# Josh Kaufman

> Josh Kaufman is a bestselling author, independent business researcher, and educator best known for 'The Personal MBA' - a book that challenged the necessity of expensive graduate business degrees and sold over a million copies worldwide. His TEDx talk on rapid skill acquisition has amassed over 42 million views, placing it among the most-watched TED talks ever. Through his three books and advisory practice, he helps entrepreneurs, executives, and self-learners build business acumen, acquire new skills faster, and pursue ambitious goals without institutional gatekeeping.

- **Role:** Founder at Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC
- **Organizations:** Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC, PersonalMBA.com
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), University of Cincinnati
- **Known for:** #1 bestselling author in Business & Money on Amazon, 1.5 million+ books sold globally across three titles, TEDx talk with 42+ million views - among top 10 most-viewed TED talks ever

## Career timeline

- **2001-2004** — Attends University of Cincinnati, earns BBA
- **2004-2007** — Works at Procter & Gamble, Home Care brand management division, leads multi-million dollar projects and develops global online marketing measurement strategy
- **2005** — Founds PersonalMBA.com while still at P&G - a curated business reading list as an alternative to traditional MBA programs
- **2007-2010** — Leaves P&G; transitions to independent researcher, author, and advisor
- **2010** — Publishes 'The Personal MBA' (Penguin Random House) - becomes a #1 Amazon bestseller with over 1 million copies sold
- **2013** — Publishes 'The First 20 Hours'; delivers TEDx Oshkosh talk that accumulates 42+ million views, becoming one of the most-viewed TED talks ever
- **2013** — JoshKaufman.net recognized as a 'Top 100 Websites for Entrepreneurs' by Forbes
- **2018** — Independently publishes 'How to Fight a Hydra' through Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC, departing from traditional publishing
- **ongoing** — Advises business owners across tech, entertainment, publishing, manufacturing, fitness, healthcare, and government; continues research and writing

## Achievements

- #1 bestselling author in Business & Money on Amazon
- 1.5 million+ books sold globally across three titles
- TEDx talk with 42+ million views - among top 10 most-viewed TED talks ever
- Featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fortune
- Speaker at Stanford University, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and Google
- Books adopted as university textbooks at Stanford, NYU, Howard, and Portland State
- Forbes 'Top 100 Websites for Entrepreneurs' (2013) for JoshKaufman.net
- Audie Award finalist for The Personal MBA audiobook
- 'Best of Audible' recognition

## Latest updates

- **2018-10** — Published 'How to Fight a Hydra' independently through Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC
- **2023-ongoing** — Continuing advisory practice across multiple industries; active on Twitter/X @joshkaufman

## Links

- Website: https://joshkaufman.net
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/joshkaufman
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/joshkaufman
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/joshkaufman

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/josh-kaufman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26