to be like. Emulate them using your vivid imagination. Visualization might be rather woo-woo, but it will change your life.

Continuing to change his own life, Guy attended Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting.

If you haven’t made the connection, this was Guy Spier’s Hero’s Journey, also known as the monomyth. The reluctant hero embarks on an adventure, faces challenges, and returns transformed.

Guy Spier became obsessed with value investing, but he still couldn’t get a job as a stock analyst.

Until one day, his father called from his home in London to suggest that Guy manage some money for him. He entrusted around $1 million. Within a year he invested more, and two associates invested alongside him. As a result, the funds’ assets amounted to around $15 million. Guy named it the Aquamarine Fund. His father’s company, Aquamarine Chemicals, inspired the name. Guy Spier’s Aquamarine Fund started trading on September 15, 1997.

Was getting started with his father’s help an unfair advantage? That depends on your definition of fair. If so, unfair for whom? Someone else who hasn’t demonstrated their ability to manage money?

The whole idea is abstract and intangible.

The truth is it’s up to each of us to find our own unfair advantage.

Guy recognizes his cognitive biases.

Diagnosed with ADD, he designs his life and work to fit his requirements.

One more lesson: Control your environment.

"We like to think that we change our environment, but the truth is that it changes us."

– Guy Spier

Most fund managers cluster in financial centers like New York to be “close to the action.”

Not Guy Spier.

He relocated to Zurich, Switzerland. His reasoning:

"New York with its restless energy, competitive spirit, and pockets of extreme wealth accentuated some aspects of my own irrational nature that aren't conducive to good investing. In comparison to New York, Zurich shares some commonalities with Omaha. Occasionally people ask me, 'But isn't it boring there?' My answer: Boring is good. As an investor, that's exactly what I want."

– Guy Spier

Most fund managers need a firehose of financial data.

Not Guy Spier.

He disconnected from the constant stream of financial media.

He stopped watching Bloomberg TV and CNBC.

He canceled subscriptions to real-time market data.

He stopped taking calls from salespeople completely.

He removed the ticker tape and constant price updates from his life.

As he explained in his book:

"The main way in which I deal with these distractions is that I do not take calls from sales people. Period. Will I miss some opportunities? Certainly. But over a long period, it will help me avoid an awful lot of investment pain."

– Guy Spier

Guy meticulously crafted his workspace to reduce cognitive biases:

He keeps a clear desk to avoid distractions.

On his desk are pictures of Charlie Munger and other role models to remind him of principles.

In his office are big clocks to help with his ADD.

One more lesson: Align incentives.

Spier’s Aquamarine Fund has no management fee structure. It only has performance-based incentives aligned with investors. This he cloned from Warren Buffett.

Most investors obsess over short-term performance.

Not Guy Spier. He created a rule:

"Before buying stock, make sure you like it enough to hold on for at least two years, even if the price halves right after you buy it."

– Guy Spier

This forced him to focus on business fundamentals rather than market timing.

One last thing: The “inner scorecard”.

Guy shifted from seeking external validation to measuring himself by his own standards:

"The entire pursuit of value investing requires you to see where the crowd is wrong so that you can profit from their misperceptions. This requires a shift toward measuring yourself by an inner scorecard."

– Guy Spier

From 1997 to 2017, the Aquamarine Fund returned 597.6% after fees versus 312.2% for the S&P 500.

That’s almost double the market’s return. Guy achieved this by doing the opposite of what most investors do:

Create quiet instead of noise.
Seek boring instead of exciting.
Think long-term instead of short-term.
Go for environment design instead of raw intelligence.
Maintain your inner scorecard instead of outer validation.

As Guy himself summarized:

"The goal isn't to be smarter. It's to construct an environment in which my brain isn't subjected to quite such an extreme barrage of distractions and disturbing forces that can exacerbate my irrationality."

– Guy Spier

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

Join Our Community

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)guy spierbillionairewealthmethods of prosperity<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 122]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-122 7FmepeIWVl0bGtDs4AJIFri, 26 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

It’s not what you buy; it's what you pay for it. A great company at an exorbitant price is a poor investment, but a mediocre company bought for a bargain price can be a great investment.

– Howard Marks

Now you can PRE-SAVE my new single, Put It All Together here.

Newsletter examining the methods used by historical figures to accumulate wealth.

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 122. It was originally deployed October 16, 2025. As of June 25, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.158: Nick Sleep .

122

Become a Billionaire like Howard Marks

Howard Marks

Howard Marks (born 1946), co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, one of the world’s largest distressed securities investors.

It was during the 2008 crisis.

Everyone was panicking.

Everyone was selling.

Howard Marks raised an $11 billion distressed debt fund.

Why should that make you reconsider your life choices?

That’s what made him smarter than most.

He waited a year before deploying it.

He sacrificed $160 million in management fees to ensure he was buying at the absolute bottom.

Investment risk comes primarily from too-high prices, and too-high prices often come from excessive optimism and inadequate skepticism and risk aversion.

– Howard Marks

The lesson? Have discipline to wait.

Even when holding massive capital.

This demonstrates exceptional patience and risk control.

Howard Marks (born 1946) is the co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management. Oaktree is one of the world’s largest distressed securities investors.

Investment success doesn’t come from ‘buying good things,’ but rather from ‘buying things well.’

– Howard Marks

Howard Marks is an American investor, writer, and co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management. Oaktree is a leading global investment firm. They specialize in distressed securities and alternative assets.

Marks began his career at Citicorp. He worked as an equity research analyst. He later became Director of Research, overseeing convertible and high-yield debt portfolios. He then joined TCW Group in 1985, where he organized one of the first major distressed debt funds.

The safest and most potentially profitable thing is to buy something when no one likes it.

– Howard Marks

Most investors chase popular, high-quality companies during good times.

They chase popularity or market fads.

Not Howard Marks. He pioneered investing in distressed debt.

That is, when companies get into financial trouble, they issue bonds and securities. No one else will touch them.

In 1988, he organized one of the first major distressed debt funds at TCW Group.

With that move, he entered a space which most investors considered too risky.

The most important thing is risk control.

– Howard Marks

In 1995, Marks and a small group of partners left TCW to found Oaktree Capital Management in Los Angeles. Oaktree Capital Management became a leader in high-yield debt and private equity investing.

Large amounts of money aren’t made by buying what everybody likes. They’re made by buying what everybody underestimates.

– Howard Marks

We can recognize his insightful memos on investing and market cycles. Many regard them as essential reading, including Warren Buffett.

If Warren Buffett pays attention to Howard Marks, what are you doing?

In 1999, Howard Marks recognized something big. He published Bubble dot com (the memo) in January 2000.

He warned us about what turned into the internet bubble, going against the market.

The idea came in the fall of ’99, when I was reading a book called Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation. And it talked about past bubbles... in particular, the South Sea bubble, in which the British government granted an exclusive license to... The South Sea Company, for trade with... South America. And, sounding familiar to today, the government had a deficit, and they had trouble meeting the deficit and funding it, and so they figured they’d make a lot of money if they created The South Sea Company. People thought it was a get rich quick scheme, so they jumped on board and traded it. But as I read the book, I saw things going on, and I said, ‘this is what’s happening today’.

– Howard Marks

Most investors chase maximum returns. They seek above-average returns in boom times.

Not Howard Marks.

He built his entire philosophy around minimizing losses first.

Marks aimed for average performance in bull markets while minimizing losses in downturns.

He knows large losses have an outsized negative impact on long-term compounding.

That’s why he avoids herd behavior.

He holds cash during overheated periods.

He waits for downturns to deploy capital into undervalued opportunities.

The road to long-term investment success runs through risk control more than through aggressiveness.

– Howard Marks

Howard Marks achieves 19% annual returns. How? By avoiding disasters rather than hitting home runs.

This approach is contrary to the “go big or go home” mentality prevalent on Wall Street.

Marks advocates for what he calls “second-level thinking”.

That is, focusing on inefficiencies overlooked by others.

He buys when others panic.

He mitigates risk instead of chasing the hottest assets.

This is contrary to the traditional pursuit of most investors.

They seek constant outperformance regardless of market conditions.

Not Howard Marks.

He exercises disciplined risk management and cycle awareness.

When other people are carefree, we should be worried. When other people are terrified, we can turn aggressive.

– Howard Marks

Most investors only think surface-level.

They say “This time it’s different.”

Marks goes beyond the obvious conclusions that everyone reaches.

You can’t do the same things others do and expect to outperform.

– Howard Marks

First-level thinkers ask “Is this a good company?”.

Marks asks “Is this a good company at this price, and what does everyone else think?”

This is the key lesson:

Howard Marks achieved financial freedom by being a patient, disciplined contrarian.

He bought what others feared (distressed debt) when they feared it most (during crises).

All while obsessively controlling risk.

His 19% annual returns? Acceptable “average” bull returns.

Don’t try to beat the market in all cycles.

You don’t need spectacular wins.

You need consistent performance. Avoid the catastrophic losses that destroy most portfolios.

Instead of trying to focus on buying good assets, focus on the price you pay.
Instead of considering risk as secondary to reward, prioritize risk mitigation.
Instead of neglecting market cycle impact, have market cycle awareness.
Instead of being overconfident, admit the limits of your knowledge.
Instead of following prevailing market trends, buy in downturns.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of people. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

Methods of Prosperity Community t.me/methodsofprosperity

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)howard marksbillionairewealthmethods of prosperity<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 121]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-121 jYZL3Fc1r9cFb5DHb2CwFri, 19 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMTOn April 14, 1978, Handy Dan Home Improvement Centers fired its two top executives on the same day. Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus. Most people would call that the end of a career. They turned it into the start of The Home Depot. Most founders fear getting fired. These two built a fortune because of it.

We believed from the start that if we brought the customer quality merchandise at the right price and offered excellent service, we could change retailing in the United States. Today, we are the model of what retailing should be.

– Bernie Marcus

This song, Put It All Together , like most of my songs, emerged from my subconscious. I enter a hypnagogic state. Doing this disconnects both the signifier and the signified. You have to break them from their purported referents in the phenomenal world. That’s when interesting ideas take shape. In that respect, this album, Opulence , is cohesive. What makes this song stand out is the visceral inference of incandescent evidence. That is, it’s the most vulnerable song on the whole record. It’s about love. Not being in-love as much as projecting it onto you.

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 121. It was originally deployed October 9, 2025. As of June 18, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.157: Patrick Dovigi .

Methods of Prosperity newsletter is intended to share ideas and build relationships. To become a billionaire, one must first be conditioned to think like a billionaire. To that agenda, this newsletter studies remarkable people in history who demonstrated what to do (and what not to do). Let me know how I can help you out. For more information about the author, please visit seanallenfenn.com/FAQ.

121

Congratulations You’re Fired

Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus

Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus are the co-founders of The Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer in the United States.

It was April 14, 1978. Handy Dan Home Improvement Centers fired two executives on the same day.

Arthur Blank was the Executive Vice President and CEO. Bernie Marcus was the President and CEO. Daylin, Inc., a major retail conglomerate, owned Handy Dan Home Improvement. Daylin acquired Handy Dan in the late 1960s. It became one of Daylin’s flagship home improvement brands. Daylin went bankrupt in 1975. Handy Dan remained at the core of the surviving business. Daylin emerged from bankruptcy under CEO Sanford C. Sigoloff, who didn't like Arthur or Bernie.

Handy Dan was the leading home improvement store in the USA at that time. The company was a mess during bankruptcy. Sigoloff wanted to surround himself with yes men, which Arthur and Bernie were not. So the company found a reason to let them go during the corporate restructuring.

Instead of fighting back, they took significant time to reflect.

What type of competitor would be unbeatable?

It would be a new kind of home improvement business.

Blank and Marcus had spent years at Handy Dan. They experimented with discount pricing. They observed how lowering prices boosted sales volume and reduced costs. The Home Depot would be a clone of Price Club, but for home improvement.

In 1954, Sol Price founded FedMart. It was one of the first discount warehouse retail chains. He later founded Price Club in 1976. Price pioneered the membership warehouse club model. Costco and Sam’s Club followed that model. Price had an innovative customer-centric philosophy. He saw his role as a retailer to be the customer’s “greatest friend and advocate”. Sol Price provided the best value and fair treatment. Sam Walton acknowledged Sol Price. He learned and “borrowed” many retail ideas from Sol Price’s discount models.

The Home Depot would have lower prices than their competition. As well as a wider product selection, and knowledgeable customer service.

They partnered with Ken Langone, who helped secure financing. Merchandising expert Pat Farrah helped them further develop their concept.

You have just been kicked in the ass with a golden horseshoe. This is the greatest opportunity!

– Ken Langone, financial backer of Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus

They envisioned large warehouse-style stores that would dwarf the competition. They would stock it with an unprecedented range of products. The Home Depot would attract DIYers and contractors. Customers would keep coming back for excellent customer service. Associates would have a high degree of training. They could guide customers through any project.

