Think Like Bezos for Financial Success: How Mindset Shapes Money Decisions
Written by
Jennifer Taylor
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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Jeff Bezos has achieved profound success. The Amazon founder turned an idea of an online bookstore into what is now the world’s highest-grossing online marketplace retailer, according to Capital One Shopping Research.
As of Sept. 29, 2025, Bezos was the fourth-richest person on the planet, with a $234.8 billion net worth, according to Forbes. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or simply want to improve your finances, there’s plenty of lessons to learn from him.
Starting out with a money-focused mindset has led Bezos to nearly the top of the billionaire’s club. Here’s a look at five ways mindset has shaped his money decisions.
Live Frugally
These days, Jeff Bezos is living large, as he spent an estimated $50 million on his wedding to Lauren Sanchez, according to Reuters. He also bought a $500 million superyacht, Koru, per People.
However, a 1999 “60 Minutes” interview revealed he was once quite frugal — even after making a fortune. At the time, he was worth $10 billion, but still driving a 1997 Honda Accord, telling the interviewer, “This is a perfectly good car.”
Start Small
It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to quickly run out of cash, because they try to get too big too fast. This wasn’t the case for Bezos.
Giving his new business time to grow, in 1995, Bezos started Amazon in the garage of his Bellevue, Washington home. The barebones office consisted of a desk, computer and a few office supplies.
Instead of having to worry about paying the rent for office space, Bezos was able to focus on building his business into the empire it’s become today.
Get Creative
When the going was rough, Bezos got inspired. Back in 1995, when Amazon had just five employees, the entrepreneur was faced with the task of getting desks for his team.
Instead of splurging on furniture the company couldn’t afford, he went to Home Depot, found a few doors and put legs on them. Today, the “door desk” is still rooted in the Amazon culture, highlighting frugality — one of the company’s core values.
In fact, a modern — and sturdier — version of the desks are still used by employees. The company also established the Door Desk Award, honoring resourceful and creative workers, who aren’t afraid to test drive new ideas.
Be Bold
As the CEO of Amazon, Bezos has said he encourages his team to be bold. However, he noted it’s hard to get people to take bold risks — but said leaders need to encourage it.
“And if you’re going to take bold bets, they’re going to be experiments,” he said. “And if they’re experiments, you don’t know ahead of time whether they’re going to work.”
He noted that AWS, Kindle and Amazon Prime are examples of bold bets that went well, while some of the company’s other ventures — i.e., Pets.com — did not.
Think Long-Term
Some people make a point of living for the now, but Bezos isn’t one of them. Instead, he believes it’s best to maintain a long-term point of view.
“I think what you do is you think about the great expanse of time ahead of you and try to make sure that you’re planning for that in a way that’s going to leave you ultimately satisfied,” he said.
This mindset has clearly helped him succeed in business, but can also be applied in a personal sense.
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