NYT Bestselling Author of The 5 Types of Wealth

Sahil Bloom is the New York Times Bestselling author of The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.

Sahil is an inspirational writer and entrepreneur, captivating millions of people every week through his book, social insights, and bi-weekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle.

His debut non-fiction book, The 5 Types of Wealth, was an instant New York Times, USA Today, and Sunday Times Bestseller. Apple CEO Tim Cook called it "a powerful call to action to think deeply about what lights you up—and a guide for how to build a life of meaning and purpose around those things." The book is a unique blend of strategies, tactics, and actionable insights, enabling readers to make real, positive changes and lead healthier, wealthier lives.

Sahil is also an entrepreneur and owner of SRB Holdings, a personal holding company, and the Managing Partner of SRB Ventures, a $10 million venture investment firm committed to investing in and accelerating the most compelling startups in the world. Prior to launching SRB Ventures in January 2022, Sahil was an early-stage investor in 40+ startups across the technology landscape, including multiple unicorns.

Previously, Sahil spent seven years as a private equity investor and served on the board of several middle market companies during that period.

Sahil graduated from Stanford University with an M.A. in Public Policy (2014) and a B.A. in Economics & Sociology (2013). While at Stanford, he was a four-year member on the Stanford Baseball Team (2009-2013), twice helping to guide the team to NCAA Super Regional appearances (top-16 finishes). Additionally, Sahil earned two PAC-12 All-Academic Team awards and twice received the Bruce R. Cameron Memorial Award, given annually to a student-athlete exhibiting excellence in athletics, academics, and leadership. Academically, Sahil was advised in his pursuits by former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

Sahil Bloom

The smartest people I know think like this.

(It pays off for a lifetime):

The most impressive people I know change their minds often in response to new information. It’s like a software update. The goal isn’t to be right. It’s to find the truth.

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NYT Bestselling Author | Entrepreneur | Investor

The biggest skill no one trains:

(Your progress depends on this)

The ability to quickly reset and recover.

From a bad interaction. From a bad day. From a missed workout. From a poor decision.

You can start over whenever you want. You can’t always control what happened, but you can control how long you carry it.

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♻ Repost to remind someone: recovery is your superpower.

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I’m starting to believe this is the real cheat code:

Being unapologetically yourself.

When you edit your personality, you attract relationships that need constant maintenance.

Stop filtering yourself to be liked. Right ones will stick. Wrong ones will walk. That’s a blessing.

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♻️ Repost to remind someone: you don’t need to edit yourself to be loved.

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The older I get the more I realize…

The long way is the right way.

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The Djokovic Rule:

Do you like hitting the ball?

In 2015, Novak Djokovic was asked what drives his success.

His answer wasn’t complicated:

“I can carry on playing at this level because I like hitting the tennis ball.”

A few years later, I felt the same lesson in real life.

I was having breakfast with Tim Cook and he walked me through his daily routine:

3:45am alarm.
Critical emails.
4:45am workout.
Then a jam packed day at the office.

And the entire time, he had this glint in his eye.

A day that would make most people’s head spin was lighting him up.

I remember thinking one clear thought:

Good luck competing against this guy.

Tim likes hitting the ball.

Then I looked around and noticed something uncomfortable:

Other people had that same glint for the work I dreaded.

And it clicked:

I’ll never be one of the best at this over the long term…
Because I don’t like hitting the ball.

That’s the Djokovic Rule.

Not “Are you good at it?”
Not “Can you tolerate it?”
Not “Does it pay well?”

Just one question:

Do you like the core, repetitive actions the work is made of?
Do the mundane parts feel weirdly satisfying?
Do you feel energized on Monday… because you get to do the thing?

If not, you may still succeed.
You may do well.
You may even do great in the short term.

But over a long enough timeline, it’s almost impossible to beat someone who genuinely enjoys the work itself.

And when you find that thing, I’ll say the same thing I said about Tim:

Good luck to anyone trying to compete with you.

—

♻ Repost to help someone ask the right question.
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The Djokovic Rule - Do you like hitting the ball?

Nobody is thinking about you.

So, go do the damn thing.

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The #1 golfer in the world just exposed a brutal truth:

Success won't make you happy.

Scottie Scheffler admitted that winning major championships no longer fulfills him.

He discovered what Jim Carrey tried to warn us about: "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."

It's called the Arrival Fallacy—the false belief that reaching your goal will create lasting satisfaction.

We tell ourselves:
• "When I make six figures, then I'll be happy"
• "Once I get promoted, then I'll feel successful"
• "If I lose 20 pounds, then I'll feel confident"

We reach the top. We get the thing. And then? We reset to the next mountain.