Blank and Marcus empowered associates at every level. In fact, they would even make unscheduled visits to stores to learn from front-line staff. After all, who was closest to the customer? This drove feedback and change in a way that most businesses avoid.

They call this the “Inverted Pyramid” leadership model.

Most CEOs position themselves at the top of the corporate hierarchy.

Not Marcus and Blank. They inverted this structure. They positioned themselves at the bottom. Store associates and customers are at the top.

Most corporations have corporate headquarters. But how many refer to them as the “Store Support Center”? That’s what they called their Atlanta headquarters. Corporate exists to serve the stores.

If we broke down the management structure at The Home Depot on a blackboard, Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank would be at the bottom; the stores would be at the top. The people at the stores are the most important – after customers – because they interface with the customer... We don’t care what your job is. What have you done to help a customer in our stores today?

– Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus, from their book Built from Scratch

Are you seeking new perspectives and fresh ideas? Do you have a willingness to explore new possibilities? Stay ahead of the curve and make the most out of emerging opportunities. Your guide on this journey is Sean Allen Fenn, host of Hidden Secrets Revealed Live (HSRL). You never know what hidden secrets of the universe he or his guests will reveal. HSRL covers current events around money, technology, and behavioral psychology. Recorded live every Wednesday on 𝕏

I was in the stores yesterday, I saw people that are there 26 years, 20 years, 15 years, people that I personally trained who just love what they’re doing every day.

– Bernie Marcus

Most founders maximize their own equity and minimize employee ownership.

Not Marcus and Blank.

They achieved their financial freedom by sharing it.

They encouraged a motivated, loyal workforce that drove exceptional performance and customer satisfaction.

They proved how to do it with The Home Depot founders’ approach.

You have to surround yourself with people who are better than you are. That’s one of the lessons that guided Arthur Blank and me when we started The Home Depot.

– Bernie Marcus

Marcus and Blank put employees and customers first. They would rather do it this way than maximize short-term profits. Which created far greater long-term wealth for everyone involved.

The lesson here is, your employer firing you can lead to your path to financial freedom.

It was the first time in my life I’d ever been fired... I decided I never wanted to work for anybody again. The results are the Home Depot.

– Bernie Marcus

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That's why we're building our core group of people. It's a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. One way is by pooling our resources to invest in Multifamily real estate together. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don't go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

join our Methods of Prosperity community Methods of Prosperity Community

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)arthur blankbernie marcushome depotbillionairewealth<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 120]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-120 CZbuIW6xB1XxLClQiwKNFri, 12 Jun 2026 07:53:23 GMTDavid Geffen was once asked if he wanted to be a limited partner in Kleiner Perkins for a million dollars. “No,” Geffen replied. “I like to be able to change my mind — to access my money when I want.” Most billionaires focus on the long-term. Geffen focused on staying liquid.

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 120. It was originally deployed October 2, 2025. As of June 11, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.156: Steve Schwarzman.

120

Throw Your Billionaire Blueprint Out the Window

David Geffen

David Geffen is an American business magnate, producer, and philanthropist who became one of the most powerful figures in entertainment.

Most billionaire entrepreneurs I write about focus on the long-term. The problem is, that doesn’t work for everyone.

What if you find disconfirming evidence and you refuse to reconsider? That’s called confirmation bias.

The wealthiest people are patient with capital allocation.

Carnegie built his steel empire over decades.

Rothschilds established multi-generational banking networks.

Buffett holds investments for the long term.

Koch expanded inherited businesses over time.

Jeff Bezos started selling books on Amazon. But he knew they would end up selling almost every product online. From The Only Josh Gibson Single Signed Baseball priced at $1,603,652 to AWS.

John Arrillaga built his fortune on a singular focus. Buying real estate near Stanford University. In the process, he transformed Silicon Valley.

The fact is, to become a billionaire, you don’t have to think long-term as far as building one thing.

For example, what do most business “gurus” tell you? Focus on one thing for a long time. Never let go of your equity.

Most billionaires built companies with the intention of holding onto equity for decades.

David Geffen proves none of that is necessary. Geffen sold his companies early and converted equity into cash. David Geffen sold his first music publishing company to CBS when he was 26 years old. CBS acquired it for $4.5 million in CBS stock. Geffen received half of that amount, which made him a millionaire early in his career. He formed Asylum Records in 1971. Then he sold it to Warner Communications for $7 million after one year.

In 1990, he formed Geffen Records (a joint venture with Atlantic Records). Then he sold it to MCA for $550 million in stock. He then cashed out when Matsushita (now Panasonic) bought MCA.

His MCA deal exemplifies his contrarian genius. Geffen anticipated that Matsushita would acquire MCA. He bet on his MCA stock. Matsushita acquired MCA eight months later. His $550 million in MCA stock became $670 million in cash.

“David was simply doing what David does—going for the curves of life.”

– Irving Lazar

Podcast: HIDDEN SECRETS REVEALED LIVE

The truth is, you can throw most of The Billionaire Blueprint out the window.

Don’t get me wrong, focus is still a consistent trait. One which Geffen shares with all billionaires. It’s an obsessive form of focus. It’s a ruthless form of focus.

My point is, you can’t get a prescription that’s guaranteed to make you a billionaire.

Most billionaires have a good reputation. David Geffen does not have a “good” reputation. David Senra calls Geffen a sociopath:

“His glibness has superficial charm. He’s manipulative and cunning. They never recognize the rights of others. See their self-serving behaviors as permissible. That’s David Geffen. They have a grandiose sense of self. They pathologically lie. They have a lack of remorse, shallow emotions, incapacity for love. And a need for stimulation.”

– David Senra, Founders podcast #111

Like Joseph Duveen, Geffen left nothing to chance. Espionage isn’t out of the question for David Geffen. He knew every detail about his client. He would get in the room with his target.

For example, Geffen’s target was a guy named Lastfogel. This was when Geffen worked in the mail room at the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles. Abe Lastfogel worked on Saturdays, so Geffen went to work on Saturdays. For weeks, Geffen stalked Lastfogel. Until one Saturday, the two stood together waiting for the elevator. Geffen introduced himself and struck up a conversation. He made an impression on his target. Lastfogel invited Geffen to lunch. Abe Lastfogel was the agency’s president. It was a connection that propelled Geffen from the mail room to a manager and record executive.

Geffen has a reputation for immediate liquidity to reinvest in diverse assets. That is, plenty of cash to fund assets at a moment's notice. Geffen has an art collection worth over $2 billion. He has stock investments including “almost a billion dollars in Apple alone”. He owns extensive holdings of California real estate.

Geffen made strategic investments at peak moments.

“For instance, in 1991 through 1994, I spent $400 million buying the greatest post-World War II paintings in the world. In 1993, I gave $200 million to [hedge fund manager] Eddie Lampert.”

– David Geffen

Most entrepreneurs follow the traditional path of building a company. Then they hold equity for decades. Until one day they take their business public or sell late in their careers.

Not David Geffen.

His approach was to build something quick at the right time. Then sell early for cash. Then diversify immediately into liquid assets. After that, he makes strategic reinvestments during market opportunities.

This gave him financial flexibility. That’s the foundation of his “always liquid” reputation.

It’s the ability to mobilize capital for major purchases or investments on short notice.

His $47.5 million estate. One of his $400 million art buying sprees. Strategic investments during market downturns.

“I never had a plan for anything. I was just putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to make a fool of myself.”

– David Geffen

Geffen has an instinctive contrarian approach to liquidity over long-term equity building.

That’s how he created one of the most diversified and accessible fortunes.

In conclusion, I wrote this on Yom Kippur (don’t judge me for ketivah). This impacts the context. I’m studying success with you on the holiest day of the year.

Prosperity is divine. The pursuit of wealth for the sake of it leads to emptiness.

That’s not the purpose of this newsletter.

The purpose is to find evidence of some kind of immutable law akin to physics.

I write this to examine the errors as much as the correct actions.

I don’t know David Geffen. But I know he’s a Jewish soul. By whatever means he’s gained financial freedom, let his example show that there are no rules.

For Jewish souls on Yom Kippur, the reality that we have sinned allows us to receive forgiveness.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of people. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

join our community

Methods of Prosperity Community

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)david geffenbillionairewealth<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 119]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-119 qwceWAArJex1T4eQVUR9Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:27:04 GMT

“The Only Way to Win in a Casino is to Own One .”

– Steve Wynn

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 119. It was originally deployed September 25, 2025. As of June 4, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.155: Michael Platt.

Methods of Prosperity newsletter is intended to share ideas and build relationships. To become a billionaire, one must first be conditioned to think like a billionaire. To that agenda, this newsletter studies remarkable people in history who demonstrated what to do (and what not to do). Let me know how I can help you out. For more information about the author, please visit seanallenfenn.com/FAQ.

119

Amateurs Play the Game. Billionaires Own It.

Steve Wynn

Steve Wynn is a prominent American businessman and former casino resort developer who played a major role in the modern development of Las Vegas.

Most casino operators focus on maximizing immediate gaming revenue.

Not Steve Wynn. He invested heavily in non-gaming amenities that many considered unprofitable.

“I don't give a damn about the short-term market implications. This is not a company that gives a damn about short-term markets.”

– Steve Wynn

Wynn built his fortune through luxury casino and hotel developments. Such as The Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore, and properties in Macau and Boston. He owns global real estate in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, New York, Florida, and Idaho. Individual properties listed for $75 million or more. Wynn collects fine art, including multi-million-dollar masterpieces by Picasso, Rembrandt, Monet, and Koons. Additional high-value holdings include the $215 million yacht Aquarius. As well as a Gulfstream G650 private jet. Wynn is one of Nevada’s wealthiest individuals. He’s ranked among the world’s billionaires. His sources of wealth remain casinos, hotels, luxury real estate, and world-class art.

Competitors focused on attracting mass market customers. Wynn targeted “rich folks.” He built a business model around emotional loyalty rather than traditional rewards programs.

“ We're dealing with, well, for lack of a better term, rich folks.”

– Steve Wynn

What do most commercial real estate people rely on? Location, location, location. They want prime real estate.

Wynn understood that “the product makes the location.” He believed in creating extraordinary experiences. That’s what would draw customers regardless of location.

“Fish tanks, tropical gardens, art galleries, dancing fountains, tigers, dolphins.”

Investing in elements like that? It had no direct investment value except to generate emotional responses.

Traditional management is top-down. Wynn created a culture. Thousands of employees sought opportunities to create memorable customer experiences.

As he explained:

“I create the culture and my employees are driving the culture... I have thousands of employees who are going out of their way to find a customer service story.”

– Steve Wynn

Steve Wynn gained financial freedom by inverting the traditional casino business model. Most entrepreneurs in the casino industry focused on maximizing gaming floor square footage. They want to attract high-volume, mass-market customers. They want to minimize costs on non-revenue generating amenities. They focus on short-term profit maximization.

Wynn did the opposite. He invested heavily in luxury amenities and experiences. He targeted affluent customers willing to pay premium prices. He created emotional connections that generated unbreakable customer loyalty. He took a long-term view. He would spend years developing properties with features that seemed “unprofitable”.

His genius was understanding that “casino gambling is colorful and dramatic and theatrical.” His properties aren’t only places to gamble. He treated his properties as destinations for “life-enhancing experiences.” This was psychological insight into human desires for luxury, escapism, and self-actualization. It allowed him to build an empire worth billions. He went beyond providing customers with services. He made them feel something.

Steve Wynn’s estimated net worth is between $3.7 billion and $3.9 billion as of September 2025. His net worth has fluctuated over the past year. It remains in the multi-billion range. This comes from his casino, resort, and art holdings.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: Notice there’s only one action for you to take. The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of people. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)steve wynnbillionairewealth<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 118]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-118 B0hqADlbH7okk3WblODpFri, 29 May 2026 07:02:01 GMT

“Stick to your knitting, do what you can do and do more of it and try and grow it. Don’t try and do everything.”

– John Bragg

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 118. It was originally deployed September 18, 2025. As of May 28, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.154: Rod Lewis.

118

Become a Billionaire Without Selling Unique Products —Even if it Takes 50 Years

John Bragg

John Bragg’s estimated net worth was at over $1 billion in recent years. He has received numerous honors. Which includes Officer of the Order of Canada. He’s also beed inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

Most entrepreneurs are hesitant about aggressive use of debt and leverage.

Not John Bragg, the founder of Oxford Frozen Foods. Which is the world’s largest wild blueberry processor. He’s also the founder of Eastlink. Which is one of North America’s largest privately held telecommunications companies.

He embraced debt when others shied away from it.

“We haven’t shied away from using debt... through the years we’ve always been what I would say almost fully levered... We just kept levering and levering and buying and buying some more... It was hardly a year that we didn’t have an acquisition.”

– John Bragg

He explained why this worked: “I think that separated me from you know the original cable owners... as fiber came along and we started tying them together and there was a lot more capital involved, lots of the small town operators just decided it was time to move on that they didn't want to lever themselves the way it was required.”

