A Practical Way to Get Rich . . . and Die Trying

A Memoir About Risking It All

De: John Roa

Narrado por: John Roa

"A scathingly honest memoir of entrepreneurship's dark reality... I would advise every entrepreneur--or anyone who dreams of becoming one--to read this book."
--Eric Schurenberg - CEO, Fast Company and Inc.

A young tech entrepreneur's memoir of building his hugely successful company and the mental and physical price he paid for it

At the age of twenty-six, John Roa was an aspiring but struggling entrepreneur. He was broke, racking up debt, and ready to give up on his dream of being self-made. In a final effort, he founded the design firm ÄKTA, which quickly became one of the fastest growing startups in America, and just five years later, he sold it for a fortune to Salesforce, the largest company in San Francisco.

This is his account of rising from a self-described below-average student to becoming a poster boy for the successful young entrepreneur, while nearly destroying himself in the process. His journey is an absurd, twisting, and often comical story of talent, luck, rapidly changing technology, larger-than-life personalities, sex, gambling, and excessive alcohol and drug consumption—which ultimately took their toll, resulting in a spectacular burnout that he almost didn’t survive. As he healed in the aftermath, he began to question the ethos that had brought him to that dark place, and over time, came to realize how common these debilitating issues are in entrepreneurship, even if they are rarely discussed openly.

Rather than another glamorous rags-to-riches saga, A Practical Way to Get Rich . . . and Die Trying is a cautionary and deeply honest memoir about the price of success for ambitious young people, who are so often unprepared for the adversity, mental health issues, and abuse that can come along with “making it.” It also serves as the foundation for a campaign of honesty and vulnerability, in an industry that currently lacks both.

Great story from an unsympathetic character

This is an entertaining story as told by a stereotypical "soy boy" Millennial "tech bro." While most entrepreneurs, particularly younger ones, will find useful elements, the author comes across as a wimpy, "poor little man couldn't handle the pressures of success." I tuned out as soon as he started whining about "toxic masculinity" and finished the book strictly for entertainment value.

Felt This.

This was an amazing story!! Heard of John on a Podcast I follow and was super intrigued about his story. So glad I got the audible version to listen to him tell it. While I can't relate on the scale of his journey I can relate to the amount of personal sacrifice in a personal and career journey. Emotional, funny and honest. Great Read!

Spot on!

The is an amazing story, no detail left out. As an entrepreneur, it hits home as well as addresses the importance of mental health and self care in a very subtle way at the end. I was captivated and couldn’t stop reading/listening. I read chapters in the book and listened to other chapters while
driving.

Insight into a world unknown

As a small business owner I’m interested in the entrepreneurs of these fast growing companies. Mr. Roa shares his story in depth. I appreciate his candor though he speaks of the ugly parts of his past with a bit of ego. This is a straight narrative from the beginning of his entrepreneurial life to the sale of his business. The biggest issue I have is that Roa isn’t a great audiobook narrator. He accents odd words and emphasizes most words. A different narrator would have been easier to follow and would have kept me a bit more invested. Overall though, I’m happy to have heard this story.

Dive Deep

Refreshing take on the shadows of business success. Understand the message beyond the narrative. Wild stories were necessary.

I discovered John from a podcast ad and jumped into his story. After two episodes I had to read the book. Highly recommend if you are business thirsty or have been plagued by mental fatigue from your working world