Article: 100 lessons from 100 entrepreneurs

[Andy Black]

Some great lessons in here.

What's your favourite?

www.getsidekick.com/blog/100-entrepreneurship-lessons

 

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[Get Right]

#20 - Do less.

Took awhile to beat this into my brain.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

This one really resonated with me:

#98 - For serious thinking, grab pen and paper

I'm way more effective when I close my laptop and create a mess on paper.

 

[Dami-B]

61 - Quality over Quantity

 

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[Jamie T]

#46 - Study the losers, not the winners.

Studying both helps too.

 

[Gsuz]

Great share! They always put out amazing content and the extension is useful as well. Believe it was recommended by you? Using it everyday.

These ones really resonated with me:

1. Steve Jobs: Remember you won't live forever.

14. Warren Buffett: Create a "NOT to-do" list.

42. Henry Ford: Be great, no matter who's paying attention.

44. Sergey Brin: There is no limit to improvement.

97. John Doerr: Use OKRs to set goals.


If I had to pick one, I'd choose 44.

 

[Andy Black]

Damn, there's so many good ones.

Here's the ones that resonate with me at the minute. (Can you see a common theme? Ha!)


14. Warren Buffett: Create a "NOT to-do" list.

20. Evan Williams: Do less.

21. Mark Zuckerberg: Done is better than perfect.

38. Dustin Moskovitz: Do something you can't not do.

58. Peter Thiel: Focus on one thing until you master it.

64. Evan Spiegal: Focus on something you can't give up.



If I had to pick one, then it's probably 38.
I can't not do what I'm doing.

 

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[cain_kong]

"Do less."

This is by far some of the best advice ever; but the caveat lies in that I feel like I do nothing at all. I feel like I must fill every part of my day with something.




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[Andy Black]

#20 - Do less.

Took awhile to beat this into my brain.

Dammit. This has been on my mind all day.

I've change my mind. This is my favourite bit of advice.

Do less.

 

[Dami-B]

"Do less."

This is by far some of the best advice ever; but the caveat lies in that I feel like I do nothing at all. I feel like I must fill every part of my day with something.

Yea I know what you mean, and to others its like you're superman, doing it all. But you will always feel like damn there's so much more to do, and I haven't done enough.

Just Do less...

 

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[cain_kong]

Just Do less...

Haha! That's easier said than done. I made a conscious effort to do less and remind myself every time I re-read 4 hot workweek. Seems like I need to re-assess if I'm just doing things for works sake.



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[Kak]

Rockefeller - Pave a new trail

O'leary- Leverage strengths of others

 

[Rawr]

8. Tiger Woods: There is no "correct" way to be successful.

I've met so many people who got money in the most obscure way throughout my life. This forum is full of them too. But I think this is more than about money - he's saying once you get into something deep enough, you'll develop your own style to do it. To trust yourself and your style, and keep digging.


Disney "Why worry? If you have done the very best you can, worrying won't make it any better."

Buddhism line, but a very proper one. Do the best you can and realize your best WILL change depending on the situation. When you have a headache, or when you haven't slept in 15 hours, or when you just broke up with your girlfriend, the effort (and hence best) will differ.

26. Oprah. And something we easily forget on this forum. "“Sometimes in the thick of life, when my call list is longer than the day and people are lined up waiting for meeting after meeting, I just stop. I still myself. And look at a tree. A flower. The sun’s light reflecting off the window. And I remember love is available. I inhale it, exhale, and get back to work.”"

I'll add personally - sometimes DO NOT get back to work, until tomorrow. When one runs the business, sometimes the business starts running him. I found it many times hard to actually relax while on a tropical beach! To look at the big picture and say 'hey, this is a pretty sweet sunset' is good for balancing.
For more read - http://fourhourworkweek.com/2010/05/12/living-well-vs-doing-well/

3. Chip Wilson: It's okay to ask for help.
"It took me a long time to understand it, but the best advice I ever received was to ask for help when I need it. People love to help. I don't have to be insecure and know it all. I was reticent to rely on anyone else around me and balked at the thought of asking for help, counsel, or assistance. But when you're in a business partnership with two other guys, this thought process is going to create serious problems."


HUGE. HUGE. I didn't understand this until like yesterday. As my desire to become successful intervines with the ego, it was hard to try and be 'normal human' instead of this business mind. There were people out there who were happy to help, but I wouldn't let myself allow to recognize that - that if they can help me, that means I am on a different level than I imagined myself to be. Meaning I have learning to do, and more work. But that's what growth is, and that's what makes one actually better - not the self blind arrogance!





I stopped at 30 for now.

 

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[MKHB]

What's your favourite?

#22

 

[MTF]

I enjoyed most of the advice, but here are the three ideas I saved to my Evernote because they speak the most to me at the moment:

54. Reed Hastings: Make as few decisions as possible.
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, is the opposite of a control freak:

"I take pride in making as few decisions as possible, as opposed to making as many as possible. It creates a sense in others in the company that ‘If I want to make a difference, I can make a difference.’"