– John Bragg

Most entrepreneurs avoid debt or use conservative leverage.

Not Bragg. He used strategic leverage because he thought in decades, not years:

“We were prepared to pay at the top of the cycle... if you paid a little too much and you’re a private company you just have to live a little longer to make it work... Maybe we’re paying too much but if we live long enough it’l be a good deal... Instead of a 10-year payback you took 12 and you work for nothing for 2 years and in the big scheme that was the right thing to do.”

– John Bragg

Some entrepreneurs leverage against hope or projections.

Not Bragg.

He leveraged against predictable cash flows:

“The food business we were levered but we had good assets... but in the cable business... the cash flow was pretty consistent, you could budget it and see where you were going so I wasn’t afraid of that.”

– John Bragg

Many business owners want to go public.

Not Bragg.

He believes that controlling a private company has its advantages.

Having a private business allows you to look at the horizon instead of looking at your feet.

According to John Bragg, “If you look at your feet you’ll stumble.”

He’s paraphrasing a Swedish diplomat named Dag Hammarskjöld:

“Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road.”

– Dag Hammarskjöld

Most entrepreneurs want to differentiate their products.

Not Bragg.

Oxford Frozen Foods needed something to produce during the fall.

So his company made onion rings for McCain Foods.

Exactly like the competition.

Why?

It’s an easy sell.

You don’t want unique onion rings.

For a commodity product, you want it to be the same, or it won’t sell.

Think about it.

Tesla makes self-driving cars. They’re awesome.

But if Elon Musk announces they’re removing all brakes and steering wheels?

You’re not buying that model this year.

Would you buy a cold medicine that you need to administer by vaping, so you don’t have to take a pill?

Before you answer, it’s safe to use and not your ordinary cold medicine.

Chances are, you will avoid this kind of product like the plague. It contains too much of one ingredient: novelty.

When it comes to making a buying decision, you choose the tried-and-true.

Customers don’t take risks on exotic onion rings.

They want the same onion rings every time.

John Bragg knows this. That’s why he makes the same onion rings as his competition, only priced fair and high quality.

It’s counterintuitive for an entrepreneur. We want our product to stand out from the competition. Instead, make it plain. Only with a twist.

“Why we succeeded is we tried to find a product we could run and run the hell out of it... We’re by far the largest wild blueberry producer... So we learn how to do it and do it well and then just run it as much as we can... Don’t try and do everything.”

– John Bragg

Let me conclude with this. John Bragg plays to his strengths:

“I’ve seen a number of friends or associates who made the first million and then thought they knew how to make the second with these [different ventures] and they would get off focus, go buy another company that they didn’t know anything about... and just not focused on what they knew.”

– John Bragg

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthbillionairejohn bragg<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 117]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-117 3XH0jdjcU8mD04c7PRTwFri, 22 May 2026 05:41:31 GMT

“Ideas are a commodity. Execution of them is not. ”

– Michael Dell

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 117. It was originally deployed September 11, 2025. As of May 21, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.153: Amjad Masad.

117

They Say He’s Nice. The Truth Is He’s Shrewd.

Michael Dell

Michael Dell is founder of Dell Technologies.

Most entrepreneurs who go public stay public.

Michael Dell orchestrated something unprecedented in the tech industry.

In 2013, he took his company private.

It was the largest technology leveraged buyout ever ($24.9 billion).

Then he brought it back public again in 2018.

This gave him the freedom to make long-term strategic decisions.

This kind of freedom came without quarterly earnings pressure.

Which is a luxury most public company CEOs don't have.

Most entrepreneurs avoid excessive debt.

Dell embraced it.

He piled on an astronomical $70 billion in leverage to acquire EMC Corporation for $67 billion in 2016.

Forbes called it “ debt unlike anything ever witnessed in corporate America .”

This contrarian approach turned into “the biggest buyout coup of all time.”

What made it possible?

Cheap money and Dell’s cash-generating business.

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He was born February 23, 1965, to a Jewish family in Houston, Texas. His father, Alexander Dell, was an orthodontist. His mother, Lorraine, worked as a stockbroker. Micheal demonstrated an early interest in business and technology. He invested in stocks and precious metals as a teenager. He taught himself about electronics. He earned significant income selling newspaper subscriptions and computer upgrade kits. He attended the University of Texas as a pre-med student. Then he dropped out at age 19 to pursue his computer business full-time.

In 1984, Dell started his company from his dorm room with $1,000.

He named it PCs Limited. He started the direct-to-consumer business model for computers. Which disrupted the traditional retail model.

This was at a time when computer manufacturers sold through retailers and dealers.

Dell bypassed the entire distribution channel.

This wasn’t only cost-cutting.

It was a fundamental reimagining of how technology businesses could operate.

This move gave him direct customer relationships, eliminating middleman costs.

Many tech entrepreneurs build companies only to sell them for a profitable exit.

Dell has remained at the helm of his company for over 40 years.

Forbes called him “technology's last man standing, the final original founder of the computer era still running his baby.”

“Michael is financially sophisticated. He's not a technology geek by any stretch of the imagination... He bought the company back at the right time.”

– George Roberts, KKR’s billionaire co-founder

Dell approaches business with a different mindset.

He’s not only a tech visionary.

He’s a financial engineer.

The result?

Michael Dell’s estimated net worth is about $181 billion.

He now owns a large stake in Dell Technologies. Roughly 40–50% economic interest depending on share class. Plus diversified holdings via his family office, DFO Management. Including positions like Broadcom (AVGO).

This is a level of control and wealth that few entrepreneurs achieve.

Such unconventional methods can lead to extraordinary financial freedom. Dell’s contrarian approach proves it.

He committed to the $6.25 billion Trump Accounts pledge.

He also happens to be a very nice guy. That’s his reputation anyway. Which is rare for a billionaire. His story is counter-evidence to the phrase: Nice guys finish last.

Michael Dell might be nice, but he’s also a shrewd business man.

“As you start your journey, the first thing you should do is throw away that store-bought map and begin to draw your own.”

– Michael Dell

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

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]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)michael dellbillionairewealth<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 116]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-116 C4IqueWRWkBaasZc7zRKFri, 15 May 2026 05:41:27 GMT

“We are all born for something.”

– Amancio Ortega Gaona

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 116. It was originally deployed September 4, 2025. As of May 14, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.152: Gabe Newell.

116

Fashion Is Fast But Wealth Is Slow

Amancio Ortega

Amancio Ortega: Spanish billionaire businessman, founder of Inditex, & flagship brand Zara.

Many founders chase venture capital.

They dilute ownership for rapid scaling.

They leverage debt for expansion.

They seek quick exits via sales or early IPOs.

Not Amancio Ortega, the Spanish billionaire businessman and founder of Inditex.

It’s the world’s largest fashion retailer best known for its flagship brand Zara.

Ortega started from humble beginnings and built a multinational empire.

He achieved financial freedom through a series of unconventional strategies.

His path is not like the paths taken by most entrepreneurs.

Ortega bootstrapped his business from scratch.

He focused on organic growth. He retained tight control.

He played the long game, building wealth over decades. He did it without external funding or heavy borrowing.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m very sorry, but I cannot lend you any more money.”

– grocery store clerk to Amancio Ortega Gaona’s mother, 1948

Twelve year old Amancio Ortega Gaona was still holding his mother’s hand at the grocery store. That was the day he stopped being a child. At that moment of shock, he decided:

“This will never happen to my mother again”.

That clerk who denied another loan to his mother triggered young Amancio.

After that day he got a job as an errand boy at a clothing store. Two years later, he became a tailor's apprentice. His most important lesson was to never lose a customer.

“There is something deeper in me that drives me to work, that has moved me since that day as a child.”

– Amancio Ortega Gaona

At age 27 he started his own company, which he named GOA (his initials, backwards).

In 1963, the local bank loaned him 2,500 pesetas. This is according to the author of Amancio’s biography, Covadonga O’Shea. Beyond that loan, there’s no documentation of outside capital he raised. Other than using savings and family labor.

With his then-wife Rosalia Mera, Amancio launched Confecciones Goa (making bathrobes).

He opened the first Zara store in 1975 in A Coruña, Spain. As his flagship brand Zara grew, he founded Inditex in 1985 as a holding company.

The organic growth of Inditex helped him avoid venture funding or bank loans. Which allowed him to avoid dilution of his stake or add financial pressure.

Most entrepreneurs pitch to investors early to fuel growth. They often trade equity for cash.

Not Amancio.

This self-funded approach allowed him to maintain full ownership and decision-making autonomy.

Many founders seek early IPOs or acquisitions to cash out. They want to achieve financial independence too fast. Often at the cost of losing influence over the company.

Not Amancio.

He kept Inditex private for over 25 years (until 2001). Amancio built Inditex into a global powerhouse before going public. And even then, he retained a 59% stake through holding companies. This secured ongoing control and wealth from dividends and stock appreciation.

Most fast fashion companies outsource production to low-cost countries like China. Why not go for cheaper margins?

Not Amancio.

He kept over half of manufacturing in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

Inditex set up vertical integration. Amancio understands how to use novelty and manufactured scarcity.

Inditex changes store inventory twice weekly and responds to trends in days. Amancio’s brands prioritize speed and customer feedback over cost-cutting.

This requires hands-on control and reinvestment of profits.

That’s better than relying on global suppliers or debt-financed expansion.

Amancio’s business model leads to sustainable cash flows that fund further growth.

The real game Amancio is playing? Commercial real estate.

Amancio Ortega’s estimated net worth is around $122 billion to $130 billion. About $100 billion+ from his Inditex stake. Roughly $25 billion from his real estate portfolio.

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Most real estate entrepreneurs often borrow to amplify returns.

Not Amancio.

Once Inditex generated profits, Amancio diversified into a massive real estate portfolio. He does it through his family office, Pontegadea. He buys real estate using all-cash purchases rather than leveraging debt or loans. The current value of Pontegadea’s real estate portfolio is around $25 billion.

This is a conservative, risk-averse strategy. It provides stable rental income from blue-chip tenants (e.g., Amazon, Apple). Leasing to these big tech companies protects his wealth from retail volatility. That’s how he keeps his financial independence without the pitfalls of over-leveraging.

Today, there’s no shortage of self-promotional entrepreneurs. They try to build personal brands or exit businesses young to enjoy wealth.

Not Amancio.

He’s always shunned publicity. He never had a personal office. He goes out of his way to avoid interviews. He’s continued working hands-on into his 80s.

He prefers daily interactions with designers.

Amancio would rather focus on business passion over personal fame or early retirement.

This attitude allows him to compound his fortune.

He can do it while maintaining a frugal life.

Amancio Ortega Gaona cares about sustainability over flashy milestones.

One more thing.

Amancio’s brands don't buy paid advertising in the conventional sense. Inditex invests very little in traditional ads. Such as TV spots, billboards, or print campaigns, compared to its competitors. Instead, Zara relies on its store experience, product displays, and digital presence.

Amancio believes that prime real estate and retail locations are effective advertising.

“I am absolutely convinced that we all come to this world to fulfill a mission. None of us are here by chance.”

– Amancio Ortega Gaona

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of like-minded individuals. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthbillionaireamancio ortega<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 115]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-115 uHs6N9ivFnOTGulwkRcXFri, 08 May 2026 06:37:47 GMT

“I’ve always believed in doing one thing and doing it better than anybody else.”

– Todd Graves

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 115. It was originally deployed August 28, 2025. As of May 7, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.151: Jim Simons.

115

He Became a Billionaire Doing One Thing and Almost Lost It All

Todd Graves

Todd Graves is an American entrepreneur and business executive, best known as the co-founder and CEO of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, a popular fast-food restaurant chain that specializes in chicken finger meals.

Most entrepreneurs try to do too much. They offer their customers too many choices. Then they wonder why their quality and speed goes down. They end up off track. Instead of staying true to their original concept, they take advice from other people. They lose focus. They listen to the “experts”. They “pivot”.

Not Todd Graves. He’s kept the same menu for Raising Cane’s since day one.

“Staying true to what I’ve done. Not listening. I know who I am. And I’m not trying to be all things to all people. Because if you try to be that, you’re gonna not be anything to anybody.”

– Todd Graves

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Most entrepreneurs are seeking typical venture capital, private investors, or loans. Before Todd Graves started his business, he earned and saved the startup capital. He did it through months of hard work. First as a boilermaker in an oil refinery. Then as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, sometimes working 20-hour days.

Most entrepreneurs pursue outside investment, but Graves chose to self-fund. The truth is he had to. Every bank and investor he approached rejected him. That decision made his financial independence possible without diluting ownership or control.

He turned down multiple billion-dollar offers to buy Raising Cane’s. He chose instead to retain ownership and continue building the company himself. Which allowed him to maintain over 90% control. That decision allowed him to grow its value far beyond those offers.

But then he made a mistake that would almost cost him his entire business.

He borrowed from the community bank. Then he would have a sub-debt investor. Which means subordinated debt to the bank. That allowed him to raise $200,000 and give the note to the bank. So the bank gets their money first. He had to pay a 15% return. He didn’t want equity partners, but the banks used that like equity.

