From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
My goal was simply attracting large numbers of customers because mass appeal guarantees profit. I often advised not to obsess over immediate profits but to prioritise popularity. Like Amazon or Apple, success comes from creating something that garners mass recognition and love.
My best ideas, and most successful opportunities have come- usually- from the most unexpected areas.
There were large segments of the population with tremendous talent, who were being overlooked and underestimated because they didn't have the right 'pedigree.' – These individuals had fabulous business ideas and were genuinely going to change the world as they were solving real problems.
We all have obstacles we think can't be overcome, but if our dream is great enough, and we work hard enough, the world is ours for the taking. Keep an open mind: look for learnings everywhere and don't be afraid to fail.
Stay undefined and stay curious. Our world is changing so rapidly that the only way to survive, thrive and adjust is to have a deep and constant level of curiosity.
I woke up every day both inspired and terrified by the thought of building something from scratch and helping to save lives. It's a pretty good way to live, being both inspired and terrified.
At WeWork, we believe creators are anyone that's pursuing their passions and contributing to a mission. You may be an artist who is working on an innovative new project, a freelance software engineer providing client services or a director of HR at a Fortune 500 company that's trying to build a dynamic work environment for employees – regardless of your company size, title or function, you are working towards creating meaning, intention and purpose within your life.
I also want to dispel the hero-myth of entrepreneurs, that they're somehow super-gifted individuals who are better than me or the people I know. I don't know any like that – my friends sleep late, smell funny, do stupid stuff and have weird joint problems. I don't know any superhumans.
From the data I've collected, about 2% of humanity is qualified to be an entrepreneur. If we got to a point where the full 2% pursued entrepreneurship as a viable way to live their lives? The amount of problems we would solve in human-society would be astounding.
Above all, great entrepreneurs have completed and undivided commitment to their company and doing what it takes to make it successful. Building any new major company is much harder than most realize, so if requires a very high pain threshold – great entrepreneurs are so tough mentally and emotionally.
Purpose doesn't come to people sitting at the starting blocks and thinking about purpose. You have to live it.
There are really only three types of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, 'What happened?' Which group would you rather be in?