The Education of Millionaires

By: Michael Ellsberg

Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Myth: If you get into a good college, study hard, and graduate with excellent grades, you will be pretty much set for a successful career.

The Reality: The biggest thing you won't learn in college is how to succeed professionally. Some of the smartest, most successful people in the country didn't finish college. None of them learned their most critical skills in an institution of higher education. And like them, most of what you'll need to learn to be successful you'll have to learn on your own, outside of school.

Michael Ellsberg set out to fill in the gaps by interviewing a wide range of millionaires and billionaires who don't have college degrees, including fashion magnate Russell Simmons, Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and founding president Sean Parker, WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg, and Pink Floyd songwriter and lead guitarist David Gilmour. Among the fascinating things he learned:

• How fashion designer Marc Ecko started earning $1,000 a week in high school with his own clothing business and later grew it into an empire.
• How billionaire Phillip Ruffin went from lowly department store clerk with no college degree to owner of Treasure Island on the Vegas Strip.
• How John Paul DeJoria went from homelessness to billionaire as the founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems hair care products.

This book is your guide to developing practical success skills in the real world. Even if you've already gone through college, the most important skills weren't on the curriculum - how to find great mentors, build a world-class network, learn real-world marketing and sales, make your work meaningful (and your meaning work), build the brand of you, master the art of bootstrapping, and more.

Learning the skills in this book well is a necessary addition to any education, whether you're a high school dropout or a graduate of Harvard Law School.

©2011 Michael Ellsberg (P)2012 Gildan Media Corp

Critic Reviews

"Michael Ellsberg's audio book is provocative and wise. Tuition is skyrocketing, job prospects are grim, and the race for bogus credentials has turned into a runaway status competition for positional goods. The Education of Millionaires offers a renegade path for anyone who wants vital skills without the crushing burden of student debt." (Peter Thiel, co-founder, PayPal, first outside investor, Facebook, creator of the Thiel Fellowship)

"Your success in a knowledge society depends on mastery of soft skills and practical intelligence-and yet they don't show up in college or high school curriculums. Ellsberg's rebellious audio book provides a street-smart education to fill the gap." (Keith Ferrazzi, author of the #1 New York Times best seller Who's Got Your Back)

I can't get past the introduction

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe the book, not the audio book.

What was most disappointing about Michael Ellsberg’s story?

I couldn't get past the introduction.... The narrator drags out the last letter of the last word in each sentence. He sounds like a "Vally Girl" when he talks... It's super annoying.

Would you be willing to try another one of Erik Synnestvedt’s performances?

Absolutely NOT

Did The Education of Millionaires inspire you to do anything?

Not yet

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

A terrible waste of time

I am investing time into this review so that others wouldn't have to waste their time listening to it. In a nutshell, the reader is the worst I've ever heard, and the author keeps alluding to the possibility that he might teach you something in the next paragraph, but that something never comes. Beyond marketing his friends' online businesses, this guy has nothing to offer. Such a waste.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great book, narration could be better

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. This book is full of very useful information. If you liked the 4 hour workweek, then this is definitely a good read.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's use of inflection at the end of each sentence made me want to stop listening. In fact, I will not pick another audible book with this narrator due to this.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Heard about the author from Tim Ferriss's blog. Best use of my audible credit in a long time

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Life changing content!!

This book has heavily impacted the way I think.

I see the world in a whole new light.

With the amount of information that is given in this book, self study, and self mastery become habitual.

College is a status dynamic. We don't need to waste our time for a credential just to "get a good job".

Michael illustrates lucrative techniques that allow any reader to transform their entire course of life.

The paradigm shifts provided by Michael and the interviewees he mentions tremendous life stories about really can have a positive impact on anyone who hears them.

The alteration of thinking and the new mindsets and viewpoints that have been established from reading this book have granted serious new found potential that everyone has.

There is not enough to be said about this exquisite piece. I can go on for hours about how deep the stories told have instilled inspiration and action taking skills capable of self mastery.

The references and resources, the reviews, and interviews all provided by Michael are so helpful that it will make you successful if you just pay attention and take action.

I did research on everyone he mentions, read up on their marketing, learned more than ever and have prospered ever sense!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Must Read This Before You Go To College

This book will help you realize that its not always what you know.. but who you know and how you relate with that person.. it will enable the idea that you are going to succeed. Definately a fantastic read and a highly considerable in the self-developement genre.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Suprisingly Good

What made the experience of listening to The Education of Millionaires the most enjoyable?

I stumbled upon this book by accident and I am glad that I did!Lots of useful info and insight into how successful people became successful. Lots of useful info and stories about how others put themselves into a position to win.Also questions the idea of going to college. Even if you did go to college you can learn something from listening to this analysis and hearing some very unique stories.

What did you like best about this story?

Sales,Copywriting,Marketing, and positioning advice on how to get ahead. Stories of successful people I had not heard of before that can be contacted. Lots of great tips and biographies for those interested in getting to the next level.

Have you listened to any of Erik Synnestvedt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not.

Any additional comments?

2 Parts to this download. Listen at 1.5x speed. Get it, its worth it. After you listen to it, pay your Kid 20.00 to listen to this then turn in a book review.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Good book, horrible narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No, narration was awful

Would you be willing to try another one of Erik Synnestvedt’s performances?

Never again. He was painful to listen too. Shame on the author for hiring this guy.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was like listening to nails on a chalkboard with Eric's narration. I know that is harsh, but it honestly was that bad.

Any additional comments?

Really great book, it is unfortunate with the narrator made it unpalatable.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Save your credits

Mr. Ellsberg is not a millionaire himself and the poor advice contained in this book shows it. If you are interested in making the entrepreneurial journey learn from those who have done it-- How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis or The Millionaire Real Estate Investor.

5 of 9 people found this review helpful

Horrible narrator, great content overall.

Narrator was horrible with overemphasis on the last letter/word of a sentence. Also the spelling out of "http://" for EVERY SINGLE LINK made me crazy. I did slug through those annoyances though, because the core content was very worth it (although the book could probably be shorter). The last chapter in particular is excellent. Overall, I would recommend the book - but w some caveats, and I would recommend the paper copy over the audiobook.