From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
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.
Too often I feel there is also a search for 'the next' Steve Jobs or Joanna Shields. These are extraordinary people and yet I believe we should not treat entrepreneurialism as requiring a narrow checklist of certain characteristics.
For me it is extremely important that commercial interests and social benefits are not mutually exclusive, but that they can complement each other wonderfully so I always look out for products that are innovative, forward-thinking and offer a true value for society.
When you're identifying talent in music or other industries- one of the most important things to identify is which of those individuals is able to marry talent with extraordinary drive.
My wife Freada coined a phrase, distance travelled. We're very interested in where somebody started in life, and what hurdles and barriers they have already overcome in their journey – and how that grit has got them to where they are now.
The money didn't just drop-in… it arrived through creation and building! These individuals are always going to be about growth….
I just hope that those who become influencers make smart choices; it's the kind of attention that comes quickly and is very hard to maintain. There are a few people that remain, and who have maintained longevity, but for the most part, influencer culture is extremely short lived.
It makes you respect money more when it comes from something you create, rather than just trading back and forth with someone else's cash.
I've been fortunate not to be formally trained in any of these disciplines. I don't know how to play music, nor do I know how to code, but I have a strong sense of what the market wants. Around that, I build a team of people who are skilled at execution.
80% of self-made billionaires we studied made their mark in mature, competitive markets. They weren't all 'exactly' new products that came out – they were maybe a variation of a business model or existing product that pleased the customer in a different way.
As business-leaders we have to start taking responsibility to speak-out about our own struggles, so that others do the same- and by doing so, make our teams and our peers realise that it's fine to not be fine.
Entrepreneurial businesses innovate, change, evolve and meet customer needs… it's about creating things that people value and love.