Anti MBA Book Club
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Sam Parr shares how he built connections in San Francisco through organizing a book club that became a powerful networking tool.
Book Club Structure
- Called "The Anti MBA" - created as an alternative to formal business education
- Weekly meetings broken into quarters for each book
- Expert speakers brought in to discuss book topics
- 20-30 people attended each session
- Notes shared online, building email list of 2,000+ followers
- Many attendees didn't read the book but came for discussion based on shared notes
Marketing & Growth
- Promoted through multiple channels:
- Meetup.com
- Craigslist
- Newspaper ads ($200)
- Built significant following by sharing meeting notes online
- Created value even for those who didn't read by providing summaries
Networking Impact
- Connected with future successful entrepreneurs before they "made it"
- Built relationships with peers who showed potential
- Focus on mutual support and helping each other succeed
- Led to meaningful long-term relationships
- Example: Met Sieva Kozinsky (now runs ~$100M revenue business)
- Created environment for ambitious people to connect
- Emphasized finding peers rather than established successful people
Key Success Factors
- Consistency - ran weekly for about a year
- Selfless approach to helping others
- Focus on peer relationships vs chasing established success
- Created structured environment for learning
- Combined learning with relationship building
- Filled gap for those without formal business education
The format provided both educational value and networking opportunities, serving as a foundation for building lasting business relationships in San Francisco's startup ecosystem.
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.