That wasn’t a problem because he could open a restaurant and not have to pay employees for two weeks. He didn’t have to pay the vendors for 30 days. Rent wasn’t due for 30 days. On day one, each new restaurant was generating cash flow.

His strategy paid off until it didn’t. Up until 2005 he built 28 locations. Then Hurricane Katrina hit. That’s when 21 of 28 locations went down. All that cash flow stopped.

Todd Graves was over-leveraged.

Todd Graves and his team were quick to respond. They mobilized efforts to reopen stores. They shuttled product and staff from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. As conditions changed, they had to reopen locations multiple times. The company reopened restaurants 37 times in five weeks post-Katrina. Raising Cane’s was among the first restaurants to reopen in affected areas. They provided meals not only to customers but also to relief workers and volunteers.

During difficult times, the rapid reopening of Raising Cane’s in New Orleans was proof. Todd Graves has commitment to his crew and communities. His company has strong culture and hands-on leadership. That’s the only way to navigate the uncertainty and provide support for employees and locals in need.

Today, Todd Graves’ estimated net worth is over $17 billion.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

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]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)billionairewealthtodd graves<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 114]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-114 wqVbNgHv8F0LWsG3tZIPFri, 01 May 2026 06:15:29 GMT

“After a certain point money is meaningless. It ceases to be the goal. The game is what counts”

– Aristotle Onassis

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter 114. It was originally deployed August 21, 2025. As of April 30, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.150: Ira Rennert.

114

How to Be a Master of Controlled Chaos

Aristotle Onassis (1906–1975)

Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping magnate.

Many “bootstrap” entrepreneurs rely on their own capital. Aristotle Onassis mastered the art of leveraging debt and using extensive financing. He pioneered innovative ship financing methods that revolutionized the maritime industry. Which allowed him to control a fleet valued between $100-200 million. All without having to own the ships outright through traditional means.

The lesson? Use other people’s money (OPM).

Most entrepreneurs focus on operational efficiency. Onassis was a master of controlled chaos. He prioritized gathering exclusive market intelligence and insider knowledge. Which gave him strategic advantages in deals and timing.

Information asymmetry was his competitive advantage.

“The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows.”

– Aristotle Onassis

Most entrepreneurs operate within single jurisdictions. Onassis created an intricate network of over 30 corporations across multiple countries. He used flags of convenience (Panama, Honduras, Liberia, Costa Rica).

What is a flag of convenience (FOC)?

It refers to the international shipping practice. This is where ship owners register their vessels in countries other than their own. They take advantage of more favorable regulations, lower costs, or reduced oversight.

Onassis built complex international corporate structure.

Onassis did this to minimize operational costs and regulatory burdens. This practice was unconventional at the time.

Not everyone understands that control is more important than ownership. Onassis found ways to control valuable assets without owning them. He created leverage without traditional ownership. Instead, he used mortgages, long-term charters, and complex financing arrangements. That’s how he was able tobuild his empire with minimal personal capital investment.

“Never ask for small loans.”

– Aristotle Onassis

Many people are risk-averse. Onassis embraced calculated risks as fundamental to his business model. To him they’re opportunities rather than threats.

“My whole life has been a terrific gamble.”

– Aristotle Onassis

At the time of his death in 1975, Aristotle Onassis had a net worth of approximately $500 million. Which is equivalent to about $2.3 billion when adjusted for inflation as of 2025.

“To be happy make sure you are tanned, live in expensive buildings, even if you have to stay in the cellar, go out to expensive restaurants, even if you can only afford one drink and if you have to borrow, borrow a lot.”

– Aristotle Onassis

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of like-minded individuals. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealtharistotle onassis<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 113]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-113 S0vIcd19nnxDPANFIx9GFri, 24 Apr 2026 00:51:11 GMT

“Most of my successes in life have come from learning how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

– Jesse Itzler

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 113. It was originally deployed August 14, 2025. As of April 23, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.149: Charles S. Cohen .

113

How to Become a Spiritual Billionaire

Jesse Itzler

Jesse Itzler is an American entrepreneur, author, and endurance athlete.

Co-founder of Marquis Jet. It’s one of the world’s largest private jet card companies. Which was later acquired by Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets.
Partner in ZICO Coconut Water, which Coca-Cola acquired.
Founder of The 100 Mile Group, a brand incubator and accelerator.
Part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks NBA team.

Early in his career, Jesse performed as the rapper “Jesse Jaymes”. He released the hit single, Shake It Like a White Girl. He wrote over 50 theme songs for major sports teams. including the New York Knicks’ anthem, Go New York Go, and the NBA’s award-winning theme, I Love This Game. He also managed legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC and won a Grammy as a producer in the 1990s.

Jesse is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Books he wrote include, Living With a SEAL . Which details training with Navy SEAL David Goggins. Another book of his is Living With the Monks, about lessons learned in a monastery.

He’s a globally recognized keynote speaker. He delivers talks on business, mindset, endurance, and personal growth.

Jesse has completed over 50 marathons and multiple 100-mile races. Not to mention Ultraman events, and even biked across America.

He co-founded 29029 Everesting. Which isa challenging endurance event. It’s where participants climb a mountain. But not any mountain. They climb until reaching the elevation of Mount Everest!

His wife is Sara Blakely, the founder of SPANX, and they have four children. We love him for his unconventional approach to life. He blends bold entrepreneurship, athletic pursuits, and personal development.

Jesse Itzler’s estimated net worth is between $200 million and $250 million. In October 2021, Sara sold a majority stake in Spanx to Blackstone in a deal that valued the company at $1.2 billion.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthjesse itzler<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 112]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-112 bHpJdjltexdmKyASxslHFri, 17 Apr 2026 22:55:55 GMT

“Don't be intimidated by what you don't know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”

– Sara Blakely

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 112. It was originally deployed August 7, 2025. As of April 16, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no. 148: Bruce Kovner.

112

How To Become a Billionaire by Showing Your Underwear

Sara Blakely

Sara Blakely is founder and part owner of shapewear brand Spanx, which sells undergarments, leggings and apparel.

Shame-based marketing. That’s the traditional shapewear marketing approach (Pre-Spanx). For over 100 years, major manufacturers like Spencer and Spirella did the same thing. They used the old “Before and After Woman” advertising technique. Theyexploited women’s self-doubt to drive sales. Their ads featured exaggerated transformations.

They used language of shame and inadequacy. Using words like “bulges”, “ sags”, and “unlovely”. Which implied that women’s natural bodies were problems that needed fixing. They created anxiety about social acceptance and attractiveness.

The worst part? They used moral undertones. Suggesting that women with deficient morals neglected to wear their brand of corset. They connected physical appearance to personal worth and social standing. They used phrases like “poor unfortunate” and “deep shame”.

Sara Blakely’s approach was different.

She positioned Spanx as empowering women to feel confident and comfortable. She used positive, “girlfriend-to-girlfriend” messaging.

The traditional shapewear approach was uncomfortable.

They reserved it for special occasions. For instance, “your grandmother’s girdle” or “your mother’s unitard”.

Sara Blakely’s approach was different.

She created comfortable, everyday solutions that women could wear every day without discomfort.

The traditional shapewear approach of major shapewear brands relied on expensive advertising campaigns.

Sara Blakely’s approach was different.

She built the brand through authentic customer interactions . Not only was it word-of-mouth, but she made legendary personal demonstrations in stores.

“When I got Neiman Marcus, a lot of people think that’s when you’ve arrived. That’s when I double-timed. I mean, I got on a plane and I was gone for two years straight. And I went to every department store in the country that sold Spanx. Every Neiman, Saks, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales. And I would go before the store opened and do an all-store rally, and tell them what my product was. Explain it to them, do a demo, give out free product. And then stand there in the department for, you know, eight hours a day and tell customers what it was.”

– Sara Blakely

Most shapewear marketers often focused on making women feel inadequate about their bodies.

Historical Examples of Shame-Based Messaging

Historical Examples of Shame-Based Messaging:

Spencer Advertisements (1930s-1950s):

“What can I do? My figure bulges dreadfully”
“You’re headed for trouble if you neglect SAGGING BREASTS!”
“Why don't you get rid of your bulges? You know they are unlovely”
“Have you ‘Bridge-Player’s Bulges’?”
“Do your breasts sag?”

Spirella Campaign (1960s):

“Happiness is a flat tummy” - direct connection of body shape to emotional well-being.

She shared her own authentic story. Her product solved a problem she had. She wanted to achieve a smoother look under her clothes. What was she supposed to wear under white pants? One day she decided to cut the feet off pantyhose. This led her to develop a new type of comfortable, undetectable undergarment. Using $5,000 of her personal savings, she researched, patented, and began to market her product. This real story made the brand relatable and trustworthy.

Most vendors who want to sell their product through Neiman Marcus do what they’re told. They go to trade shows year after year, hoping that the Neiman’s buyer will call them.

Sara Blakely’s approach was different.

She secured a meeting by cold-calling a buyer at Neiman Marcus. Then she flew herself from Atlanta to Dallas for the pitch. During the meeting, she sensed the buyer was losing interest.

What do most people do in this situation? Talk faster, apologize, get escorted out by security.

Sara Blakely’s approach was different.

Sara asked her to come to the ladies’ room. There, she demonstrated the effectiveness of Spanx firsthand. Sara showed the buyer how her white pants looked before and after putting on the product. This hands-on demonstration convinced the buyer. Neiman Marcus agreed to launch Spanx in seven Neiman Marcus stores.

Blakely conceived Spanx in 1998. By 2000, sales began to skyrocket. That’s when Oprah Winfrey featured Spanx in her Favorite Things segment. Sara’s brand gained national attention. Blakely built the company without outside investment. She maintained full ownership, growing Spanx into a global brand. In 2012, Forbes recognized her as the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire. As of 2025, her estimated net worth in 2026 is $1.2 billion. She is also known for her philanthropic work supporting women and girls. Blackstone acquired Spanx in 2021. She’s the executive chairwoman.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthbillionairesara blakely<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 111]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-111 AO5IqRkxaHGOGijlLEDcFri, 10 Apr 2026 06:25:53 GMT

“Talk to successful entrepreneurs. Learn about what they’ve experienced so you can avoid some of the pitfalls that come with wealth.”

– Diane Hendricks

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 111. It was originally deployed July 31, 2025. As of April 9, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no. 147: Stephen Orenstein.

111

From Playboy Bunny to Billionaire

Diane Hendricks

Diane Hendricks worked as a Playboy Bunny to support herself and her child.

Many business owners centralize decision-making, stifling responsiveness to local customer needs. They often focus on price wars or generic offerings. They neglect the tailored service that builds sticky relationships. They fail to invest in understanding their customers’ pain points. Which only leads to commoditized businesses with no differentiation.

Not Diane Hendricks. She’s a female billionaire who owns a roofing company. She’s the sole owner and chair of ABC Supply. Which is one of the largest distributors of roofing materials in the United States. She’s the richest self-made woman in America with a net worth of about $21 billion.

Hendricks prioritized understanding and serving contractors’ needs. Not only does ABC Supply offer roofing products. Her company offers solutions. Which includes fast delivery, reliable inventory, and expert advice. What did she do differently? She empowered branch managers to make decisions tailored to local markets.

The results? Agility and customer loyalty. ABC Supply’s decentralized model ensures branches act like local businesses. They do this while benefiting from national scale.

Many business owners shy away from acquisitions. This could be due to risk aversion or lack of capital. They miss opportunities to consolidate fragmented markets. They pursue misaligned acquisitions, diluting focus or over-leveraging finances.

Integration failures. Cultural clashes. Redundant operations.

These are common when owners lack the same disciplined approach to post-merger execution. They lack the disciplined approach of Diane Hendricks.

Her aggressive acquisitions expanded ABC Supply’s geographic footprint and product offerings.

This is not an offer, solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell securities. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Investing involves risk and may result in partial or total loss. Prospective investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses, and should consult with a tax or legal adviser before making any investment decision.

Hendricks co-founded ABC Supply in 1982. That’s when Ken and Diane Hendricks acquired three failing supply centers from Bird & Sons.

In 1984, Ken and Diane acquired 13 former GAF stores as part of a larger expansion strategy. Which included also acquiring stores from other distributors.

Ken and Diane had experience as roofing contractors. But with this acquisition, they disrupted the building materials distribution business.

Ken’s childhood experiences working with his contractor father inspired him. Suppliers often gave indifferent treatment to contractors. Suppliers failed to meet their practical needs. That bothered him.

Ken and Diane’s guiding principle for ABC Supply was to treat contractors with respect. They provided the products and services necessary to help contractors’ businesses thrive.

She took full ownership after her husband’s death in 2007.

Since taking full control, she’s overseen the acquisition of competitors. As well as complementary businesses (e.g., L&W Supply in 2016). Hendricks integrated them to enhance scale while preserving operational efficiency. She targeted businesses that aligned with ABC’s core strengths.

