Interview With Author Shivam Singh
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the founder and CEO of Cent Capital, a FinTech company using AI to solve financial anxiety. My background is in high-stakes tech, where I led generative AI strategy for Fortune 100 companies at Amazon Web Services (AWS). It was there I earned the nickname “The Beast of Bay Area” for my intense, systems-based approach to problem-solving. This is my first book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Forging the Beast of Bay Area: My Journey from AWS to Cent Capital.” The inspiration came from a desire to codify the strategic playbook I developed at AWS and apply it to a more meaningful mission. It was sparked by seeing a brilliant colleague struggle with basic financial stress despite a six-figure salary, which reminded me of the stories my grandfather told about financial insecurity. I realized the biggest unsolved problem wasn’t a corporate workflow; it was a fundamental human one.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing environment is a minimalist desk with a single monitor, and my most productive hours are before the city wakes up. I almost always write while listening to deep focus playlists, usually instrumental electronic or cinematic scores, which helps me architect the narrative and arguments like a system.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
“The Art of War” by Sun Tzu is foundational for its lessons on strategy and leverage. “Thinking in Systems” by Donella Meadows provided a framework for deconstructing the complex problems I tackle in business. And Andy Grove’s “High Output Management” has been a crucial guide for its pragmatic approach to execution.
What are you working on now?
Right now, my primary focus is on execution—applying the very principles detailed in the book to build Cent Capital. The book is the “what” and the “why,” and my work now is the daily “how.” I’m leading my team to build our “data moat” and create the world’s most powerful Financial Large Language Model (FinLLM) to make personalized financial guidance accessible to everyone.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method is leveraging the direct relationship I’ve built with my audience over time. My Substack newsletter and podcast are my most powerful promotional tools because they are communities built on trust and shared interest, not just algorithms. For direct sales, platforms like Gumroad and Itch.io are fantastic because they give creators more control.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Treat your book like a startup. Before you finish the manuscript, start building your distribution channel—an email list is non-negotiable. Understand your reader’s “pain point” and write the solution. Don’t just write a book; build a system around it with a clear mission, a defined audience, and a direct path to reach them.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“It is not the critic who counts… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” It’s a quote from Theodore Roosevelt that I used as the epigraph for my book. It’s a powerful reminder that execution and daring to build are what truly matter, not the commentary from the sidelines.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading “The Sovereign Individual” by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. Its predictions about the impact of technology on society and finance are more relevant now than ever.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My immediate future is focused on building, but I plan for my next writing project to be a series of deep-dive case studies drawn directly from our work at Cent Capital. It will be a more tactical look at the challenges and successes of applying the “Beast” methodology in the real world.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius – For maintaining the right mindset.
2. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu – For strategy in any environment.
3. “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman – To understand my own decision-making biases.
4. “The SAS Survival Handbook” – For pragmatic reasons.
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