By skyforbes 
If you’re a VC-backed founder you may not recognize this guy, but every serious entrepreneur needs to study him. He went from teenage barista to building a $400M+ fortune, acquired 40+ companies, and is now giving it all away.
Last year, he wrote “Never Enough,” and it’s hands down one of the best books I’ve read in 2025.
Here are 7 lessons from Andrew Wilkinson that every founder should implement, starting today:
1. Pay yourself well from day one
Andrew paid himself $250K-$500K in his first 2-3 years while most founders starve themselves waiting for an exit. If your business can’t support paying the founder well, it’s not a real business yet.
2. Embrace “Lazy Leadership”
“A CEO’s job is not to do all the work, but to design the machine and systems. Not a player on the field. Not the coach. But the owner, sitting up in a little box at the top of the arena.”
This is the opposite of heroic founder culture. Build systems, then step back and let them work. Because “there is always somebody else who loves the job you hate.”
3. Ask for the impossible, settle for amazing
As a kid, Andrew asked Apple for an internship. Instead of getting rejected, he got a store tour and lifelong inspiration. “There’s no harm in asking.” Most founders ask for too little. But when you shoot for something that seems impossible, you often end up with something better than you originally hoped for.
4. Focus on process, not outcomes
After hitting his financial targets, Andrew felt empty. “The payoff wasn’t the point…it was the process. The journey itself.” The emptiness of making money taught him that building something meaningful matters more than the financial result.
5. Spend money on connection, not status
Andrew learned that money should bring people together, not drive them apart. His best purchase? “The lake house was the best thing I’ve ever spent money on… it’s about family and friends and disconnection.”
Whether you’re making $50K or $50M, spend your money on experiences with people you love, not things that make you look successful to people you don’t.
6. Use your success to lift others up
Andrew plans to give away his entire fortune before he dies because he learned that wealth without purpose feels empty. But you don’t need to be a billionaire to apply this principle.
Whether it’s mentoring other founders, investing in your team’s growth, or simply using your platform to help others succeed, the most fulfilling part of building wealth is what you do with it for other people.
TAKEAWAY:
Andrew Wilkinson proves you can build massive wealth without losing your humanity.
Most importantly, he shows that true success isn’t about accumulating wealth, but about building something meaningful and using your resources to help others.
The world needs more builders like Andrew: brilliant, successful, and refreshingly honest about both the power and the emptiness of money.