24 Top successful CEOs Share Secrets to a Successful Startup

“What do you need to start a business? 1) know your product & competition better than anyone else, 2) know what your Customer really wants, 3) develop efficient systems to deliver your products or services & 4) have a burning desire to succeed.”

Major Topics: Create & Ensure Success, Leading a Startup, Team-Building, Reputation, Failure, Balance.

Most people don’t have a job they love. Even if you are lucky enough to find a job you genuinely love and believe in, it can still be hard to stay on your priorities on day-to-day tasks to become successful. So how do you get through the day while staying focused and operating at your peak performance?

Learn from the best. Whether you are an aspiring Entrepreneur, an established business Leader, Consultant, Free-lancer or a PT Intern, you could learn from the advice of highly successful CEOs, whose track records prove their strategies have worked. Below are Tips from CEOs on all topics to help you start & grow your Business or profession:

A. How to Create & Ensure Success

“Chase your Vision, not the money. If you prove good products & service, the money will find you.” Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.
“It’s not about how to get started; it’s about how to get noticed by creating significant interest & buzz.” Steve Case, co-founder and former CEO of AOL.
“Success doesn’t always come from breakthrough innovation, but more from outstanding execution. A great strategy alone won’t win a game or a battle; the win comes from creating, following & adjusting your plan.” Naveen Jain, founder and former CEO of InfoSpace.
“Don’t be afraid to Sell. Don’t apologize for it, and don’t be afraid to ask for the order – with a positive, upbeat attitude. Tell prospects you want their business and you will make them happy once you’ve delivered.” Tom Gimbel, founder & CEO of LaSalle Network.
“If you’re competitor-focused, you have to wait until there is a competitor doing something. Being customer-focused allows you to be more pioneering.” Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.
“It takes humility to realize that we don’t know everything. Don’t be resistant to good change. We must keep learning. If we don’t, we can be sure some startup will be there to take our place.” Cher Wang, co-founder & CEO of HTC.

B. How to be an Entrepreneur & Lead a Startup

“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today !!! The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” Nolan Bushnell, former CEO of Atari & Chuck E. Cheese.
“When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you “You’re nuts”. If you feel you’re on the right track, ignore them”. Larry Ellison, co-founder & former CEO of Oracle.
“I always did something I was a not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a break-through.” Marissa Mayer, President & CEO of Yahoo.
“There’s an entrepreneur right now, saying, ‘It’s not the right time just yet.’ There’s no such thing as a good time. I started an apparel manufacturing business in the tech-boom years. I mean, come on. Get out of your garage and go take a chance and launch your business.” Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour.
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure ‘perseverance’.” Steve Jobs, co-founder & former CEO of Apple.

C. On Team-Building & Collaboration

“Teaching your employees something new creates an instant connection, and they will respect you for it. If you can do this in a job interview, you will be sure to attract the smartest people. Money doesn’t mean much to most of the smartest people in the world – they will want to grow their intelligence rather than their wallet. If you show employees that they will progress intellectually in their career, and economically while at your company, then they will want to work for you.” Taso Du Val, co-founder & CEO of Toptal.
“The secret to successful hiring is this: “Look for the people who want to change the world.” Marc Benioff, founder & CEO of Salesforce.
“Never make an important decision while you are feeling emotional; either too challenged or angry. Never make a big decision until you have talked it over with people – you trust – who are knowledgeable about the matter. Then, be decisive once you have heard them out.” Andrés Gluski, President & CEO of the AES Corporation.

D. The Importance of Reputation

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation & 5 minutes to ruin it. You need to choose your words & actions accordingly.” Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
“Never forget that you only have one opportunity to make a first impression—with investors, customers, team, etc.” Natalie Massenet, founder & former CEO of Net-a-Porter.
“People remember Character—how you act & behave. They remember if you were fair, and how compassionate you were. Life is a long time and deals will come & go, but your reputation will always stay with you.” Jim Lillie, CEO of Jarden Corp.

E. Don’t be Afraid of Failure

“Don’t worry about failure. You only have to be right once.” Drew Houston, co-founder & CEO of Dropbox.
“Surviving a failure allows you to build more self-confidence. Failing is a great learning tool, but it must be kept to an absolute minimum. LoL” Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric.
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” Bill Gates, founder and former CEO of Microsoft.

F. How to Balance your Work & Life

“It’s not only about having a specific set time deadlines. Both personal & professional lives are 24/7. It’s simply more about making the right allocation to each one and recognizing that it’s going to be different every single day.” Ellen Kullman, former CEO of DuPont.
“My advice is to focus on becoming a complete person. Everyone should focus on the content of his or her job, of course. But work is not the end; it’s a means to an end. You owe it to yourself to open up to broader interests. And in the end, it will be better for your career because you will be more interesting & attractive to others + feel better about yourself.” Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs.
“As a wife, daughter, friend, founder & CEO, my schedule is hectic. But I learned early on how to meticulously manage my time to accomplish what I wanted to.” Alexa Von Tobel, founder and CEO of LearnVest.
“Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. There are going to be priorities & surprises in your life: How you handle them is how you find true happiness.” Denise Morrison, President & CEO of Campbell Soup.

24 Top highly successful CEOs Share their Secrets to a Successful Startup