From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
Growth is like an elixir. It's exciting, it creates more and more growth, and it's a helluva lot of fun. Business is fun, it's a game. You're playing against others, and you want to win!
When nine people say no, I say yes and make it happen. I just keep going.
One you have to get a unique insight. It starts there. Two, you need to be prepared to devote a lot of energy and commitment.
For the creator economy, NFTs represent a way for creators and producers of content to directly engage with the people who support them. It's a completely different model… a way for artists and creators to monetise much more effectively than incumbent platforms.
One of the best ways to make money is not to lose it. If you can learn not to lose money, you're making money. When you lose your own money, it hurts, it makes you careful, but you cannot let it take the mojo… the hunger out of you.
By using the Straight Line System, you can get yourself to a level where you're certainly good enough at sales, where your skill in that area is not going to be what holds you back in life.
As an entrepreneur, you're often doing things that haven't been done before, or doing them in ways that break the mould. All sorts of people are telling you, 'No, that's not how it's done,' and you're constantly running into obstacles. Without a lot of self-confidence, you can't even get started.
Most people I would consider world-class, successful entrepreneurs never volunteered for the job. They were kicked out like the guy who offended the king and was kicked out of the city walls.
We are first generation entrepreneurs, with middle class values, coming from middle class backgrounds, we never expected to be so wealthy! Our first reaction therefore is to share.
The reality is that most consumers aren't excited by incremental changes. To capture consumers' attention and make the market take notice, you need meaningful innovation—something genuinely new.
Having forefathers as merchants that forged their own paths pushed me to pursue a similar journey. At this point I got a lead that there was a lot of potential in catering, and so in 1982 I set out to make my mark competing with major international companies.
When I've asked them about what drew them into a particular investment, the answer is unanimous – the people. When I reflect back on business I've invested in, and the hundreds of investor pitches I've seen?… the answer is the same – and often I've invested in the 'weaker' idea because of the people, and dismissed the 'better' idea for the same reason.