Seven rules for the entrepreneur from Steve Jobs
I'm not a big fan of Apple products, but I admire how dynamically this company is developing today. Many would agree that Steve Jobs did a lot to ensure that Apple is now where it is. As an economist, I was interested in learning more about Jobs and Apple, and I tried to figure out what the secret of this man’s success was. After studying the material on this topic and making conclusions for myself, I offer you the seven truths that Steve Jobs’s life taught me.
The education system is necessary first of all in order for the young student, expanding his horizons, to competently form interests and find his vocation. Young Steve didn’t need it: from the earliest years he was fascinated by new technologies and understood that he wanted to link his life with this. Nothing new, neither the school nor the college could give him, so Jobs learned very badly and soon dropped out of school altogether. It will take a little more than ten years, and this person without higher education will receive a lot of offers from American universities to take the position of professor.
In the mid-70s, Steve, who then just dropped out of college, decided to get employed by Atari in a very extravagant way: he entered the office and said that he would not leave until he was hired. And they took him. A little later, when the newborn Apple needed promotion, Jobs turned to the Regis McKenna advertising agency, but a respected and arrogant agency did not want to deal with the then small garage company. In response, Steve Jobs began to overwhelm the agency with calls and almost took the office of Regis McKenna by storm. McKenna finally gave up. Who knows, maybe if Jobs did not have such dubious qualities as arrogance, audacity and intrusiveness, then Apple would never have become as successful and prosperous as it is now.
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The simple and elegant presentations of Jobs in combination with his personal charm win the hearts of viewers. Apple understands this: a lot of rehearsals are held, each slide of the presentations is thought out to the smallest detail, every action on the stage is carefully directed. The success of Macintosh computers, iMac and other Apple products is to some extent due to the enormous attention of the press and the public to the next presentation of Steve. Moreover, thanks to well-conducted presentations, Jobs throughout his career sought profitable deals with important business partners.
Previously, Jobs, as a principal esthete, considered design to be the main factor determining the success of a product with consumers. It turned out to be wrong: the limited functionality of the Macintosh, partly related to its design (Jobs demanded from the engineering team that their computer be no more than a telephone directory, and this was in the early 80s!), Led to a gradual fall in demand for this machine; NeXT Cube, also created under the leadership of Steve, was disarmingly beautiful on the outside, but technically it wasn’t anything outstanding, which led to its deafening failure. It is mainly because of the lack of innovation that Apple computers occupy such a small segment of the market: you cannot go far with a beautiful design. The company's other approach in other areas is bearing fruit: the revolutionary iPod has virtually monopolized the portable player market, the pioneering iTunes Store has captured 70% of online music sales, iPhone users worldwide have more than 50 million.
Steve had a controversial character: his charm was combined with extreme integrity and self-righteousness. He could not be called judicious: he believed only in his own world, where everyone plays according to his own rules. Steve did not tolerate people who do not share his point of view - he simply excluded such people from his already narrow circle of friends. At business negotiations, Jobs looked very arrogant: this young man, who became a multi-millionaire at a very early age, believed that the whole world would lie at his feet and all the companies of the world would fight each other for the right to cooperate with him, Steve Jobs. One day, he threw a hundred-page contract with IBM into the trash can without even reading it, explaining that there was too much “bukaff” in it. It was a fatal mistake: IBM’s management fell into a rage and ceased to cooperate with Steve, and after all, a profitable deal with IBM could tie Jobs’s long-time rival Bill Gates, and in this case Microsoft would not be able to take such a monopoly position in the operating market. systems that it takes up now. Young Steve believed that the whole world revolves around him, but this was not the case. It is because of the difficult relations with employees of Steve Jobs literally put out the door to Apple, which he himself had once founded. He was able to return back only eleven years later.
After studying Jobs' biography, it can be argued that his services to the technology industry are slightly exaggerated. The press likes to write about it from time to time, but Apple fans prefer not to pay attention to it. The fact is that Steve captures potential and perspective well: having noticed good results, he lights up with the idea and starts marketing; As a result, a smiling Jobs with a revolutionary device in his hands flaunts on the covers of magazines, and true innovators are not widely known. Steve is considered an icon of IT, while he himself can only sell goods well. Behind Apple's first fantastic success are Steve Wozniak's unique PCBs; the whole Macintosh concept was created by Jeff Raskin; the recognition of Pixar animation studio is the merit of John Lasseter; the main work to save Apple from bankruptcy in the mid-90s was done by Gil Amelio; the list goes on. All these projects, Steve Jobs without a shudder calls his "children", and all the laurels accrue to him. Morality in business is a debatable issue, but it's hard to argue with the fact that such actions of Steve rewarded him with public recognition and “the gift of Midas” that Apple only benefited.
Thirty-five years ago, hardly anyone who saw the smelly hippie who relieves stress, dropping his feet into the toilet and flushing the water would suspect him of a man who will head the list of the most influential people in the Forbes business. This person has never had idols, role models, or authorities. Even now, having exchanged the sixth dozen, he still parks on the spot for people with disabilities and spits on all corporate standards, coming to board meetings in jeans and sneakers. Now many people, inspired by the successes of the richest of this world, strive to imitate them, to follow their own path, hoping to find their place in the sun. And, perhaps, they had to find themselves first. As after a long journey, through trial and error, Steve Jobs found himself.
