Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit. —Frank Borman, retired NASA astronaut. The other day while checking out new books at Barnes and Noble, I came across the story of how a young Howard Schultz, the current CEO of Starbucks, was inspired by a trip he took to Italy that would change his […]
View Post Creativity, Global Growth, Howard Schultz, International Business, Italy, Milan, Starbucks, Strategy, Travel
Ideas are easy. It’s the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats. —Sue Grafton, author I hate to rain on your parade, but your idea is not special. There are likely other entrepreneurs or companies with “your” idea, equally inspired to dominate the business world and to make millions. And when your […]
View Post Atlanta, Grand Canyon, Groupon, Harvard University, LinkedIn, Mark Zuckerberg, MSNBC.com, Noam Wasserman, Reid Hoffman, Silicon Valley, Sue Grafton
Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. —Apple, “Think Different” campaign, advertising copy. It’s no coincidence […]
View Post Apple, BackRub, Berkeley Blue, Black Box, Disruption, Google, Larry Page, Mavericks, Oaf Tobark, Psychology, Rebellion, Sergey Brin, Stanford University, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak
It isn’t just what you know, and it isn’t just who you know. It’s actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living. — Bob Burg, best-selling author, Endless Referrals If you go to hit-or-miss networking events to build your business, you probably aren’t making the best of your time. […]
View Post Bank of America, Bob Burg, Bob Littell, Endless Referrals, H&R Block, Habitat for Humanity, Nationwide, Net Weaving, Wells Fargo
The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity. —Keith Ferrazzi, founder, CEO, Ferrazzi Greenlight I hate networking. Well, I should qualify my statement. I hate what networking has become in many instances. As a result, I have altogether stopped going to self-proclaimed “exclusive networking events,” because they yield such poor results and waste […]
View Post Ferrazzi Greenlight, Keith Ferrazzi
Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes. —Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady, United States of America Few things are more irritating in business than dealing with a person who pretends to be a decision-maker but in reality is just a subordinate. You know these misleading types. […]
View Post Eleanor Roosevelt, Sales
Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing. —Warren Buffett, businessman, investor, philanthropist. Among the several definitions of an “entrepreneur,” some are pretty good while others are downright terrible. Regardless, a common word among them seems to be “risk,” which is what truly defines an entrepreneur. The following simple definition by Merriam-Webster is one […]
View Post 401(k), Bill Gates, Calculated Risk, College, Failure, Harvard University, Kauffman Foundation, Michael Masterson, Microsoft, Risk, Saratoga Venture Finance, The Great Recession, The Reluctant Entrepreneur, Warren Buffet
To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence. —Mark Twain, author, humorist. Pete Kight has a success story that is simply amazing. The company he founded, CheckFree, was acquired in 2007 by Fiserve for approximately $4.4 billion in cash. In many ways, his story sounds like other millionaire success stories that include […]
View Post Bill Gates, CheckFree, College, Courage, Fiserve, Forbes, Forbes 400, George Soros, Jeff Bezos, Kevin Plank, Ohio, Pete Kight, Sara Blakely, Software, Spanx, Under Armour, Warren Buffet
Eventually, the nerds and the geeks will have their day. —Judd Apatow, film producer, comedy writer Chances are that when you think of the most successful and wealthy entrepreneurs, you don’t think of a group of weird people. Instead, you probably think of well-respected and brilliant people who exhibit all the admirable qualities of well-rounded, […]
View Post Cass Business School, Cisco, dyslexia, Geeks, John Chambers, Judd Apatow, Julie Login, Kinkos, Mark Zuckerberg, Nerds, Paul Orfalea, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, The Economist, Virgin Group
No business plan survives first contact with a customer. —Steve Blank, Silicon Valley–based retired serial entrepreneur. After conjuring up a brilliant business idea, I would immediately start writing a business plan. Like a skilled magician, I could make a marvelous business plan appear before your eyes in just a few days. It would be complete […]
View Post Arthur M. Blank, Babson College, Business Plan, Competitive Landscape, Customer Service, Entrepreneur Magazine, Feasibility Study, Frankenplans, Prototype, Strategy