There's a scene in Cool Runnings that haunts me. The coach tells his star athlete: "A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you're not enough without it, you'll never be enough with it."

Read that again.

The truth nobody wants to hear: Happiness isn't at the top of the mountain. It's not in the having. It's in the becoming.

This week, write down your biggest goal. The thing you think will finally make you happy.

Now ask: "Who will I need to become to achieve this?"

Focus on becoming that person. Not getting that thing.

Because the person you become is the only prize you get to keep.

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Your gut is right more often than you admit.

Your mind just knows how to argue with it.

My grandfather said something I’ve carried for years:

“The worst decisions in life are made when you allow your head to talk you into something when your gut already said no.”

I’ll never forget that.

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Most people stay stuck for one reason.

They think “this is who I am.”

You can reinvent yourself as many times as you need.

New habits.
New standards.
New people.
New career.

You’re never stuck.

You’re allowed to change.

Today, tomorrow, and as many times as it takes to create the life you want.

—

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This is the key to life:

Show up.

My grandfather once told me that you'll achieve much more by being consistently reliable than by being occasionally extraordinary.

People who only show up when they feel like it are destined for failure at worst, mediocrity at best.

So, show up.

Show up when it’s hard. Show up when it’s messy. Show up when no one’s watching. Show up when you don't feel like it. Show up when the rewards are uncertain. Just show up.

You can never bet against the person who just keeps showing up.

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I just turned 35 years old.

Here are 35 life lessons from my 35 years:

1. You can reinvent yourself whenever you want.

2. Tolerance for uncertainty is the most valuable human trait.

3. Energy is the most attractive human trait.

4. Nobody cares.

5. Always get your dopamine from action.

6. Your professional success is proportional to your ability to figure it out.

7. Never let your head outsmart your gut.

8. Showing up is the key to life.

9. Fear comes from inexperience, not incapability.

10. Learn to work without validation.

11. Anything above zero compounds.

12. Take pride in finishing things.

13. Life improves when you embrace your inner extremes.

14. The most important things take a long time to build.

15. Be unapologetically yourself.

16. Do what most people avoid.

17. Life will test you with the same challenge until you learn the lesson.

18. Your standards decide your future.

19. Choose a partner you actually like being around.

20. If you want people to believe in you, start carrying yourself like someone worth believing in.

21. Don’t wait.

22. Confidence isn’t about knowing you’ll win.

23. Stress and anxiety feed on idleness.

24. Working out will rewire your brain

25. Energy fuels growth.

26. Nobody is thinking about you.

27. You have to know when to stop.

28. Do hard things every single day.

29. Reliability is more important than talent.

30. Don’t complain about anything.

31. Emotional control is the ultimate sign of personal growth.

32. You can just do things.

33. You’re going to miss this.

34. Nobody is coming to save you.

35. You’re one year of focus away from people calling you lucky.

When I was 25, I thought 35 was very old.

Now that I am 35, I have to admit, I feel young—like I’m just getting started.

I hope you saw yourself in one or more of these lessons—and I hope they spark a positive ripple in your life.

Cheers to a beautiful, hard, growth-filled year ahead.

— Sahil

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♻ Repost to remind someone: small choices compound for decades.

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35 Life Lessons From My 35 Years

This idea completely changed my life…

The Empty Boat Mindset:

Here’s a story I come back to when I’m feeling stressed or frustrated…

A monk goes out on a boat in a small lake to meditate. After a few hours of uninterrupted silence, he suddenly feels the jarring impact of another boat bumping into his.

While he does not open his eyes, he feels the irritation and anger building within him.

“Why would someone do that? Can’t they see me here? How dare they disturb my meditation?”

He opens his eyes, ready to shout at the person in the other boat, only to realize that it is empty. It had come untied from the dock and was floating in the middle of the lake.

In that moment, his anger and frustration disappears.

After all, you cannot be angry at an empty boat.

The story offers a powerful lesson, which I call the Empty Boat Mindset:

In life, you’re going to experience countless collisions. With people. With environments. With chance circumstances outside your control. Each of these collisions will threaten to derail you. To stoke the fire of anger, stress, and frustration. To knock you off your path.

The truth is that the negative emotions that grow inside you are rarely from the collision itself, but from your perception of the negative intent behind the collision.

If you convince yourself that every collision is a deliberate action by a bad actor, negative emotions will control your entire life. In others words, your interpretation of the collision creates your own poison.

