SRB Holdings

SRB Holdings is a personal holding company currently comprised of ten cash flowing business assets.

Current portfolio holdings include:

• Assembly
• Alto Studios
• Paperboy Studios
• SBloom Advisory
• The Inflection

Owner

Penguin Random House

Forthcoming non-fiction tentatively titled The 5 Types of Wealth—redefining wealth in a more comprehensive way and providing a framework and tactical guide for assessing your priorities and building a fulfilling, wealthy life.

Author

The Curiosity Chronicle

The Curiosity Chronicle is a 2x weekly newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help build a high-performing, healthy, wealthy life to a global community of 500,000+.

Writer

SRB Ventures

SRB Ventures is an investment firm committed to investing in and accelerating the most compelling startups in the world. Fund I is a $10 million stage and sector-agnostic vehicle writing $100-250K checks into high-growth technology companies around the world.

Managing Partner

Assembly

A holding company of brands, including Landed, Off Menu, Viralcuts, HeyFriends!, and more.

Co-Founder

Altamont Capital Partners

Advisor

Vice President

Senior Associate

Associate

Analyst

Brixton

Board Member

INTERMIX

Fox Racing

Exploring my curiosity and sharing what I learn along the way.

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

His forthcoming debut non-fiction book (entitled The 5 Types of Wealth) is set to revolutionize readers' lives with its groundbreaking framework, helping them break free from the daily grind, discover true fulfillment, and build a life of infinite wealth. 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 a successful entrepreneur and owner of SRB Holdings, a personal holding company currently comprised of ten cash-flowing businesses, 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.

His previous roles include Vice President and Advisor at Altamont Capital Partners, a generalist investment fund with over $3.5 billion in capital under management, focused on control investments in middle market companies. While at Altamont, Sahil served as a board member at several Altamont portfolio companies, including Fox Racing, Intermix, and Brixton.

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.

If you want to become more charismatic...

Follow these three principles of Active Listening:

In a recent New York Times opinion piece, David Brooks referred to the idea of Loud Listening (I prefer Active Listening, as "Loud" feels obstructive).

Active Listening is generally defined by the actions of the listener to let the speaker know that they are being heard and felt:

1. Sounds: Saying "yes" or "uh-huh" or "hmm" to signal listening and encourage continued energy from the speaker.

2. Facial Expressions: Changing facial expressions to react physically to the story being told.

3. Body Language: Forward lean posture towards the speaker signals engagement and positive energy. Never turn away or sideways, as it signals you are trying to leave a conversation and immediately hurts the energy of a moment.

We've all been in a conversation where it becomes very clear the other person is uninterested in who we are or what we have to say.

We know that feeling. Don't create it for others.

Most importantly, you should train yourself to be genuinely interested in everyone you meet. You can learn something from literally anyone.

Follow those three principles to become a better Active Listener and you will immediately be more charismatic and engaged in conversations.

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Sahil Bloom

One thing I've learned: If you're carving your own path, there will be long periods of time when no one believes in you.

• They'll call you crazy.
• They'll say you've changed.
• They'll say you've lost your mind.
• They'll say you'll never make it.

Don't get discouraged, don't get upset, don't be disappointed.

It's not their fault. They just don't understand. They can't see it yet.

Don't try to explain it.

Just do it.

Success is the best proof of concept.

Success is hard to ignore.

Lesson: Don't talk, just show them the receipts.

***

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A life hack it took me 33 years to learn:

Embrace the embarrassment of being a beginner.

The only way to accomplish something meaningful is to endure days, weeks, months, or even years of embarrassing failure.

Every expert started out as a beginner.

Those who embrace the embarrassment will eventually win.

Most people are so afraid of looking or sounding “stupid” in a public setting.

They don’t ask the simple question.

They don’t share the piece of writing.

They don’t build the v1 prototype.

But if you can train yourself to endure that, you’ll find gold on the other side.

The most successful people I know actually LOVE the feeling of being an embarrassing beginner.

They thrive on that feeling of newness.

They love diving into something with a child-like curiosity.

The beginner’s embarrassment is actually a positive signal.

Embrace that beginner's embarrassment and you will change your life.

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This idea changed my life (and may change yours)...

The Law of Reversed Effort:

In a Zen parable that I love, a martial arts student approaches his teacher and asks, "How long will it take me to master this craft?"

The teacher replies, "10 years."

The student, looking impatient, responds, "I want to master it faster than that. I will work harder than anyone else. I will push myself to practice for many hours every single day. I won't rest until I become a master. How long will it take then?"