- Reed Hastings

For example, Netflix’s decision to produce the popular House of Cards was a huge one, but the meeting only took 30 minutes for Hastings to sign off on the decision.

He focuses on hiring great people, then leaving the decisions up to them.

I enjoy doing as little as possible. Smart laziness is IMO the key to huge results, not mindless hard work. If you decide to make as few decisions as possible, then it means they will be (usually) better than if you were to make numerous decisions on a a daily basis (due to decision fatigue). It also means you have to make each decision count, which means you'll more likely focus on huge, 10x improvements than little things that don't matter much (if you're after exponential results).

Also, I like Reid's approach to hiring. I believe it's one of the most common traits of the most successful entrepreneurs - they hire great people they can trust and leave them to do whatever they want. Then they probably don't suffer as often as other entrepreneurs from the pain of hiring low-quality, drama-generating employees.

58. Peter Thiel: Focus on one thing until you master it.

Peter Thiel, notorious Silicon Valley investor and former co-founder of PayPal, believes in the power of a focused workforce:

"The best thing I did as a manager at PayPal, was to make every person in the company responsible for doing just one thing. Every employee’s one thing was unique, and everyone knew I would evaluate him only on that one thing.”

This gives employees autonomy, while still holding them accountable to a goal. He found that having each person focus on one activity pushed the needle faster than any other method.

That's useful not only when managing employees, but also yourself. If you focus on one thing, you'll be much more likely to achieve extraordinary results. However, I believe it's not really about one specific activity, but about your Unique Ability (check Dan Sullivan to learn more about it). If you know your main strength and focus on constantly growing it, you can't help but become a world-class expert in this one thing (as Richard Branson in making business fun or Elon Musk in going after ridiculously huge challenges).

68. Richard Branson: Have fun.

If we're stressed, we aren't happy. If we're not happy, we're not having fun. If we're not having fun, we won't enjoy our work. If we don't enjoy our work, we'll be pretty damn terrible at our jobs.

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, says not enjoying ourselves is one of the worst mistakes we can make:

"Fun is one of the most important - and underrated - ingredients in any successful venture. If you're not having fun, then it's probably time to call it quits and try something else."

Richard Branson is a great mentor not only because of his business achievements, but also he seems like a genuinely happy guy who has his priorities right.

I used to believe I can work on any business as long as it's profitable, but my experience with a business that turned my life into a nightmare due to the wrong product/founder fit taught me it's important to, at the very least, not dislike your business.

If you're passionate about what you're doing (while still making sure you provide value and people want your product), you're going to be much more successful than a guy who's a mercenary doing it only because it's profitable (more often than not, such a guy will sabotage himself because life sucks if you're doing something you don't enjoy).

I'm also following Richard's advice by taking more breaks and enjoying myself more. Taking some time off, exploring different places, trying new things, etc. can only help you grow your business as you will have a more flexible mind. Moreover, a well-rested, relaxed person will always make better decisions than a person who's always in the midst of things, never really taking time to just sit still and think.

 

[Will Hodge]

EPIC LIST.

#21: Done is better than perfect.

Something I am still struggling with even today, but that one has to be the most useful for me. If I could pick them all as my favorite, I would. Thanks for the post!

 

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[Rawr]

I enjoyed most of the advice, but here are the three ideas I saved to my Evernote because they speak the most to me at the moment:




Moreover, a well-rested, relaxed person will always make better decisions than a person who's always in the midst of things, never really taking time to just sit still and think.

Note the times meditation had been brought up. It's so hard to get into as a habit, but it is absolutely worth it. I should practice what I preach, but on those days I make myself do it I KNOW what is going on.

 

[Will Hodge]

Note the times meditation had been brought up. It's so hard to get into as a habit, but it is absolutely worth it. I should practice what I preach, but on those days I make myself do it I KNOW what is going on.

Great point, I definitely need to start again. Took a class in college called "Stress Management" and one of the first thing we learned was how to meditate. I am going to integrate this as a part of my daily routine now!

 

[Grok]

While reading this I've decided to pick three a week and do one thing each day that applies all three. and see what works best for me.

In my everyday life and my business life. Almost 34 weeks to go!

my first three : [HASHTAG]#7meditate[/HASHTAG]
[HASHTAG]#90take[/HASHTAG] risks
#96 sticky habits, don't break the chain

 

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[Kingmaker]

#1 for me easily. Steve Jobs: Remember you won't live forever.

Remembering that I will have to die, and the people I care about will have to die one day is the best source of constant motivation that I have found.

Waking up at XX age and realizing that I don't have enough time to fulfill all my goals anymore scares me the most and drives me at the same time.

 

[Kevin Peter]

Inspiring! Would want more of our fastlaners in the list next time

 

[ace81385]

I think my two favorites are
1. Steve Jobs: Remember you won't live forever.
So important to keep things in prospective that we don't live forever
#22 Michael Bloomberg: Never stop learning.
so true I try to learn something new every week.

Marissa Mayer: "Don't forget to be bold."
I repeat this one daily to my self "Enter Action with Boldness" from 48 Laws of Power

 

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