I'm a self-made millionaire, and here are the 10 best pieces of advice I can give you about money

I'm a self-made millionaire, and here are the 10 best pieces of advice I can give you about money

Steve Siebold

About six months ago my wife and I decided to turn our North Georgia summer retreat into our full-time residence.

We decided to make a few changes to the property now that we would be living in it year-round.

As I was getting into my car one morning, three of the workers paused from what they were doing and stared me down.

I stopped and asked if everything was ok and one of the men said, "It's not fair. You have this beautiful home and a nice car while we are stuck doing hard labor for just a little more than minimum wage."

I approached the men and we ended up speaking about building wealth for more than an hour. I shared with them that life wasn't always this good, and at one point I was $50,000 in debt and didn't know how I would climb out of it. The men shook my hand and thanked me for sharing my insights.

Fast forward to this morning and I was again about to get into my car. A man driving a truck down the street stops in front of my house and yells, "Mr. Siebold, I took your advice and started my own company. I have five employees working for me and business is booming. My family and I are experiencing freedom like we never thought possible."

He continued, "Please share your words of wisdom with others."

So moved that this man turned his life around, I'm now going to take his advice and share the takeaways from that conversation six months ago:

1. In a free market economy, anyone can make as much money as they want.

2. Your background, highest level of education, or IQ is irrelevant when it comes to earning money.

3. The fastest way to make money is to solve a problem. The bigger the problem you solve, the more money you make.

4. Don't listen to the naysayers who tell you that life is supposed to be a struggle and that you should settle and be grateful for what you have.

5. Expect to make more money. For this one you have to think big. $100,000, $500,000, or why not $1 million?

6. Lose the fear and scarcity mindset and start seeing money for all the good things: freedom, opportunity, possibility, and abundance.

7. Being rich isn't a privilege. Being rich is a right. If you create massive value for others, you have the right to be as rich as you want.

8. Don't wait for your ship to come in. You're not going to be discovered, saved, or made rich by an outside force. If you want a lot of money, build your own ship. No one is coming to the rescue.

9. Stop worrying about running out of money and focus on how to make more. Constantly worrying about money is no way to live. Dream about money, instead.

10. Stop telling yourself that getting rich is outside of your control. The truth is that making money is an inside job.

Just like the man working at my home six months ago who was frustrated over his finances and held a grudge against the rich, you too have the power to change your financial situation around. Maybe you've been living in debt for years or maybe you've just dreamed of having more; it's all possible if you make the decision and really set your mind to it.

Steve Siebold is author of "How Rich People Think," and a self-made millionaire who has interviewed more than 1,200 of the world's wealthiest people.

How to Grow From Great Idea to Profitable Business in 3 Steps

Becoming an entrepreneur is easier than ever. In the U.S., more than 600,000 new businesses are created each year. Sadly, about half of all companies go under before they turn 5-years old. To beat the odds, you need to think differently about what it means to run a profitable enterprise. Simply starting a website, creating your first product or getting a trademark is not enough. Fortunately, the secrets to success are not all that complicated.

Here are three quick tips to help you validate, pivot and grow your next startup.

1. Validate: Determine if the market exists.
To know whether your idea will work, first promote a landing page and invest in product development later.

Last year, serial entrepreneur and marketing expert Noah Kagan challenged himself to launch a business and earn $1,000 in under 24 hours. Kagan wanted to prove to so-called "wantpreneurs" that “there's no reason you can't start your business today.”

At the end of the challenge, Sumo Jerky was born. With $3,030 in sales with a cool $1,135 in profit, Kagan surprised the naysayers. Using just a domain, a newly crafted landing page, and a lot of hustle, Kagan built a profitable startup before he even produced his first product.

Other entrepreneurs can mimic his approach by brainstorming business ideas, selecting one or two to pursue, then developing a quick and easy landing page to measure consumer interest. Next, spend a few hundred dollars in paid advertising (on Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.) to drive leads. Once you’ve validated your idea (either through a large-enough email list or product pre-orders), invest in delivering the goods or services you promised.

2. Pivot: It takes courage to change.
Albert Einstein is famously attributed with saying, “The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

There will likely come a point when you need to give up on your original idea. When your business plateaus, be prepared to move on. Entrepreneurs can be stubborn but to be successful, you need to muster up the courage to drop your first vision to pursue something better.

In an interview with Business News Daily, James Reinhart, CEO of thredUP, shared nine steps for a seamless pivot:

List your company’s strengths & weaknesses.

Initiate a company-wide conversation.

Call out threats and opportunities.

Consider alternative business ideas.

Think about the implications of each option.

Earn your team’s support.

Convince customers this is the right thing.

