Hello and welcome to the Read and Think Podcast! My name is James Petzke. I’m the founder of Upland Optics, Off Trail Publishing, and Upland Enterprises. I’ve started, run, bought and sold numerous online companies over the years.
I wish I could take credit for the successes I’ve had as an entrepreneur and investor, but a lot of it goes to the hundreds of books I’ve read along the way. It didn’t take me long to realize the more time I spent reading and thinking, the better I got at making decisions. And the decisions I made were the only things I could control that determined my outcomes. The Read and Think Podcast is my way to share what I’m learning from the books I’m reading and how I’m thinking about them with you. The topics I read about are a broad range. I focus a lot on business and investing, but I also know that having a wide breadth of knowledge is just as important as lots of specialized knowledge. So you’ll hear about everything from natural sciences to political history to sports and even some classic literature.
I usually publish an episode every week, but it varies slightly because I have a tendency to read monstrous books that take more than a week to finish (Like Truman and The Wealth of Nations). My focus is on producing high quality content, so I’ll only publish an episode only when I think it is worthwhile for my listeners rather than just because I have to do it on a schedule!
If you want more regular content about the books I’m reading, including highlights and favorite quotes from them and regular recommendations, be sure to follow the show on Instagram and Twitter.
And lastly, check out my website JamesPetzke.com to see the articles I’m writing. I write mostly about business, investing, and of course the occasional rant about books.