The Empty Boat Mindset is the reminder that most of these collisions you experience in life are with an empty boat. There is no negative intent. There is no desire to harm. They are simply the random collisions of objects floating along on the lake of life.

Interestingly, when you embrace the Empty Boat Mindset, you reassume control over your own boat. You’re no longer prone to the spiraling emotional effects of chance collisions. You are a seasoned explorer, ready to adapt to whatever the seas throw your way.

So, the next time you feel a collision and find your negative emotions growing, pause and ask yourself a simple question:

Am I just getting angry at an empty boat?

—

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The Empty Boat Mindset

My honest advice to someone who feels “fine” but not fulfilled.

(I wish I knew this sooner):

I read a research paper I can’t stop thinking about.

It was titled:

“The Peculiar Longevity of Things Not So Bad.”

A Harvard and UCLA team discovered a fascinating truth:

We’re worse at escaping mild pain than deep pain.

They called it:

The Region-Beta Paradox.

If a destination is close, we walk.

If it’s far, we bike.

So paradoxically, we reach farther places faster.

This paradox applies well beyond modes of travel. 
It shows up in the most impactful realms of our lives.

The researchers ran a series of experiments to see whether our predictions of the intensity and duration of negative feelings match our experienced reality.

In one experiment, participants imagined painful life events:
→ Getting turned down for a date
→ A friend hooking up with their ex

They were asked:
How intensely would they feel the pain? How long would that pain last?

Here’s what they found:
People believed that more intense pain lasts longer.

But interestingly, this isn’t true in practice, because people respond to their circumstances.

We act quickly to resolve intensely negative or painful experiences with a series of built-in adaptive processes.

So, our predictions for how long a negative state will last are wrong:
Intense negative experiences often resolve faster than mild ones. 

Because we act, consciously or subconsciously, to resolve them.

This has a variety of meaningful implications for your life.

The 3/10 job.
The 3/10 relationship.
The 3/10 life.

Those break you open.
They force change with the intensity of pain.
You hit a threshold that activates every mechanism you have.

But the 6/10? That’s the trap of good enough.

It’s not painful enough to trigger action. So you drift. You tolerate. You wait. You stay in jobs you’ve outgrown. 

In relationships that don’t nourish. In routines that feel hollow. 
Because they’re just good enough.

The worst thing in the world isn’t being on a bad path. 
It’s being on a good path that isn’t yours.

The bad path screams for change. The good one sits in silence.

It takes courage to escape the trap. You have to force action. You have to choose uncertainty over comfort. You have to make the cost of inaction feel higher than the cost of action.

And here’s an important truth to remember:
Courage isn’t courageous because it works out. 
Courage is courageous because you act without knowing that it will.

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♻ Repost to help someone escape the “good enough” trap.
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The "Good Enough" Paradox

Your comfort zone is charging interest.

 And you’re paying it daily.

Taking no risk is the biggest risk you can take.

Regret from inaction is always more painful than the regret from action.

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♻ Repost to remind someone: comfort isn’t free.

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Hot take: There’s no such thing as a loser who wakes up at 5am and works out.

Why?

Because it’s hard.

It requires intense discipline—and it creates evidence of your power and control over your world.

That has ripple effects into every other area of life.

This is NOT to say that you have to wake up early to be successful, but it is to say that waking up early is the fastest way to rewire your brain.

To remind yourself that you can do anything. That you are capable. That you are a winner.

Remember: Confidence is built, not born. It is built through keeping promises to yourself.

Say what you’re going to do—do it. When you’re feeling stuck, that can provide the spark to get you out of it.

A lot of problems are solved by waking up early and working out.

So with that in mind, I’m off for my morning run. Who’s with me?

This is a powerful idea from my NYT bestselling book, The 5 Types of Wealth.

It was just named one of the Best Books of the Year (So Far) by Amazon. You can order it now on a huge 50% sale!

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The 10 most powerful paradoxes of life…

(most people never learn these):

1. The Persuasion Paradox
Have you noticed that the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone?
The most persuasive people don’t argue—they observe, listen, and ask questions.
Argue less, persuade more.

2. The Effort Paradox
You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless.
Effortless, elegant performances are often the result of a large volume of effortful, gritty practice.
Small things become big things. Simple is not simple.

3. The Wisdom Paradox
“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.” — Albert Einstein
The more you learn, the more you are exposed to the immense unknown.
This should be empowering, not frightening.
Embrace your own ignorance. Embrace lifelong learning.

4. The Growth Paradox
Growth takes a much longer time coming than you think, and then it happens much faster than you ever would have thought.
Growth happens gradually, then suddenly.

