David Riklan

Organized and Energized! The Podcast: a lightbox reading Podcast, white headphones and the show logo on a desk

Podcast guest

Founder of SelfGrowth.com and co-founder of the Joint Venture Directory · Episode 120 with Kathi Burns, August 27, 2025

TL;DR

David Riklan is founder of SelfGrowth.com and co-founder of the Joint Venture Directory.

On episode 120 of Organized and Energized! The Podcast, David and Kathi Burns talked about joint venture partnerships: two businesses agree to promote each other. David Riklan sold $100,000 of ebooks in a day that way, without Amazon.

He defines a joint venture as any time two people or two companies agree to support each other in a way that benefits both businesses.

Who is David Riklan?

David Riklan

David Riklan is the founder of SelfGrowth.com and co-founder of the Joint Venture Directory, a community of more than 1,500 business owners who partner to grow their businesses. He holds a BS in chemical engineering and started his career in sales and marketing at Hewlett-Packard, where a Dale Carnegie course made him fall in love with lifelong learning. He bought the domain selfgrowth.com in 1995, ran it as a side business and went full time in 2003. The site has had more than 100 million visitors. David has published more than 10 books, two of them with John Wiley & Sons, including Self Improvement: The Top 101 Experts Who Help Us Improve Our Life.

Where can I find David online?

Which episodes feature David?

Browse the How do I get more clients? collection, the full episode archive or the guest directory. Want to be a guest yourself? Apply here.

What other guests have been featured on this show?

Candid Answers to Create Better Business Strategies

Frequently asked questions about David Riklan

Who is David Riklan?

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David Riklan is founder of SelfGrowth.com and co-founder of the Joint Venture Directory. Founder of SelfGrowth.com who grows businesses through partnerships

What is David's main advice from the episode?

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David ran SelfGrowth.com as a side business for eight years before going full time in 2003, so you don't have to quit your job to launch.

Where can I find David online?

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David's website is www.selfgrowth.com, and the other links are in the Important Links section of the episode page.

How do I become a guest like David?

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Kathi Burns takes guest applications from founders who are willing to share candid stories about the strategies they use to eliminate logjams in their business. Apply to be a guest here and the team will review your application and reply with your next step.

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