The teacher considers this new information, smiles, and answers, "20 years."

This story brings to life a concept called the Law of Reversed Effort, coined by author Aldous Huxley:

"The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed."

It's easy to find examples from your own life where this concept rings true:

When you press to try to complete a creative task, you become less creative.

When you actively push to try to find the perfect partner, you rarely find that person.

When you try to force yourself to fall asleep, you stare at the ceiling awake.

Elite sprinters follow something called the 85% rule:

They try to run at 85% intensity because it keeps them loose, fluid, and effortless.

When they try to run at 100% intensity, their body tenses up and they slow down.

The lesson here is simple: When you adopt a mindset of balanced effort, you achieve greater heights.

Life is not about pushing to the max at all times—this is a recipe for burnout and bad results.

Balance your effort, learn to breathe and flow in everything you do.

If you find that headspace, you will always thrive.

***

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A life lesson it took me way too long to learn...

Avoid the Comparison Trap:

Early in your life and career, it's tempting to compare yourself and your progress to those around you:

• This person made X dollars last year.
• That person got Forbes 30 Under 30.
• So and so is crushing it.

It's natural, but dangerous—learn to turn it off.

Too often you're actually comparing your Day 1 to someone else’s Day 1000.

The only questions worth asking:

• What have I learned?
• What have I changed my mind on?
• How have I grown?
• What good have I done for others?

Look in, not out!

Focus on what you can control. The only comparison worth making is to yourself from yesterday.

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An idea that changed my life (and may change yours)...

The Paradox of Failure:

You have to fail more to succeed more.

Our transformative moments of growth often stem directly from our toughest moments of failure.

Don't fear failure—learn to fail smart and fast. Never fail the same way twice.

Always put yourself in the arena.

The master is often just the person who had the highest tolerance for failure.

We fear failure, so most of us play it safe to avoid it.

Do not accept failure, but do not fear it either.

You will fail. Embrace it. Learn to fail smart and fast.

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Important Rule for Life: When in doubt, zoom out.

Being perpetually zoomed in creates two challenges:

1. Struggle feels bigger than it really is.
2. Growth feels smaller than it really is.

The 10,000 foot view provides perspective—on the manageable nature of your struggles and the impressive nature of your growth.

Two effective ways to zoom out:

1. Vertically: Zoom out via "altitude" and see the bigger picture context of the moment.

2. Horizontally: Zoom out via “mental time travel” to the past or the future and observe the present through that new lens. Go back 10 years and think about how your past self would be in awe of where you are today. Go forward 50 years and think about how your future self would give anything to be back doing the things you get to do today.

Both can work wonders.

Always remember: When in doubt, zoom out.

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This will hit you hard:

"A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you're not enough without it, you'll never be enough with it."

One of the most significant lies we tell ourselves:

"If I get [X], then I'll be happy."

It's easy to convince yourself that your happiness is contingent upon some external milestone:

• Money
• Promotion
• Fancy stuff
• Recognition

But these "if, then" traps are a dangerous mirage:

You climb to the top of that mountain, only to see the happiness you thought you'd find melt away and reappear in the distance.

If you convince yourself that your satisfaction is contingent upon the next achievement or milestone, you'll never find it.

Real satisfaction and happiness is an inside job:

Find it on the journey—or you won't find it at all.

Remember: If you're not enough without it, you'll never be enough with it...

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I spent yesterday afternoon on a long walk with Seth Godin.

5 learnings (that everyone needs to hear):

1. Rituals > Structure.

I asked Seth about how he manages his days and time (a personal fascination of mine).

He replied that he has rituals, but no structure.

Every day, he wakes up at a similar time, canoes on the river, and takes his dog for several long walks. He avoids flying (and driving) as much as possible.

The rituals are designed to foster an environment of curiosity—an environment where he can be pulled into "art projects" big and small, spend time thinking, and avoid any outside ownership of his time.

His rituals create the conditions for him to achieve his definition of success.

2. Discomfort and inconvenience will change your life.

While reflecting on the altMBA program that he created, Seth offered a powerful insight:

"We changed thousands of lives through discomfort and inconvenience. It wasn't scalable, but that was the point."

The intensive 31-day program was designed to be difficult, especially when done alongside a full-time job.

But the secret was in the discomfort and inconvenience that it required:

It forced incredible growth.

In a world that wants to make everything more comfortable and more convenient, find a way to fight back.

Your life will change when you start to embrace discomfort and inconvenience.

3. Consistency is about taking pride in punching the clock.

Everyone wants to talk about consistency, but very few are willing to actually live by it.

