Peter Sims

Peter Sims

Keynote Speaker: Entrepreneur & Best-selling Author; Known for "Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries"

Peter Sims Biography

Peter Sims is a best-selling author and the founder & CEO of BLK SHP, Inc. — a place and platform for making small bets, forging co-conspiracies, and building new ventures. He is also an Adviser at Google[x], The Moonshot Factory.

His book "Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries", was selected as a one of the six best advice books for entrepreneurs by the Wall Street Journal and as one of the best business books of the year by The Washington Post and Inc. Magazine. Sims coauthored the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek best-seller "True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership" with Bill George, applying his learned product design and design thinking from Stanford's Institute of Design.

Sims co-founded FUSE corps, a platform considered the White House Fellowship for city government, contributing over 100,000 hours of public service annually. He was also part of the initial team that started Giving Tuesday, an international charity movement that raised over $1 billion for social good causes in 2018. His previous experience extends to venture capital, including the co-founding of Summit Partners’ European Office in London.

Sims is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Stanford Business School. He is the founder of the BLK SHP Foundation, a global community of creative misfits. As a leadership speaker, Sims shares stories and lessons on how people transform from good to great leaders, underlining the importance of leading oneself effectively, learning from personal failures and setbacks, and upholding values during times of economic turmoil.

As a sixth generation Northern Californian, his ancestors founded Gundlach Bundschu (GunBun), California's oldest family-owned winery, which is managed by his cousins today.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Peter Sims and other top speakers and celebrities.

Peter Sims Speaking Topics

Authentic Leadership

Based on the lessons learned from 125 of the worlds most-respected entrepreneurs and leaders profiled for TRUE NORTH: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, including Charles Schwab, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, CEO of Palm Inc. Donna Dubinsky, Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric, Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy, Andrea Jung CEO of Avon Products, and Narayana Murthy of Infosys. Themes include: overcoming life crucibles and setbacks, clarifying personal values and motivations, developing effective support structures, using your life story to motivate and inspire others, approaches for staying grounded, and personal leadership development plans.

Little Bets

What do Thomas Edison, Chris Rock, and Jeff Bezos all have in common?

Answer: An understanding that the biggest ideas spring forth from a series of small discoveries, reworked to achieve a great result.

Based on extensive research, including over 200 interviews with successful creators and innovators, Sims demonstrates that the kind of linear problem-solving and fear of failure we were conditioned to embrace actively thwarts creativity. Whether its Steve Jobs or architect Frank Gehry or the braintrust at Pixar, there is no complete plan or vision at the outset. Rather, through a process of trying and failing in incremental ways, they gain critical information as they go from one small, experimental step to the next which eventually lead to extraordinary breakthroughs. These so-called little bets helped spark the ideas that led to companies like Twitter and blockbuster movies like the Toy Story franchise. We can learn to think and work like those we think of as geniuses failing fast to learn quickly, trying imperfect ideas, focusing on finding problems rather than solving them, and practicing highly immersed observationto turn our own little bets into big successes.

Peter Sims Videos

Original Thinkers Presents: Peter Sims
How to Innovate: LITTLE BETS by Peter Sims

How do I book Peter Sims to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Peter Sims for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Peter Sims, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Peter Sims or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Peter Sims for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Peter Sims, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a virtual event is $30,000 - $50,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Peter Sims, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Peter Sims speak about?

Peter Sims is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Business, Innovation, Work-Life Balance, Peak Performance, Business Leadership, Stress Management, Creativity, Personal Growth, Authors, Technology, Change Management, Health, Entrepreneurship, Teamwork & Teambuilding, Business Growth, College, TED, Motivational, Leadership and Strategic Leadership.

Where does Peter Sims travel from?

Peter Sims generally travels from Oakland, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Peter Sims?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Peter Sims for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Peter Sims for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Peter Sims or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Peter Sims is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Business, Innovation and Work-Life Balance. The estimated speaking fee range to book Peter Sims for virtual events is $30,000 - $50,000. Please contact us for live event fees. Peter Sims generally travels from Oakland, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Mark C. Thompson, Adrian Gostick and Dave Logan, PhD. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Peter Sims for an upcoming event.

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 23/05/2024.

Peter Sims Speaking Topics

  • Authentic Leadership

    Based on the lessons learned from 125 of the worlds most-respected entrepreneurs and leaders profiled for TRUE NORTH: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, including Charles Schwab, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, CEO of Palm Inc. Donna Dubinsky, Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric, Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy, Andrea Jung CEO of Avon Products, and Narayana Murthy of Infosys. Themes include: overcoming life crucibles and setbacks, clarifying personal values and motivations, developing effective support structures, using your life story to motivate and inspire others, approaches for staying grounded, and personal leadership development plans.

  • Little Bets

    What do Thomas Edison, Chris Rock, and Jeff Bezos all have in common?

    Answer: An understanding that the biggest ideas spring forth from a series of small discoveries, reworked to achieve a great result.

    Based on extensive research, including over 200 interviews with successful creators and innovators, Sims demonstrates that the kind of linear problem-solving and fear of failure we were conditioned to embrace actively thwarts creativity. Whether its Steve Jobs or architect Frank Gehry or the braintrust at Pixar, there is no complete plan or vision at the outset. Rather, through a process of trying and failing in incremental ways, they gain critical information as they go from one small, experimental step to the next which eventually lead to extraordinary breakthroughs. These so-called little bets helped spark the ideas that led to companies like Twitter and blockbuster movies like the Toy Story franchise. We can learn to think and work like those we think of as geniuses failing fast to learn quickly, trying imperfect ideas, focusing on finding problems rather than solving them, and practicing highly immersed observationto turn our own little bets into big successes.

Peter Sims Videos

Original Thinkers Presents: Peter Sims
How to Innovate: LITTLE BETS by Peter Sims

Peter Sims Reviews

  • Southern New Hampshire University - Sep 16 2019

Peter Sims News

  • Why we need more laughter in the workplace

    As entrepreneur Peter Sims wrote in his 2011 book Little Bets, “A playful, lighthearted, and humorous environment is especially helpful when ideas are incubating and newly hatched, the phase when they are most vulnerable to being snuffed out or even expressed because of being judged or self-censored.”

  • The Little Nudges That Would Make Even Churchill Proud - Forbes

    This article is by Peter Sims, author of Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries, coauthor with Bill George of True North: Discover ...

  • How do I book Peter Sims to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Peter Sims for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Peter Sims, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Peter Sims or any other speaker of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Peter Sims for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Peter Sims, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a virtual event is $30,000 - $50,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Peter Sims, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Peter Sims speak about?

  • Where does Peter Sims travel from?

    Peter Sims generally travels from Oakland, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
  • Who is the agent for Peter Sims?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Peter Sims for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Peter Sims for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Peter Sims or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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