Many business owners overextend their finances. They chase growth with unsustainable debt or bloated overhead.

They often lack the discipline to reinvest profits, allocating strategic capital. They’re not proactive about cutting costs. They leave their companies vulnerable to market shifts. Others prioritize flashy expenditures (e.g., lavish offices) over operational resilience.

Not Diane Hendricks. She maintained tight control over costs. She keeps ABC Supply lean even as it scaled to over 900 locations. She avoided excessive debt. She funds growth through cash flow and selective borrowing. Which insulated the company during economic downturns like 2008.

In 2010, she gave up a 40% stake in ABC Supply to a financial backer. It was during her company’s major acquisition of Bradco Supply. It was the only way to finance the deal, with the condition that she could buy it back within five years.

In less than four years, she reclaimed full ownership, repurchasing those shares. As of now, she controls all shares of ABC Supply.

Her modest upbringing rooted her frugal mindset. Which translated into a culture of efficiency.

Many business owners chase short-term profits. They cut corners on quality or investment to boost margins. They sell too early or go public before they’re ready. They lose control to external pressures. Diversification into unrelated fields often dilutes expertise.

This is a trap Hendricks avoided. How? By staying laser-focused on roofing and siding distribution.

ABC Supply is a private company. Hendricks kept it that way for a reason. It allows her to focus on long-term growth rather than quarterly earnings pressures. She made heavy reinvestments in the business.

Expanding branches. Upgrading technology. Training staff.

While resisting the temptation to cash out or diversify into unrelated ventures. Her commitment to the core business kept ABC focused and dominant.

Many business owners neglect culture, leading to high turnover or disengaged employees. Micromanagement or distrust erodes morale. While others fail to align incentives with long-term goals. Scaling without a unifying culture often fragments organizations.

This is something Hendricks avoided through personal engagement and clear values.

Many business owners either resist change, or lose their competitive edge. They cling to outdated models. They make radical pivots. Failure to balance innovation with core strengths often leads to missteps. For instance, they over-invest in unproven tech. They abandon loyal customers for new markets.

Not Diane Hendricks. She navigated industry changes.

Economic cycles. Supply chain disruptions. Technological shifts.

She did this by adapting ABC’s operations while staying true to its core mission. For example, she embraced e-commerce and logistics tech to enhance efficiency. But didn’t chase trendy diversifications like unrelated construction sectors.

Many business owners crumble under pressure. They lack the grit to push through setbacks. They may delegate too much. They lose touch with the business, or give up when faced with personal or market challenges.

Not Diane Hendricks. Her hands-on leadership and unwavering commitment set her apart.

About her personal story… Did you know she was a Playboy Bunny in the late 1960s? After becoming a mother at 17, she worked as a Playboy Bunny waitress at the Lake Geneva Playboy Club. This was in Wisconsin. She worked there to support herself and her child, rising from a single mother to billionaire.

Diane Hendricks defied expectations in a male-dominated industry. Her perseverance and tenacity set the tone for the company’s resilience.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthbillionairediane hendricks<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 110]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-110 1L6BSDlrWwk3ZwWowE18Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:15:40 GMT

“Touch your customer, and you’re halfway there.”

– Estée Lauder

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 110. It was originally deployed July 24, 2025. As of April 2, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.146: Ron Baron.

110

How to Get Rich by Giving Gifts

Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder: Iconic Businesswoman and Cosmetics Pioneer

It was the 1940s-1950s. Most cosmetics companies relied on magazine advertising and mass marketing campaigns.

Estée Lauder refused to spend money on traditional advertising. Instead, she believed in direct, personal customer contact and word-of-mouth marketing.

She broke the industry standard for cosmetics companies. They tried to sell without personal demonstration or customer interaction.

Estée was different. She gave personal demonstrations. She brought her creams and cosmetics to salons, hotels, and department stores. There, she allowed customers to experience the products firsthand before purchasing.

“Whatever you give comes back to you.”

– Estée Lauder

Cosmetics companies sold their products at fixed prices without additional incentives. She pioneered a new practice, based on a psychological principle.

She offered free samples and “gifts with purchase,” which became an industry standard.

It’s a strategy based on the principle of reciprocity. That is, giving something of value to encourage future purchases.

Reciprocity: Free samples and gifts created a sense of obligation in customers
Personal Touch: Physical contact and personal attention made customers feel valued
Social Proof: Personal recommendations and word-of-mouth were more powerful than advertisements
Experiential Marketing: Letting customers try products created stronger purchase intent. More than only seeing advertisements.

Estée Lauder was ahead of her time. Her approach became the foundation for modern cosmetics marketing.

Free samples are now standard across the industry.

“ Gift with purchase” is a ubiquitous marketing strategy.

Personal beauty consultations became standard in department stores.

Customer relationship management became a crucial part of beauty marketing.

Estée Lauder understood what the cosmetics industry failed to recognize: Personal relationships. Selling personal products requires trust, experience, and emotional connection.

Which is something that traditional advertising alone won’t achieve. She established principles that remain effective today.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: Fake it until you make it. Born as Josephine Esther Mentzer, July 1, 1908 in Queens, New York, she reinvented herself as Estée Lauder. Josephine was the daughter of Jewish immigrants. She grew up working in her family’s hardware store. Her uncle was a chemist who developed homemade skin creams. She learned the fundamentals of beauty and product formulation from him. Throughout her career, Estée Lauder fostered various myths about her background. Which included claims of being from European nobility as part of her brand’s mystique.

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]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthestée lauder<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 109]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-109 NbkgfInlKZ4826yWrcKLFri, 27 Mar 2026 02:30:33 GMT

“How can someone give away fifty percent of profits and make billions more than if he’d kept it all?”

– Charlie Munger (referring to Les Schwab)

The following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 109. It was originally deployed July 17, 2025. As of March 26, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no. 145: James Gerard “Jamie” Dinan .

109

Don’t Waste Your Time on Anything Else. Get Incentives Right.

Les Schwab

Les Schwab (1917-2007)

Most business owners struggle in six areas:

They lack perfect alignment of incentives.
They lack generosity.
They don’t require reinvestment.
They lack supplier diversity.
They don’t build culture first.
They fail to maintain transparency.

But after studying Les Schwab, you can do better.

He had no education beyond eighth grade. To support himself, he worked as a newspaper distributor starting at age twelve. Without a bike. He delivered newspapers on foot for the first two months. He ran over nine miles every day. He had to save money to buy a used bike. He was too proud to complain.

January 1933. His mother died from pneumonia. His father was a drunk. He died outside of a moonshine joint. That made Les an orphan before the age sixteen.

It was the middle of the Great Depression. There were eight or nine newspaper routes. Les Schwab worked all of them. He was earning around $175–$200 per month. His school principal only earned $150 per month.

Les got married at age eighteen. He stayed in the newspaper business for the next fifteen years. Bend Bulletin recruited him as circulation manager. That’s when he realized it’s possible to know more than anyone else about a certain thing.

I’ve mentioned this before in previous editions of this newsletter. Naval Ravikant calls it specific knowledge. Les Schwab knew more about the newspaper business than any of his bosses. In reality, it’s a sales job.

Les Schwab had a natural ability. He possessed an innate talent for sales, persuasion, marketing, and advertising.

During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps. He was twenty eight years old. After the war, he resumed his newspaper work. But he became dissatisfied working for someone else. At the age of thirty three, he decided to go into business for himself. The only problem was, he had no experience in another profession.

Did that stop him? Of course not. His brother-in-law offered to finance whatever business that Les decided to go into. Les believed he was running out of time. If a man waits too long to start a business, the runway becomes too short. He will get into a rut and never make it happen.

Instead of overthinking, Les chose to buy a franchise. In 1952, Schwab purchased OK Rubber Welders. It was a small tire store in Prineville, Oregon. Les borrowed $17,000. Then he built a tire retail empire.

He did it through a relentless focus on customer service. Practices like running out to greet customers and keeping showroom tires clean. Schwab introduced the concept of showroom tire sales.

He was a genius at marketing (“Free Beef in February” promotion). His legendary “Walnut for Ice, Sawdust for Snow” campaign emerged from his observation. The manufacturers mix both walnut shells and sawdust into the rubber. Both materials were in the tires anyway. Les invented a reason. Customers believed Les Schwab tires were superior to other brands for this reason.

If his marketing alone wouldn’t grow his business, employee profit-sharing would.

He grew Les Schwab Tire Centers into a Fortune 500 company with over $1.6 billion in annual sales. His success came from innovative solutions to two critical business challenges:

eliminating agency costs through revolutionary profit-sharing.
bypassing monopolistic tire manufacturers through strategic sourcing.

What is agency cost? It’s the Principal vs. Agent problem. A principal is an owner; an agent is an employee. A principal’s incentives are different than an agent’s incentives.

“As a business owner you are always going to be dealing with the principal-agent problem. You’re always going to be trying to figure out: How do I make this person think like me? How do I incent them? How do I give them founder mentality?”

– Naval

The other big problem with the tire business of that era was the oligopoly of tire manufacturers. All the rubber companies are American and they dominate the market. They colluded on pricing. Les Schwab became independent (fighting with the franchisor), competing against them. The big American companies won’t sell to Les at a fair price, so he goes to a Japanese supplier. It was the Toyo Tire Company. At the time, they were the only foreign tire supply.

Charlie Munger mentioned that Les Schwab competed

“with the stores that were owned by the big tire companies that made all the tires”

And later, massive discounters like Costco and Sears. Schwab succeeded in the challenging tire retail industry.

By the time of his death in 2007, Les Schwab Tire Centers had expanded to hundreds of locations. He had thousands of employees. Les Schwab Tire Centers was one of the largest independent tire retailers in the country. Schwab’s management philosophy emphasized treating both customers and employees like family. His legacy continues to shape the company's culture today. The company remained family-owned until its acquisition by Meritage Group LP in 2020.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: I’m giving you the details about how Les Schwab solved those two critical business challenges. Remember? I mentioned this at the beginning. Here they are:

Part 1: Eliminating Agency Costs Through Ownership-Based Incentives

The Revolutionary 50/50 Profit-Sharing Model

Les Schwab’s most innovative solution to agency problems? His radical profit-sharing structure:

Core Structure:

50/50 profit split with store managers - unprecedented in retail
Managers received 50% of their store's profits after covering costs
Over 51% of total company profits shared with employees before taxes
Created true ownership mentality without legal ownership transfer

Psychological Impact:

Transformed employees from “hired help” to business partners
Eliminated the principal-agent problem by aligning interests
Managers acted like owners because Les treated them as owners
Created powerful word-of-mouth recruiting as success stories spread

Mandatory Reinvestment: “Skin in the Game”

Schwab solved the problem of short-term thinking through a clever reinvestment requirement:

The Mechanism:

Managers had to reinvest their profit distributions back into new store locations
This created compound growth incentives - success bred more success
Prevented managers from taking profits and becoming complacent
Built long-term wealth while maintaining growth momentum

Results:

Managers became wealthy through compound reinvestment
Company expanded through manager-funded growth
Created a self-selecting system where only committed people stayed

Anti-Dishonesty Systems

Zero Tolerance Policy:

Immediate termination for any dishonesty, regardless of amount
Applied to all levels - no exceptions for top performers
Created culture where integrity was non-negotiable
Prevented the "small compromises lead to big corruption" problem

Transparency Mechanisms:

Open book management - employees could see all financial data
Profit and loss statements shared with all staff
Performance metrics visible across all stores
Created accountability through visibility

Personnel Selection:

Hired for character first, skills second
Promoted exclusively from within to maintain cultural integrity
Long evaluation periods to assess trustworthiness
Created strong cultural barriers against dishonest behavior

Part 2: Breaking Manufacturer Monopolies Through Strategic Sourcing

The Japanese Tire Revolution

Market Context (1950s-1970s):

American tire manufacturers (Goodyear, Firestone, General) operated as oligopoly
Fixed pricing, limited innovation, poor dealer terms
Manufacturers dictated terms to dealers with little negotiation
Quality was inconsistent, yet prices remained high

Schwab’s Strategic Response:

Early adoption of Japanese tire manufacturers (Bridgestone, Michelin entering US)
Negotiated direct with manufacturers for better terms
Bypassed traditional distribution chains
Created competitive pressure on American manufacturers

Supplier Diversification Strategy

Multi-Source Approach:

Never became dependent on single manufacturer
Maintained relationships with 6-8 major tire brands
Could play suppliers against each other for better terms
Created backup options if one supplier became difficult

Volume Leverage:

Built scale fast through profit-sharing expansion
Used combined volume across all stores for better pricing
Negotiated exclusive regional deals in some cases
Achieved purchasing power rivaling national chains

Quality Focus:

Emphasized tire performance over brand loyalty
Educated customers about tire technology, not only brand names
Built reputation on actual performance rather than manufacturer marketing
Could drop underperforming brands without customer loss