Seth has published a blog post for 8,000+ straight days.

There are bound to be a lot of highs and lows over that length of time.

Stop looking for pats on the back to keep you going.

Take pride in punching the clock every single day.

4. Make trust your lane.

A lot of the advice you get early in your career (on traditional tracks or as a creator) is to pick a lane and stick to it.

The challenge is that a narrow definition of that "lane" can lead you down a path that may be hard to adjust or come back from.

Seth's guidance: "Focus on trust as your lane."

Build trust and treat it like your ultimate currency.

It may mean sacrificing shiny opportunity in the short-term, but it always pays off in the long-term.

5. Never let your curiosity die.

Everything good in life comes from the pursuit of your curiosity.

If you allow your curiosity to fade—as the result of a job you hate, a "busy" schedule, or anything else—your life will begin to suffer.

Make curiosity a part of who you are.

Embrace the beginner's mindset and your life will always feel full.

***

It's no surprise to me that so many impressive people count Seth Godin as a mentor and friend. I'm grateful to add myself to that list.

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17 years ago, I tried to flirt with a cute freshman girl in my school’s computer lab.

It was her birthday and I offered her a high five.

She stared at me and walked out, laughing.

Well, we can laugh together, because that cute girl is now my wife.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

3 tiny daily habits that upgraded my life

(steal these to upgrade yours too):

1. No phone for 30 minutes post-wakeup.

I used to be one of those people who checked their phone before even getting out of bed. It was a deeply unhealthy practice.

Checking your phone to start your day is an invitation for stress. The immediate burst of notifications, requests, and questions starts your day on a bad note.

Creating boundaries and giving yourself the space to start the day on your terms is essential.

Go through a few morning rituals--whatever rituals you prefer--before checking your phone.

2. Grayscale mode at least 90% of the day.

Grayscale mode removes all of the crazy attractive colors and features of your phone that are specifically designed by these companies to make them addicting.

When you put your phone on Grayscale mode, you eliminate the urge to pick it up and "just check" throughout the day.

That one tiny change will make you more productive (and much more present!) in every single activity.

3. 1-1-1 journaling every evening.

Before going to bed at night, write down:

• 1 win from the day
• 1 point of gratitude
• 1 point of tension, anxiety, or stress

Writing down the win gives you a pat on the back for whatever you accomplished (no matter how small).

Writing down the point of gratitude gives you more appreciation for your life

Writing down the point of tension gets it off your mind and onto the paper so that you can unwind and fall asleep with a clear head.

I've been doing this for over a year and it completely changed my sleep and daily mindset.

***

Those 3 tiny changes have had a major impact on my life.

The best part: They're all free and take very little time or energy to implement.

Give them a shot and let me know what you think!

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The secret to success that no one tells you about...

Avoiding the Compound Mistake:

Let's begin by referencing an image made famous by Atomic Habits.

While most of the dialogue focuses on the 1% better every day, which results in a ~38x improvement, the 1% worse every day is just as important:

It effectively zeroes you out—it knocks you out of the game...

When I was playing baseball at Stanford, the coaches had a metric they liked to track for pitchers called the Compound Mistake.

The idea was simple:

After a bad on-field event happens (a hit, walk, error, or hit batter), what did the pitcher do next? Did he let the bad event spiral out of control, or did he control the situation and get the next batter out?

When looking at all of the data from several years of games, what they found was that avoiding the compound mistake was far and away the most important metric for success.

You didn't need to be flashy, you just needed to avoid stacking negatives. If you could do that, you would find a way to win.

The realization here is powerful:

After a failure or mistake, the next decision has elevated importance—this is where you can stop the negative compounding and start a move in the right direction.

It took me many years to realize that the Compound Mistake was actually a wonderful metaphor for life: We can't always control the first bad event, but we are in control of how we let it impact us going forward.

3 steps to avoid the dark side of compounding:

1. Create Space

Our power is in the space that we can create between stimulus and response. Creating that space is the key. Force a pause, take a walk, gather your breath.
Most Compound Mistakes are the result of a rushed process, of allowing the situation to speed up on you. Slow it down.

2. Evaluate the New Situation

Fighter pilots use the OODA Loop framework to make great decisions in the heat of battle. The most important part of that framework is the "loop"—they take in the new data and evidence from the prior decision and use it to orient themselves for the next decision to be made.

Take the time to understand the new dynamic and what you've learned from the new data gathered.