5. The Productivity Paradox
Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
Work longer, get less done.
When you establish fixed hours to your work, you find unproductive ways to fill it.

6. The Money Paradox
You have to lose money in order to make money.
Every successful investor & builder has stories of the invaluable lessons learned from a terrible loss in their career. Sometimes you have to pay to learn.
Put skin in the game. Scared money don't make money!

7. The Failure Paradox
You have to fail more to succeed more.
Our greatest moments of growth often stem directly from our greatest failures.
Don’t fear failure, just learn to fail smart and fast.
After all, getting punched in the face—a few times, but not too many—builds a strong jaw.

8. The Say No Paradox
Take on less, accomplish more.
Success doesn’t come from taking on everything that comes your way. It comes from focus—deep focus on the tasks that really matter.
Say yes to what matters, say no to what doesn’t. Protect your time as a gift to be cherished.

9. The Taleb Surgeon Paradox
Looking the part is sometimes the worst indicator of competency.
The one who doesn’t look the part has had to overcome much more to achieve its status than the one from central casting.
If forced to choose, choose the one that doesn’t look the part.

10. The Icarus Paradox
Icarus crafted wings out of feathers and beeswax to escape an island. He began to fly—the wings working wonders. But he quickly became blinded by his own engineering prowess and flew too close to the sun, which caused the beeswax to melt and sent him plummeting to his death.
What makes you successful can lead to your downfall.

—

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The 10 Paradoxes of Life

I used to carry stress from morning to night.

Until I learned this…

The Water Glass Effect.

Most of the burden we feel in life comes not from the weight of what we’re holding, but from how long we choose to hold it.

I recently came across an old video of a professor sharing a powerful lesson with his classroom of students.

He holds up a glass of water and asks the students how heavy it is.

The students answer with a variety of figures:

8 ounces. 12 ounces. 16 ounces.

The professor shakes his head:

The absolute weight of the glass doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold onto it.

If I hold it for a minute, nothing happens. If I hold it for an hour, my arm will begin to ache. 

If I hold it all day long, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed.

Well, the weight of the glass hasn’t changed, but the longer I hold onto it, the heavier it becomes.

The students lean in, and the professor continues with the deeper lesson:

The stresses and the worries of life are like this glass of water.

If you think about them for a little while, there’s no problem. 

Think about it for a little bit longer, it begins to hurt. 

If you think about them all day long, you’ll feel paralyzed, incapable of doing anything.

Always remember: Put the glass down.

Pause to think about this in your own life:

It’s not the weight of the argument itself that bears down on you. 
It’s the weight of replaying it again and again.

It’s not the weight of the mistake itself that cripples you. 
It’s the weight of revisiting it again and again.

It’s not the weight of the regret itself that stops you. 
It’s the weight of ruminating over it again and again.

Stress, anxiety, fears, and tension. They all get heavier with time. 
And the harder you squeeze the glass, the faster it happens.

As you hold onto them, they compound the weight of their burden on you.

So, take a moment today to notice what water glass you may still be holding.

What has your arm trembling under its increasing weight?

The burden is not from the weight of what you’re holding, but from how long you choose to hold it.

Put the glass down.

—

♻ Repost to remind someone: stress gets heavier the longer you hold it.
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The Water Glass Effect

My grandfather told me a story I’ll never forget.

(It has a life changing lesson)

An old carpenter told his boss he planned to retire.

The boss was sad to lose him, but understood.

Then he asked a favor:
“Would you stick around for one last job? Build one final house.”

The carpenter reluctantly agreed.

But in his mind, he was already gone.

So he cut corners.
Used cheap materials.
Rushed the work.

When the house was done, the boss arrived for the final inspection.

But instead of walking the house, he reached into his pocket and handed the carpenter the keys.

“This is your house,” the boss smiled.
“My retirement gift to you.”

The carpenter was stunned.

If he’d known he was building his own house…
he would have done it differently.

Now he’d have to live in a house he had built none too well.

The lesson: You’re always building your own house.

Every single day, the way you choose to show up determines the quality of that house.

If you choose to cut corners, use cheap materials, and rush the work, you’ll live with it. If you choose to nail the details, invest in quality materials, and take pride in the work, you’ll live with it.

You don’t get to pick and choose when to show up.

Every action lays a brick in one of the three houses you have to live in:

1) The Professional House
Every email you send, every meeting you attend, every piece of work you complete plays a role in building your professional reputation.
If you don’t take the small things seriously, you will never be trusted to take on the big.