Vertical Integration Elements

Les Schwab Brand Development:

Created private label tires for certain applications
Controlled quality and margins on specialty products
Reduced dependence on major manufacturers for some segments
Built customer loyalty to "Les Schwab" rather than tire brands

Service Integration:

Combined tire sales with installation and service
Created recurring revenue streams beyond tire sales
Made customer relationship less dependent on any single manufacturer
Built switching costs for customers through service relationships

Part 3: The Munger-Buffett Analysis

Charlie Munger’s Four Success Factors

Munger identified Schwab’s key advantages:

Capitalizing on Japanese Tire Invasion: Early recognition and adoption of superior Japanese tires
Strong Incentive Structure: The 50/50 profit-sharing that eliminated agency costs
Clever Personnel Selection: Hiring for character and promoting from within
Effective Advertising: Building brand recognition despite manufacturer competition

Competitive Moats Created

Human Capital Moat:

Profit-sharing created employee loyalty impossible to poach
Competitors couldn't match compensation without destroying margins
Cultural advantages compound over time

Operational Excellence:

Service standards maintained through profit incentives
Customer satisfaction drove repeat business and referrals
Operational efficiency improved through owner-manager mindset

Supplier Relationship Advantages:

Early adoption gave preferred access to Japanese manufacturers
Volume and reliability made Schwab preferred customer
Diversified sourcing reduced supplier power

Part 4: Lessons for Modern Business

Key Principles

Align Incentives: Make employees think and act like owners
Share Profits: Penny-wise, pound-foolish doesn't work long-term
Require Reinvestment: Prevent short-term thinking through investment requirements
Diversify Suppliers: Never become dependent on single sources
Build Culture First: Hire for character, train for skills
Maintain Transparency: Open books build trust and accountability

Modern Applications

Agency Cost Solutions:

Equity participation for key employees
Profit-sharing tied to performance metrics
Long-term vesting to prevent short-term thinking
Transparent performance measurement

Supplier Power Solutions:

Multi-vendor strategies
Direct manufacturer relationships
Volume aggregation across business units
Alternative sourcing development

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthles schwab<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 108]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-108 qTxA8JuMJNH7c5KBIvQDFri, 20 Mar 2026 03:08:01 GMTThe following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 108. It was originally deployed July 10, 2025. As of March 19, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no. 144: Jim Clark .

108

God Wants You To Be Rich

Reverend Ike

Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II (June 1, 1935 – July 28, 2009)

“God is not a distant creature, far off in the sweet by and by. God is within you. God lives in you, through you and as you.”

– Reverend Ike

Most religious people suffer from a misconception about money. That is, they fail to acknowledge the direct connection between this trinity:

Material wealth, spiritual consciousness and self-knowledge.

This is a holy trinity they reject. They have the misconception that money is corruptive to Spirit.

This is a tragic error.

Especially for anyone trying to find virtue in poverty. The truth is, there’s no virtue in poverty.

There are plenty of entrepreneurs who came from nothing to become millionaires. Even less have become billionaires. In the business world, it’s expected.

But when a black child born into poverty in 1935 grows up to be a millionaire by preaching the Gospel, it’s unusual. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II was his name. His popular name was Reverend Ike. He was an American minister and evangelist. Reverend Ike pioneered the “prosperity gospel” movement in the United States.

1. Rejection of External Divinity

Traditional Christianity places God as an external, transcendent being “in heaven.” Reverend Ike rejected this concept. Instead, he believed that divine power resides within each individual.

2. Inner Divinity and Self-Empowerment

He taught that “God lives in you, through you and as you.” Individuals are not only connected to God, but that they are divine expressions. This was revolutionary thinking. This idea empowered people. They could see themselves as having inherent divine authority and creative power.

3. Immediate Access to Divine Power

He emphasized “God is within you” in the present tense. Reverend Ike taught that divine power is immediately accessible. Divine power isn’t accessed through external religious institutions, clergy, or rituals.

Science of Living philosophy presented spiritual principles as psychological laws. You can apply these laws in a scientific way to create desired outcomes. This approach:

Treated consciousness as the primary creative force
Emphasized practical results over theological doctrine
Viewed the Bible as a psychology textbook rather than religious history
Focused on present-moment empowerment rather than future salvation

His famous slogan “You can't lose with the stuff I use!” reflected this practical, results-oriented approach to spirituality. Which promised immediate, measurable benefits rather than distant heavenly rewards.

How This Differed from Traditional Christianity

Source of Authority: Traditional Christianity places divine authority in external sources. Reverend Ike placed it within the individual.
Purpose of Faith: Traditional Christianity emphasizes faith in external divine figures. His Science of Living emphasized faith in oneself as a divine being.
Relationship to Material Wealth: Traditional Christianity often views wealth with suspicion. Reverend Ike taught that prosperity was a natural expression of divine consciousness.
Method of Spiritual Practice: Traditional Christianity relies on prayer to an external God. His approach treated prayer as a form of self-programming and mental conditioning.

He was born in Ridgeland, South Carolina. His father was of Dutch Indonesian heritage and his mother was African-American. She was the granddaughter of a slave. His mother believed that black people in the South were born to suffer. To her, it was God’s will for her to carry the old rugged cross all her life. When she passed on to be with the Lord, only then was she allowed to exchange it for a crown.

His mother decided to leave his father and took her son with her. The reason? Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter, her husband, refused to settle for a life of poverty. He started businesses and invested in real estate. She believed it was a sin to be rich. To follow Jesus, a man should pursue meekness. This rejection triggered resentment by his father towards his mother. As a result, he refused to give any financial support.

The year was 1949. He was 14 years old. Young Fred became a preacher at his father’s Baptist church. By age 15, he accepted a position as assistant pastor at Bible Way Baptist Church. At 16, he was the church’s sole minister for a while. At 17, he elevated a baptismal service to a higher level that the old church deacons didn’t appreciate. To young Reverend Ike, it was a great celebration which brought the joy of the Holy Spirit.

What started as an early morning baptism carried on with a marching band playing music. Reverend Ike led the congregation from the creek to the church with song and praise. The religious old church people described it as a devil’s ceremony. That “young boy who had such big ideas of himself” was in trouble. By the end of that Sunday, the elders kicked Reverend Ike out.

That night, the shame of telling his mother was unbearable for young Reverend Ike. He stood outside his house, hesitant to go inside. Instead, he went across the street to Sadie’s. It was the juke joint owned by Miss Sadie. There, he sat down with a bottle of soda, amongst gamblers playing dice and other sinners. They didn’t have a care in the world, while his heart was heavy. That’s when a prostitute approached him.

Reverend Ike had an invitation which included a scholarship for him. He was to attend the International Christian Youth Festival in Buffalo, New York. It was a 2 week seminar that would provide tuition, room and board. He only needed enough money to pay for transportation. The cost of which was more than he had, or would have, since the church kicked him out.

Lady T was one of the prostitutes who worked out of Sadie’s. She noticed young Fred, concerned at his countenance. He was so down on his luck. He told her what happened.

“So they kicked you out yo church, sweetie? Why those dirty rotten dogs. I’m telling you, those church folks are too much, man. So full of themselves in their high and mighty ways. Huh! They have some nerve talkin’ trash about the way we treat each other over here, don’t they?”

He thought she was right. They were hypocrites. Even so, name calling wasn’t going to get him to Buffalo.

“Look-y here, young blood. I’ll tell you this right now, so you pay attention to me. You want to go up there in the North to this old church thing? Well then, you go on right ahead, honey. You hear?”

That’s when Lady T took young Reverend Ike’s fountain pen he carried with him. She reached into the bosom of her dress and took out her check book. She wrote him a check for the full amount. The check was good, and he went on a life changing trip.

“Money is the getting power of self-awareness.”

– Reverend Ike

In 1952, Reverend Ike’s formal bible school training commenced. He studied at The Church of Christ Bible Institute. Then he transferred to the Manhattan Bible Institute for his final year. The American Bible Institute, based in Chicago, governed both schools. The bishop provided Reverend Ike with an apartment. The bishop payed for some, but not all of the fees for his school.

Have you ever been in a situation like this? One where boundaries and expectations are without clear definition?

The demands by the bishop upon Reverend Ike cut into his study time. They included driving the bishop around, typing for him, and running errands. He expected these services in exchange for his support and living expenses. The bishop didn’t have the courtesy to define his expectations. It was shady business that led to distrust and resentment.

One day, the bishop had young Reverend Ike drive him to the home of a minister. The bishop told him it would only be a few minutes and to wait for him. It was a half hour before young Reverend Ike realized what was happening. The bishop was eating dinner with the minister while a starving Reverend Ike waited in the car. It had been several days since he had a meal anywhere.

Reverend Ike vowed to never treat people like this when he came into some money. His generosity became legendary. Anyone who hung out with him ate well. Anyone who went shopping with him was sure to receive a new suit or pair of shoes. He loved to share his abundance and see the joy in their eyes.

He received his Bachelor of Theology degree at 21 years old, in June 1956. It wasn’t without a fight. He rejected the premise of a punitive God. One who doled out favors to some and punishment to others, while expecting his worshipers to fear him. Reverend Ike had a different concept of God. He believed God to be a loving father who approves of his children, and supports them. God wants his children to flourish in every way possible. As a result of his conflict with the church’s theology, they reprimanded him several times. They threatened to withhold his degree. They requested for him to withdraw from the program. They expected him to walk away from his impending credentials. The school’s dean recommended his permanent suspension.

Reverend Ike refused to quit. The school officials acquiesced. Reverend Ike had a reputation for always paying his bills on time and in cash. He made sure it was clear that he would pay the several hundred dollars and they would award his degree.

Bitter about his time at theological seminary, he enlisted in the US Airforce. He spent 2 years in the military as a chaplain service specialist. In the library there, he discovered the work of Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993). Peale was a Methodist minister and bestselling author. He was most famous for his book, The Power of Positive Thinking(1952). He served as pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City for over 50 years. His optimistic philosophy combined Christian faith with positive psychology principles.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he...”

Proverbs 23:7

Reverend Ike began broadcasting his radio sermons in the late 1960s. He named his weekly radio show “The Joy of Living.” That show brought him to start a church in Boston.

The name of Reverend Ike's church in Boston was the Miracle Temple . Which he founded in 1964. That’s where he practiced faith healing before relocating his ministry to New York City.

Reverend Ike established his ministry in New York City in 1966. That year, he moved his operation from Boston. His ministry acquired The United Palace, a former Loew’s theater at 175th Street and Broadway.

From there, his ministry reached national prominence by the early 1970s. By the mid-1970s, The Joy of Living was being carried by around 1,770 radio stations across the United States. His television broadcasts reached 2.5 million people across the United States.

Reverend Ike’s estimated net worth at the time of his death in 2009 was around $6 million.

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich…”

Revelation 3:18

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: The purpose of wealth is freedom. You can have financial freedom, but not by yourself. That’s why we’re building our core group of people. It’s a community to help each other achieve financial freedom. One way is by pooling our resources to invest in Multifamily real estate together. Whatever method of prosperity you choose, don’t go at it alone. You can now join our Methods of Prosperity community on Telegram here:

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]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthreverend ike<![CDATA[Methods of Prosperity 107]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/methods-of-prosperity-107 HvuEjdv8qKCfe6GIB8L7Fri, 13 Mar 2026 05:29:16 GMTThe following is Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 107. It was originally deployed July 3, 2025. As of March 12, 2026, original subscribers have received up to Methods of Prosperity newsletter no. 143: Stewart Rahr .

Why Multifamily Real Estate Remains the Ultimate Cash Flow Business*

* Even as Sun Belt rent growth pauses amid supply digestion

Methods of Prosperity newsletter no.107: Sean Allen Fenn (personal anecdote)

“Rich people acquire assets. The poor and middle class acquire liabilities that they think are assets.”

— Robert Kiyosaki

We’re improving quality of life at scale for hard working families. For details visit inveresta.com

Most creative people don’t make creating generational wealth a priority.

They make their life harder by not focusing on money.

They get into the wrong business.

But after careful consideration, I found what works for me.

And yes, anyone can do it.

Let me explain it this way, I’m first and foremost a musician. I’m an artist. I’m an entrepreneur. How good I am at any of those things is another story. After decades of ignorance, I discovered one thing to be true.

It’s not what you do that matters as much as what you own. That is, you must own assets or you will never gain financial freedom. This is a fact. Not my opinion.

The reality is, no matter how hard you work, you must capture the fruits of your labor. In other words, you have nothing if you have no store of value. Which can take the form of bitcoin, gold, stocks, bonds, equity in a business, or real estate. It can even be fine art.

So I had that realization, but I still had a problem to solve. That is: cash flow.

My first entrepreneurial adventure, Artlyngo, didn’t have cash flow. I also own SAFE New Media. Most media companies rely on advertisers for cash flow. There had to be another way. Which made me wonder.

What if, instead of starting from scratch and building cash flow, what if we buy it?