3. Execute

You can't get anywhere without taking the first step. If you've created space and evaluated the new situation, it's time to act. Execute on the chosen course of action and monitor new incoming data to assess the result.

The beautiful thing about life is that no matter where you are today—no matter how deep in the darkness—you are always just one good decision away from being in a better place tomorrow.

Don't worry about the hundreds or thousands of decisions that you still have to make to get to where you want to be—just focus on the next decision.

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A 24-year-old asked me how to improve his standing in life.

I gave him one piece of advice:

Wake up early and work out every single day for a week.

He looked confused, but I explained:

When you wake up early and work out, you break any negative identity cycle that you may have been suffering from.

If you can get out of bed early and move, you’ve got something in you.

It’s one simple act that immediately makes you self-identify as a winner.

If you want to change your life, wake up early and move.

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I love this decision making “razor”:

The Young & Old Test

Make decisions that your 80-year old self and 10-year-old self would be proud of.

Your 80-year-old self cares about the long-term compounding of the decisions of today.

Your 10-year-old self reminds you to stay foolish and have some fun along the way.

***

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How to dramatically improve business decision making...

The After-Action Review (4 questions):

A simple, powerful framework used by the military and leading corporations to make continuous improvements by reflecting on each completed action and distilling the relevant insights to inform future actions.

The After-Action Review is four key questions:

1. What did we intend to accomplish?
2. What did we accomplish relative to our intention?
3. Why did it happen this way?
4. What will we do to adapt and refine for an improved outcome?

It is typically conducted after a major project or action to assess the performance of an individual or team and make adjustments necessary in advance of the next one.

While managers and employees can certainly benefit from engaging in a formal AAR in a professional setting, I find the AAR to be a useful template for informal, on-the-fly process improvements.

A few examples:

After a difficult conversation with a partner or friend. Why didn't that go as I intended? What changes can I make next time?

After a race or competition. Why didn't that go as well as I had hoped? What changes can I make to my training plan next time?

After a meeting with a new mentor. Why didn't that prove as fruitful as I hoped? What changes can I make next time?

I like the framework because it puts an emphasis on my actions—the things I can control—rather than wasting energy worrying about that external factors that I cannot.

I typically just run through the questions in my head, but you can write them down if you'd like.

Give it a shot coming out of your next project or personal event and let me know what you think.

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I challenged myself to cold plunge every morning for 100 straight days.

10 lessons from 100 days in the cold:

Lesson 1: Discipline is about what you do on the days when you feel like crap.

It's easy to be disciplined when you feel great. It's hard when you feel like crap. Those are the days when you remind yourself that you are a winner.

Lesson 2: Stop overthinking, just start.

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." Too many get their dopamine from the planning. Too few get their dopamine from the doing. Plan a bit, then make first contact with "your enemy" and start improving fast.

Lesson 3: Adaptability is essential (and it's a skill you can build).

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change." - Charles Darwin. Life is chaotic. If you can embrace that chaos, you'll win.

Lesson 4: You're remembered for your actions, not your words.

The world is filled with gurus who talk the talk, but never walk the walk. Beware anyone who tries to sell you food that they aren't eating themselves. Be the person whose actions are always louder than their words.

Lesson 5: If you want to get better at anything, do it every day.

There are plenty of ways to get better at something, but the best way is simple: Just do the damn thing every single day. It's hard to comprehend just how much you will improve by doing something every day.

Lesson 6: Don't do it the "right" way, do it your way.

When you start something new, everyone will want to give you advice on the "right" way to do it. They will give you their maps for the terrain. Take their maps, but use them to create your own.

Lesson 7: We're all in the fight together.

I asked viewers of my cold plunge videos to send me questions. They were universal. Every single person is fighting a battle—and it's a battle that you understand.

Lesson 8: You get to choose your hard.

It's hard to live with purpose. It's also hard to live without one. It's hard to build a fit physique. It's also hard to see your body fail. It's hard to build deep relationships. It's also hard to live on the surface. Choose your hard.

Lesson 9: Focus on the days and you'll lose sight of the years.

It's easy to get caught up in the ups and downs of the days and lose sight of the bigger picture. Always remember: When in doubt, zoom out.

Lesson 10: Do hard things.

When you embrace voluntary struggle you'll be prepared for the involuntary struggle of life. Wake up early, Get cold, Lift heavy, Be present, Have difficult conversations. Do hard things.

***

The challenge wasn't easy:

- Three continents
- Several frozen rivers
- Dozens of hotel bathtubs
- One icy shower at 40,000 feet

I had one simple conclusion: You are capable of so much more than you realize.

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