2) The Relationship House
Every word you speak, every gesture you make, and every moment you show up lays the foundation of your relationships. Tiny daily acts of service build strong walls. Neglect, resentment, and indifference form cracks that grow over time.

3) The Physical House
Every movement, every meal, every night of sleep lays the foundation of your physical health. Skipping these small, daily actions may feel inconsequential today, but compounded over months and years, they shape whether you live in a house of strength or fragility.

A simple choice transforms the mundane into the meaningful.

Those who take pride in the seemingly inconsequential tasks—who choose to see the bigger picture—show up with a different energy and enthusiasm.

What’s one “small brick” you’re focusing on right now?

—

♻ Repost to remind someone you care about: they’re building their “house” every day.

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Life Changing Story... A MUST READ

One tiny mistake shouldn’t get to rewrite your identity.

But that’s what most of us let happen.

Imagine I hand you a white piece of paper with one small black dot on it and ask what you see.

Most people say:
“A dot.”
“A flaw.”
“A spot.”

Almost nobody mentions the massive white space around it.

That’s the Domino Mindset.

It’s the cognitive trap where one small negative creates a chain reaction of negative conclusions:

“I made a mistake” becomes “I’m terrible at my job.”
“That convo was awkward” becomes “Everyone thinks I’m weird.”
“The commute was stressful” becomes “My whole day is ruined.”

It’s the quiet thief of perspective.

It convinces you a temporary challenge is a permanent truth.

That a single bad gets to erase an entire stack of good.

The antidote is simple:

When you hit your dark spot, pause. Breathe. Zoom out.

Remember the size of the page that surrounds it.

—

♻ Repost to help someone ask the right question.

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Avoid this cognitive trap!

They’ll say you’re doing it wrong.

That’s just the Critics Tax at work.

There’s a quote I always come back to:

“If you absolutely can’t tolerate critics, then don’t do anything new or interesting.” – Jeff Bezos

It’s a powerful reminder:

No matter how you choose to live, someone will tell you you’re doing it wrong.

That it won’t work.
That you’re not qualified.
That your values are broken.
That you’re destined to fail.

But here’s the truth:

That criticism isn’t proof you’re off track.
It’s the Critics Tax—the price you pay for walking a path that’s yours.

People don’t judge the merit of your path.
They judge how well it matches theirs.
And when it doesn’t, they project.

They take their map of the world—shaped by their fears, experiences, and incentives—and lay it on top of your terrain.

The problem?

Those two maps rarely align.

What looks risky from their view might feel obvious from yours.
What seems naive from their lens might be values-driven through yours.

So yes, listen to feedback.

Sometimes there’s truth buried in it.

But never let someone else’s map dictate how you feel about your own path.

It’s your terrain.

You make the rules.

—

♻ Repost to remind someone: criticism is just the tax.

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The Critics Tax

I’m Sean Riley, Co-Founder and Chief Executive DUDE at DUDE Wipes 🔥🧻 

We launched with $30k and a dream out of our shitty apartment and scaled into a national movement one wipe, one crazy idea, and one bold bet at a time.

Fast forward: DUDE Wipes became a national brand, snagged a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, and now wipes billions of butts a year across Walmart, Target, Kroger, Amazon — pretty much everywhere 🌎

But this was never just about selling wipes.
It’s about building a life of freedom ✈️, creativity 🎨, and fun ⚡️ and proving that what seems impossible is usually just what nobody’s dared to do yet 

I believe success isn’t about playing it safe or chasing approval. It’s about betting on yourself, trusting your instincts, and creating your own reality brick by brick 🧱

Along the way, I’ve learned:

• Originality wins 
• Playing it small is the real risk 
• Energy and authenticity beat polish every time 

Today, whether it’s building brands, writing about entrepreneurship, or inspiring the next wave of creators, my mission is simple:
Lead by example. Have a blast doing it. Remind people they’re capable of way more than they think 🏆

Party on, DUDES 🤙


Sean Riley

Some bittersweet news as January is the last month at DUDE for our Amazon god Joey Thomas  

Joey is moving onto be a co-founder & CEO of a new brand launching later this year!

We couldn't more proud to see him take this exciting and courageous step in his life

Over the past 4 years Joey has exemplified what it means to be a DUDE. 

Hard working, humble, kind and always willing to learn what it takes to get to the next level.

Please join me in congratulating Joey on moving to the dark side to become an entrepreneur!!

Chief DUDE. Started from the bottom. 💩

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The Battle

Sahil Bloom

Sean Riley

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taplio

The Battle

Sahil Bloom

Sean Riley

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sahil Bloom's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSean Riley's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreSahil Bloom's LinkedIn Performance