My father is a real estate professional. He’s been working in real estate in some capacity since the 1980’s. He worked for companies on the asset management side since 1979. At least one of those companies was a Multifamily real estate syndicator. They bought apartment buildings and hired him to manage them. He knows that business. I grew up as the son of an asset manager.

Around the summer of 2023 it hit me.

Multifamily real estate – apartments of 100 units – is the perfect cash flow business. Why?

Unlike other products and services, it has another layer stacked on top: access.

Think about it. What kinds of businesses exist? There are only four.

1. product

2. service

3. membership or access

4. money lending

The problem with most products and services is demand. There might not be a demand for unicycle riding bowling pin jugglers.

But there is ALWAYS a demand for rental apartments.

Be aware that supply and demand fluctuates. For example, when there is a substantial increase in supply, demand thins out. This is especially true when the new, modern apartments rent for around the same price as the older ones. That’s why cash flow goes down sometimes.

Sure, there are a lot of factors (see below).

It’s a combination of always-present housing need with access-layer value. Which creates a resilient investment class. One that should continue attracting capital and generating steady returns.

It’s now less likely for most people new to the housing market to be able to buy a single family home. Rental income is one of the only sources of income which beats inflation (not always).

As an asset class, there are very few good alternatives to Multifamily real estate. The exception to that (data centers for instance) depends on your preference as an investor.

For example, some people prefer investing in self-storage units. Others enjoy flipping single-family houses. What I’ve found is that Multifamily is perfect for economies of scale. Mobile home parks are another option. Each kind of asset has its feature. You can alway diversify. Depending on your skill and experience as an operator, you can do anything. My only suggestion is to avoid doing nothing.

See the PS for details.

I like you,

– Sean Allen Fenn

PS: Economic, Social, and Technology factors are explained below.

Multifamily real estate remains a resilient investment class. It offers steady cash flow, scale advantages, and inflation hedging through rents. As well as appreciation over time. Be aware of the following three market factors:

Economic, Social, and Technological

Economic Factors

These drive demand, pricing power, financing, and overall returns, often creating cyclical pressures.

• Interest Rates and Capital Markets

Rates have stabilized in the 3.6–4.6% range for longer-term benchmarks. Which supports renewed deal flow. But this elevates borrowing costs compared to pre-2022 levels. So it limits aggressive development and favors value-add or stabilized assets. GSE lending caps increased in 2026. Which boosts debt availability for multifamily. Equity investors seek predictable yields amid uncertainty.

• Job Growth and Economic Uncertainty

Slower hiring (e.g., ~~75,000 jobs/month in 2025) and policy shifts (tariffs, deregulation). That’s what weighs on consumer confidence and renter budgets. Unemployment is higher among key 20–28-year-old renters (~~7.4% in late 2025). Which softens demand in some markets. However, recession is unlikely. AI-driven productivity could support longer-term growth.

• Supply-Demand Dynamics and Rent Growth

The big 2022–2024 delivery wave (peaking at historic highs). Occupancy is absorbing. Vacancies are tapering. Starts are down ~40% since 2023. National rent growth was flat to slightly negative in much of 2025 (e.g., ~0–0.8% effective).

Forecasts point to modest recovery:

~0.5–2.3% in 2026, accelerating later as supply tightens (deliveries projected ~260,000–300,000 units in 2026). Sun Belt markets face lingering softness from oversupply. Northeast/Midwest see steadier gains due to chronic underbuilding.

• Affordability Gap and Homeownership Barriers

High mortgage costs (often 2–3x apartment rents) keep would-be buyers renting longer. Which is bolstering demand despite wage stagnation for lower earners. This structural edge supports multifamily’s “necessity” appeal. Overall, economic headwinds create short-term caution. But this positions the sector for recovery. Supply will normalize and rates will likely hold steady.

Social Factors

Demographics and societal shifts fuel sustained renter demand, even amid affordability strains.

• Persistent Housing Affordability Crisis

Home prices are rising (~$420,000 median). Wages are stagnant for many. This pushes homeownership out of reach (first-time buyer age now ~40). This also creates a growing “renter-by-necessity” pool. Half of multifamily households are cost-burdened (30%+ of income on rent). It drives demand for rentals, especially in urban/suburban areas.

• Demographic Trends

Population growth favors Sun Belt/secondary markets (e.g., Texas Triangle adding ~1,000 residents/day). Migration for jobs and lifestyle are driving this trend. Millennials/Gen Z seek flexible, amenity-rich living. Aging Baby Boomers create opportunities for senior-focused or adaptable properties. Increasing diversity influences preferences (e.g., cultural amenities, community features).

• Household Formation and Lifestyle Shifts

Remote/hybrid work sustains demand in desirable locations. Economic pressures lead some to “trade down” to more affordable units. Retention is key. Turnover costs ~$4,000/unit. This pushes operators toward resident-focused strategies. These factors reinforce multifamily's long-term demand tailwind. Chronic U.S. housing shortages persist.

Technological Factors (PropTech)

Innovation enhances operations, resident experience. Efficiency, differentiates winners.

• AI and Automation Dominance

AI powers leasing (chatbots, predictive pricing), maintenance alerts, reputation management, and revenue optimization. Agentic AI (autonomous task-handling) and integrated platforms reduce manual work. Operators are saving thousands of annual hours. Adoption surged in 2025–2026 for leaner teams amid economic pressures.

• Smart Building and IoT Integration

Sensors for HVAC, lighting, air quality, and package management (e.g., digital lockers) cut costs. It also boosts sustainability, and appeals to tech-savvy renters. Converged PropTech ecosystems (unified Wi-Fi/backbones) enable seamless add-ons. Security and utilities monitoring included.

• Data-Driven Decision Making

Real-time benchmarking. ESG compliance tools. End-to-end digital leasing (virtual tours, automated applications). These improve efficiency and retention. Consolidation in PropTech favors scalable, integrated solutions over fragmented tools. Technology is shifting from "nice-to-have" to essential for controlling expenses. As well as enhancing NOI, and competing in a normalizing market.

In summary, these are the strengths of multifamily:

Demographic demand, affordability advantages, and operational leverage. These outweigh near-term cyclical softness from economic uncertainty and lingering supply effects. Supply will moderate into 2026–2027. We can expect improving rent growth and absorption. Tech is enabling smarter, more resilient operations. This is why multifamily endures as a compounding vehicle despite short-term pauses. But you must focus on quality locations and professional management. Adapt to these macro forces and you’ll be fine.

One more thing:

Afraid you don’t have the capital to invest on your own? Ask me about syndications.

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]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)wealthinvestingmultifamily<![CDATA[A Special Opportunity for 3 “Methods of Prosperity” Subscribers]]>https://paragraph.com/@seanallenfenn.eth/a-special-opportunity-for-3-methods-of-prosperity-subscribers nGa0zDPPk0W0HwhmmIDgWed, 11 Mar 2026 18:11:00 GMTWho else wants to be a Renegade Billionaire?

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$97. USDC to seanallenfenn.eth

The duration is 30 mins.

Be aware that it’s first-come, first-served for only 3 spots.

Warning: this is one of the longest sales letters you will ever read.

Why?

First, because it includes a lot of “teaching”, typically viewed as a no-no in selling. But this letter includes a lot of my remarks from my weekly newsletter, Methods of Prosperity.

So, in reading this, you can gain a great deal of insight into what it means to be a Renegade Billionaire.

You may even gain some tips or strategies you’ll want to act on immediately. So reading this letter in and of itself could be profitable.

Second, because it is about a very, very important subject: how you will live the remainder of your life. In fact, late in this letter, I am going to get to the topic of “autonomy”. That is, the way you conduct business and live your life, independently, in control. Or else you are a slave, under the control of your master.

This IS a letter about MONEY. About making it differently. Quicker, easier, in bigger chunks than you’re used to. Even about attracting it, rather than pursuing it. About accumulating it more certainly, faster, to achieve real wealth, security and independence. But this letter is about a lot more than only money. Or about money within a bigger context. That is, what you trade. And most importantly, what you need NOT trade. Unless you want to make less money than you’re capable of.

Third, because at the end of this letter, I’m going to ask you to make an important and expensive decision. That’s why I’m giving you so much information now.

If you are a serious, high-agency person. Pay attention. Because I’m not going to waste my time on an unmotivated person.

If you do enjoy optimum success, prosperity, and independence, this is for you.

You will find this letter fascinating, provocative and enjoyable. I doubt you’ll mind its length at all.

We begin...

On a dark and stormy night in 1917,

Andrew Carnegie invited a young man to his mansion. Carnegie was America’s first billionaire. The young, ambitious reporter, at the time contributed to a tiny, obscure magazine. In front of a flickering fire, this young man asked Carnegie about his “principles of success”. Impressed by the earnest young fellow, Carnegie offered him a shocking proposition:

“On your behalf, I will use my considerable influence to arrange opportunities for you, Mr. Hill, to personally spend time with over 500 of the greatest achievers of our time. These will include my fellow industrialists, inventors, entrepreneurs, merchants, as well as statesmen, artists, and others. You will have as much time as you desire to interview and observe them. Your mission will be to validate my belief that success is a matter of principles, of universal laws, which can be enumerated, taught learned and adhered to, then used as skills to deliver predictable results, just as man might learn the laws and skills to deliver predictable results, just as man might learn the laws and skills of making steel. You will accomplish this mission by identifying the beliefs and behaviors that all these great achievers share in common. No money or stipend shall be paid to you by me. You must find ways to support yourself while working on this project. Your goal will be the publication of some sort of ‘success encyclopedia’ enumerating the laws. Whatever the financial rewards arise from that are yours. You now have just 60 seconds to accept or reject my offer...”

And Carnegie opened his pocket watch, held it face up, and waited.

Napoleon Hill said yes, with a second to spare.

Twenty years later, the no-longer-young Napoleon Hill had his book published. He titled it, Think and Grow Rich. It summarized his interviews. As well as his investigations into the lives of over 500 men. All of whom were extraordinary achievers and leaders.

He did support himself through the 20 years. We worked as an outstanding direct-response copywriter. He was also a lecturer and salesman. He did this while completing the manuscript for the actual encyclopedia. Which he titled, Laws of Success. His book, Think and Grow Rich was the condensed version (more on that in a moment).

I relate this story to you based upon Hill’s own writings. Without showing Napoleon Hill’s work any disrespect, because I mean none, let me point to evidence. Rather, lack of any solid evidence that Napoleon Hill ever met Andrew Carnegie.

It turns out, Think and Grow Rich could have been the first info-product of the self-help industry. Hill’s Laws of Success was his 15-or-16-part correspondence course which followed.

At his death in 1970, estimates put his net worth around $1 million. That $1 million is equivalent to roughly $8–8.3 million in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation. He wasn’t a billionaire or even extremely rich by modern standards. He certainly did not die in poverty.

Unlike Napoleon Hill, I’m not making any claims. I started Methods of Prosperity newsletter because I’m no different from you. I decided to focus my attention on prosperity.

I started Methods of Prosperity mid-June 2023, as a newsletter to my personal email list.

Why? First, you have to understand a quirk about me. It took many years for me to realize my greatest flaw. That is, I didn’t know how money works. Until one day, I lost my job (for the first time in my adult life and not the last time).

Back then, I was a makeup artist working for cosmetics brands in department stores. It wasn’t difficult to get another job. That changed during the global financial crisis of 2008. I lost my job for the second time. This time, it wasn’t the same. I hit rock bottom.

After getting some help, I pulled myself together. I knew the kind of work I’d been doing all those years wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to go.

I noticed the other employees who were older than me at that time. They’re well into their 50s and a few in their 60s, still doing the same job:

selling hours for dollars to a brick-and-mortar retailer.

This terrified me. It would be my fate, too. There I was, working freelance at a major department store in New York City. Only a few months prior, my “secure” full time job was gone after 11 years, and I had nothing to show for it.

I lacked financial literacy. I was living paycheck-to-paycheck. This left me at a loss when it all fell apart.

You’ve heard someone say that we’re the average sum of the five people we hang around the most. Well, all my friends were broke. So it wasn’t smart to take their advice:

“If you’re broke and you want to make more money, you have to get a better job. The only way to get a high paying job is to get a college degree. The only way you can afford to get a degree is to get student loans... so you can hopefully get hired at a job that pays enough to pay off your student loan debt.”

I didn’t know what to do, but I had to do something. So I started asking my peers what they thought about my existential crisis. A few of them had college degrees and a steady job.

If they were lucky they would make a small commission from sales. But most of them were only getting paid by the hour, like me.

What’s the problem with that?

It’s impossible to scale for yourself. There’s only one of you, and only 24 hours in a day. You can’t work 24 hours every day. For fiat currency?

As an employee, your employer will never pay you what you’re worth. They can’t afford to.

The first rule of building real wealth is: stop trading time for money.

Of course, you can save and invest a percentage of your earnings. But my cost of living was too high. When I was making good money living in San Francisco, I didn’t save or invest any of it. Then later, living in New York City, ninety percent of my income went towards living expenses.