1. Education is not a panacea
The education system is necessary first of all in order for the young student, expanding his horizons, to competently form interests and find his vocation. Young Steve didn’t need it: from the earliest years he was fascinated by new technologies and understood that he wanted to link his life with this. Nothing new, neither the school nor the college could give him, so Jobs learned very badly and soon dropped out of school altogether. It will take a little more than ten years, and this person without higher education will receive a lot of offers from American universities to take the position of professor.
2. Donkey perseverance is more effective than it seems at first glance.
In the mid-70s, Steve, who then just dropped out of college, decided to get employed by Atari in a very extravagant way: he entered the office and said that he would not leave until he was hired. And they took him. A little later, when the newborn Apple needed promotion, Jobs turned to the Regis McKenna advertising agency, but a respected and arrogant agency did not want to deal with the then small garage company. In response, Steve Jobs began to overwhelm the agency with calls and almost took the office of Regis McKenna by storm. McKenna finally gave up. Who knows, maybe if Jobs did not have such dubious qualities as arrogance, audacity and intrusiveness, then Apple would never have become as successful and prosperous as it is now.
')
3. Visibility and entertainment - the best competitive advantages
The simple and elegant presentations of Jobs in combination with his personal charm win the hearts of viewers. Apple understands this: a lot of rehearsals are held, each slide of the presentations is thought out to the smallest detail, every action on the stage is carefully directed. The success of Macintosh computers, iMac and other Apple products is to some extent due to the enormous attention of the press and the public to the next presentation of Steve. Moreover, thanks to well-conducted presentations, Jobs throughout his career sought profitable deals with important business partners.
4. Quality design as an end in itself is meaningless
Previously, Jobs, as a principal esthete, considered design to be the main factor determining the success of a product with consumers. It turned out to be wrong: the limited functionality of the Macintosh, partly related to its design (Jobs demanded from the engineering team that their computer be no more than a telephone directory, and this was in the early 80s!), Led to a gradual fall in demand for this machine; NeXT Cube, also created under the leadership of Steve, was disarmingly beautiful on the outside, but technically it wasn’t anything outstanding, which led to its deafening failure. It is mainly because of the lack of innovation that Apple computers occupy such a small segment of the market: you cannot go far with a beautiful design. The company's other approach in other areas is bearing fruit: the revolutionary iPod has virtually monopolized the portable player market, the pioneering iTunes Store has captured 70% of online music sales, iPhone users worldwide have more than 50 million.
5. Self-denomination has no place in business.
Steve had a controversial character: his charm was combined with extreme integrity and self-righteousness. He could not be called judicious: he believed only in his own world, where everyone plays according to his own rules. Steve did not tolerate people who do not share his point of view - he simply excluded such people from his already narrow circle of friends. At business negotiations, Jobs looked very arrogant: this young man, who became a multi-millionaire at a very early age, believed that the whole world would lie at his feet and all the companies of the world would fight each other for the right to cooperate with him, Steve Jobs. One day, he threw a hundred-page contract with IBM into the trash can without even reading it, explaining that there was too much “bukaff” in it. It was a fatal mistake: IBM’s management fell into a rage and ceased to cooperate with Steve, and after all, a profitable deal with IBM could tie Jobs’s long-time rival Bill Gates, and in this case Microsoft would not be able to take such a monopoly position in the operating market. systems that it takes up now. Young Steve believed that the whole world revolves around him, but this was not the case. It is because of the difficult relations with employees of Steve Jobs literally put out the door to Apple, which he himself had once founded. He was able to return back only eleven years later.
6. Assigning other people's merits: immoral, but effective
After studying Jobs' biography, it can be argued that his services to the technology industry are slightly exaggerated. The press likes to write about it from time to time, but Apple fans prefer not to pay attention to it. The fact is that Steve captures potential and perspective well: having noticed good results, he lights up with the idea and starts marketing; As a result, a smiling Jobs with a revolutionary device in his hands flaunts on the covers of magazines, and true innovators are not widely known. Steve is considered an icon of IT, while he himself can only sell goods well. Behind Apple's first fantastic success are Steve Wozniak's unique PCBs; the whole Macintosh concept was created by Jeff Raskin; the recognition of Pixar animation studio is the merit of John Lasseter; the main work to save Apple from bankruptcy in the mid-90s was done by Gil Amelio; the list goes on. All these projects, Steve Jobs without a shudder calls his "children", and all the laurels accrue to him. Morality in business is a debatable issue, but it's hard to argue with the fact that such actions of Steve rewarded him with public recognition and “the gift of Midas” that Apple only benefited.
7. Think different
Thirty-five years ago, hardly anyone who saw the smelly hippie who relieves stress, dropping his feet into the toilet and flushing the water would suspect him of a man who will head the list of the most influential people in the Forbes business. This person has never had idols, role models, or authorities. Even now, having exchanged the sixth dozen, he still parks on the spot for people with disabilities and spits on all corporate standards, coming to board meetings in jeans and sneakers. Now many people, inspired by the successes of the richest of this world, strive to imitate them, to follow their own path, hoping to find their place in the sun. And, perhaps, they had to find themselves first. As after a long journey, through trial and error, Steve Jobs found himself.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/91111/
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