So I went back to school and racked up more debt. It wasn’t long before I realized a degree wasn’t going to solve my problem.

Needless to say, I hit a wall. What I thought would be the solution only led me right back to square one.

While a “job” would maintain the status quo, it wouldn’t get me out of debt.

And it wouldn’t get me closer to reaching my full potential.

Have you ever had the feeling that you’ve been getting the wrong information?

I had to make a decision. I could either keep surviving like my peers, or...

I could start thriving.

How? By reaching higher; learning from someone who is no longer broke, but broken free. I needed a mentor, but who?

I not only found one, but many. They weren’t difficult to access because they were in books. I started reading about money, wealth, and how to find financial freedom.

There are many perspectives.

But one thing was common: anyone who has gone from broke to breakthrough first made the decision to do it.

Money is a terrible master, but it's the best slave.

That’s why I’m giving you the opportunity of a one-on-one “Prosperity Strategy” session. For a fee of $97, I will provide a 30-minute consultation.

Together, we will apply one of the historical methods I’ve written about to your own situation.

Here are the details:

For over 2 years, I’ve been writing Methods of Prosperity newsletter. Starting with the invention of double-entry accounting and the Medici family bank.

We studied the rise of the merchant class before the invention of Capitalism by the Dutch.

From Cornelius Vanderbilt to John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, and the Rothschild family.

From Henry Ford to Bill Gates and the Pay Pal Mafia.

You might draw courage and inspiration from the fact that they are all flawed in one way or another.

I’m writing this before writing the next Methods of Prosperity newsletter number 143. If you packed all of these men and women that we’ve studied so far into one room? You’d be SHOCKED to discover how little they have in common. That’s why it’s so difficult to identify the few things that matter in any sort of accurate way. They look different, act different, talk different, are of vastly different ages, backgrounds... They have different religions, different interests.

The point is, while they have very little in common, the few commonalities they do share are of vital importance. My core findings are the unspoken truths of money in general. And I resist getting too abstract or metaphysical about it. Although, I do find invisible things to be at play such as luck.

I have uncovered profound and significant laws (in the metaphysical sense of the word). Let me warn you that I only believe in the Law of Attraction insomuch that it’s not magical. It has more to do with physiology, mindset, and taking action with a certain amount of faith.

But we can talk more about those granular things one-on one.

Which brings me to my SECOND CATEGORY of source material for my Renegade Billionaire System: me. My life.

30 YEARS of Work, Entrepreneurial Adventures & Life Experience

To a huge degree, my Renegade Billionaire System is more about them than me. After all, there are more than 100 subjects I’ve written about so far, and only one of me. And you should know, I do my best not to comment on things I know nothing about. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger stay within their Circle of Competence, like me.

You might think it’s rather arrogant to place a high value on sharing one’s own life experiences. Although the people who know me best would assure you, I’m not in this for ego. I call my life “expensive experience”, because in many ways, it seems to me I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Much at a faster pace than most. Actually, at breakneck speed compared to most. I have found that a lot of people seem to get a lot of value from my experiences.

I have lived through:

My first career as a make-up artist. One company I worked for promoted me fast when I was only 22 or 23 years old. I had a great job that allowed me to support a wife and a cat in a beautiful, art deco apartment in San Francisco. Getting fired devastated me, but I kept on working for various brands until 2019.

So I wasn’t in tech during the dot com crash, and I didn’t own real estate during the subprime mortgage financial crisis. But I lost my job after the 2008 crash. A few years later, I went back to school. I mentioned this already.

Around 2018, I started my first business in NYC. It was a startup that produced “pop-up” fine art galleries in vacant commercial spaces. I had a falling out with my business partner and then ran out of money.

My ongoing sub-plot was as a musician and artist. I played in bands since I was around sixteen. I remember my girlfriend at the time not believing my band was as good as it was. This was before digital recordings and social media, so I lost that music in time. But music was all I cared about growing up.

My first solo album came out around 2004. Then I moved to NYC and started another band and released one more record before hitting rock bottom. I tried to start a record label, but didn’t understand business back then.

When the pandemic hit between 2019–2020, I pivoted to what became my company, SAFE New Media. I helped entrepreneurs adjust to the livestream way of life. The crazy part? I was homeless at the time. Thank God I had friends who cared.

Then in 2023, I started a holding company. We buy multifamily real estate.

That last part is crucial to capturing value. As a subscriber to Methods of Prosperity newsletter, you know how important it is to find a store of value. Especially if you get paid in fiat, you have to convert it into an asset.

The main thing I want you to know about all this is that I’ve held virtually nothing back about me or my experiences. In my Renegade Billionaire System, you get it all. Painful as well as pleasurable topics discussed. Brilliant strategies to employ, but also humiliating, stupid, grievous errors to avoid.

To answer your objections, no I am not a literal billionaire, or millionaire, or even an influencer. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m always learning.

If you can visualize, for a moment, all that has gone through my synthesizing process to get to this point. It’s amazing. You can have access to my 30 years of experience, everything gleaned from all the up close, in trenches work. Several years before I started Methods of Prosperity, I started seeking. Even before I read Think and Grow Rich, I read The Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki. That sent me down the rabbit hole of understanding money.

Well, now that you know the sources of the System, let’s get to the good part:

the promised result of applying the System to your business life:

ACHIEVING AUTONOMY

Autonomy is doing...

What you want

When you want

Where you want

With whom you want

At the price you want

At the terms you want

...without guilt, insecurity or pain.

That is THE position you want to get into, as fast as possible.

If you agree with that statement, it means this is the position you aspire to. You want to get there now, not “someday”. If that’s you, you will love the Renegade Billionaire System. You’ll find it to be THE most important and beneficial information you have ever acquired, at any price. I promise you that.

Do you want to engineer a business life with employees or without? With contact with customers or no contact with customers? What DON’T you want to do? Never cold prospect? Never negotiate price? Never wear a necktie?

Do you want to work 3 day weeks? Take or return no calls evenings or weekends? Take the entire month of December off?

Do you want to live 6 months of the year in Hawaii, 6 months in Chicago? Alternate weeks between being in your office and on your boat?

On and on... you CAN change anything or everything you want to. You can force your business to support your preferred lifestyle.

I know, I know, you find that hard to believe. Or you may be willing to believe I can or others can, but think you can’t. Everybody thinks their situation is different. Which is why most people stay enslaved to their businesses instead of masters of it.

I want to tell you about my own Autonomy. I tell you this not to brag, but as demonstration. And while you may not want the same specifics I want, pay more attention to the big ideas.

First, it’s important to know: I started practicing a high level of Autonomy long before I could afford to do so. When people see how I live and do business now, they’re prone to grumble. “Easy for him, he discovered bitcoin in 2018. He cut all his unessential expenses. He’s into real estate. He works out every day...”

But they miss a vital point: you get the outcome of utopian Autonomy by practicing Autonomy. It’s both an outcome and a predicate.

For example, I mentioned that I was homeless in NYC in 2019. It wasn’t because I lost my job. I sacrificed it. When I first became a makeup artist, I was a different person. I was a goth soy-boy who wore make up. I’m not gay. I couldn’t do it anymore.

I made the radical decision to compress time. What I mean by that is, imagine where you want to be in 6 months. Cut it in half. Be there in 3 months. I knew I didn’t want to be working retail in cosmetics 6 months later. I couldn’t have made any more money as a makeup artist without starting my own brand, which I had no desire to do.

So I made a proposal to my boss, renegotiating my pay. Instead of getting paid by the hour, I proposed getting paid for results, on commission. The account executive refused to consider it, so I quit 3 months later to go all-in on my startup. In retrospect, that was stupid. My startup failed. I survived that, and got the hell out of New York in March 2020.

My point is, I took the risk because the reward was moving on with my career. I live pretty much as I choose. Anyone (realtor or dog groomer) can put themselves in the position they choose. As a result, I only work with people and endeavors that I enjoy working with and on. No exceptions.

“Hard work is no substitute for who you work with and what you work on.”

– Naval Ravikant

Here is what you will discover:

You CAN have it YOUR way.

Regardless of the business you’re in, town you’re in, competitors you have...

income you now have, your current wealth or lack thereof...

Regardless of any variable you can possibly name. If you will deliberately get in sync with how we Renegade Billionaires think, talk, act...

Get in sync with how we market and operate... then YOU (and I do mean YOU) can have it YOUR way!

YOUR MISSION (should you decide to accept it) is to get perfectly in sync.

That means with your mind, your will and emotions.

Get your behavior in sync with the Renegade Billionaires.

So you can enjoy the results of Renegade Billionaires.

How will you use the System?

That’s up to you. Start by securing your spot now. Either by using the embedded wallet or send $97 USDC to seanallenfenn.eth using the wallet you prefer. Send me an email or message via X or Telegram @seanallenfenn.

There are now two questions to tackle:

Question #1

Should you get my Renegade Billionaire System? I mean is it really important for you to do so? How can you tell? I actually have a MATHEMATICAL FORMULA to help you decide.

Question #2

How much should you pay to get it? Yes I’ve got a mathematical formula for that, too.

Should YOU ENROLL In The Methods of Prosperity Renegade Billionaire System?

Let me show you an important number:

78.4

The average life expectancy in the United States is approximately 78.4 years as of 2023. This figure can vary based on factors such as age, sex, race, and geographic location.

With that number, let’s do some quick math. I’ll show you my math. Then you can do your math. My current number as of this writing is 52. So, 78.4 minus 52 leaves 26.4. I’ve got 26 years left, barring uncertainties. Let’s say you lose 20% to eating, sleeping, sitting on the toilet...

10% to doom scrolling, paying your bills, paying your taxes, standing in lines. That takes me down to 18.48 years I can decide what to do with.

Only 18.48 if I’m lucky.

Your number may be more. Or less.

Here’s the important question. The one that determines how important what I have to share with is. It’s about becoming a true Renegade Billionaire, so you have Autonomy.

How much of whatever your number is that you’ve got left, do you want to spend... doing things you don’t want to do?

Dealing with people who annoy you?

How much of that number do you want to spend satisfying other peoples’ expectations and demands?

Write YOUR number down and look at it. Hard.

Now, how quickly and radically do you want to change your business life? Or, how much longer do you want to continue “as is”?

The clock’s ticking. If you can hear the clock!

If you would like a lot more Autonomy, then I’ve laid out a compelling case for you. Becoming a Renegade Billionaire includes your path to gaining Autonomy.

Which gets us to Question #2:

How much should you pay for this System?

Let’s do a bit more math.

First, judge me, based on whatever you know, and what you’ve read here. What if I spill my guts to you via this System? You apply at least some of it. How much AUTONOMY IMPROVEMENT do you think you can create in your business life?

Pick a percentage. 10%? 20%? 30%? 50%?

Be conservative. Don’t give me (or yourself) too much credit.

So, pick a percentage and write it down.

Now, go back to your other number: the number of years you might have left.

If, say, your number was my number: 18.48, and you thought we could get you only 20% more autonomy, you’d multiply 18.48 times 20%. You’d get a yield of 3.696 years of autonomy. That’s 1,349.5 days. That’s 32,399.13 hours of total and complete autonomy. You’d have 32,399.13 blissful hours doing only what you damned well please, where you choose, when you choose... with whom you choose, and if doing business, at whatever price you demand.

Now all you have to decide is this:

If you could buy such hours, sitting across the desk from the seller, what would you offer for each one?

If you’d give but one measly, stinking dollar:

The System is worth $32,399.13.

If you had it, and, of course, you’ll learn via my System exactly how infinite the supply of money available to you is... then you and I know, you’d pay more than a dollar. Would you pay $9.95 for each hour of total autonomy?

The price tag would be $322,371.34.

You know I’m not going to charge you that much. Even though there is at least 100-MILLION DOLLARS worth of wisdom synthesized here.

So, let’s get to the actual price.

For an hour consultation, most people charge between $2,000–$5,000.

I asked around and one entrepreneur friend suggested I charge $10,000. That’s overkill.

Several others suggested $3,995.00.

I’m not offering an hour. Only a half hour. Also, I’m not greedy.

My other concern is reputation. I’ve been hesitant to monetize because I want to enrich people by giving it all away for free. But I’m also aware that people tend not to value anything free (like music).

So, I’ve decided to give this to you for $97. And only to the first 3 people, on a first come, first serve basis. No money back guarantee, because once you have this knowledge, you can’t return it.

Start by securing your spot now. Either by using the embedded wallet or send $97 USDC to seanallenfenn.eth using the wallet you prefer. You can also pay here:

https://buy.stripe.com/dRm7sL7Nt3t6adW6kOcIE03

Send me an email or message via X or Telegram @seanallenfenn to make sure I know who you are.

I like you,

Sean Allen Fenn

[Methods of Prosperity \ \ Community\ \ https://t.me\\ \

]]>seanallenfenn.eth@newsletter.paragraph.com (Sean Allen Fenn)renegadebillionaireoffer