Strategize and execute your plan.

Stay lean and flexible

Remember that failure is always an option. Sometimes, it is the most noble one. Entrepreneurs who can shift their priorities to tackle bigger and better challenges have a greater chance of building hugely successful businesses. Companies that stubbornly do the same thing over and over again become irrelevant.

3. Grow: Agonize over opportunity cost.
Often, the smartest business decision seems reckless. That is because the best entrepreneurs regularly divert resources away from a "good thing" to pursue initiatives they believe will be a game-changer for their company.

If you could spend $100 on ads and generate $100 in profit, why wouldn’t you? Most people would and, in fact, they’d try to spend $100,000 to earn an extra $100,000. It’s practical and it’s profitable. But strong leaders realize when a "good thing" can be even better. They think about the long-term opportunity and invest their money in ways that will produce the highest return possible.

When we launched Amerisleep, it was a retail operation with lots of local customers and healthy margins. Six months after we introduced our ecommerce site, we closed our flagship location even though our revenues were strong and the store was profitable. Believing that the Internet would revolutionize the way people shopped, we focused exclusively on perfecting the customer experience online. At the time, other business owners mocked us for taking such a big risk. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we ever made. We couldn’t have scaled as quickly as we did if we were locked into multi-year leases for our showrooms.

For us to grow faster, we had to be willing to sacrifice stability and short-term gain to free up cash so we could invest heavily in ecommerce. Although retail was profitable, it was a costly distraction. To scale a massive business, entrepreneurs need to carefully consider their opportunity costs and spend every dollar wisely.

3 Truths Wise Entrepreneurs Learned the Hard Way

3 Truths Wise Entrepreneurs Learned the Hard Way

Whenever we encounter the story of a successful entrepreneur, we wonder how they got to where they are. Success -- whatever success means to you -- isn't a mystery. Success, also, isn't something we have to be skeptical towards.

Maybe it's society's conditioning, or maybe it's negative experiences in our past, but many entrepreneurs are skeptical of what is possible in their business. When you are doubtful of success, you can't get to a place in your mind that allows you to take the necessary action. You have a defeated mindset that will keep you stuck.

Wise entrepreneurs aren't skeptical because they have learned these three truths through hard work and unwavering focus. They have mastered the "basics" and have a long-term vision for their business. Here is what they know, but don't talk about.

1. You can't wait for permission.
When it comes to any big change in life, too often we wait for permission. We wait for validation or an influencer to tell us it's OK to do what we want to do. We do the same thing with important decisions in our business. We wait for circumstances that may never fall into place. If you wait for permission, your business will not grow.

Wise entrepreneurs realize no one will ever give them permission. They understand if their business is going to be successful, they are the ones that have to do something about it. They have to take action without waiting for all the stars to align.

2. You should set trends, not follow them.
It's an easier path to copy a successful entrepreneur. You see it works for them and figure you can get the same results if you do what they do. Everywhere you look, especially in the online world, you'll see carbon copies of successful entrepreneurs.

Wise entrepreneurs don't want to be like every other business owners. They don't accept commonly spouted advice as "law." They don't want their business to be the clone of someone else. They look for new and original ways to reach their present and potential customers.

Wise entrepreneurs model success, they don't copy it. They see what works and how they can add their unique spin. In a world full of the same, people are looking for what stands out.

3. Saying 'no' frees you.
By nature, we are people pleasers. We want to say 'yes' to requests, especially if we think they'll help our business. We say "yes" to requests and end up working for free, or worse, wasting our time on things that don't help our business.

When I started my business, I coached 127 hours for free. I was told free coaching would lead to testimonials and eventually, business. It didn't. After all that time, I learned that people don't respect what they get for free. When money is spent, they have skin in the game and take action.

Wise entrepreneurs are more likely to say 'no' before they would think about saying "yes." They value their time and realize it's the most precious part of their business. In saying "no,'' they leave room for the things they care about and will benefit their business.

Before you say "yes" to anything, evaluate how it fits into your plans and life. Time is the one thing we'll never get back, so it should be spent wisely.

You can build a business and life you love without waiting for permission and following traditional advice. Learn to value your time and say "no'' when you have to. In the last three years, my online business has grown from side-income to a six-figure a year business that supports our family living in Maui, Hawaii.

Life is short and time is the one thing we'll never get back. Treat your time accordingly, especially in your business. Learn these three truths and take action on the kind of life and business you want to have.

By KIMANZI CONSTABLE
CONTRIBUTOR
Author, coach, blogger at KimanziConstable.com

Nigerian-born Washington University scientist Samuel Achilefu wins annual St. Louis Award for his cancer-seeing glasses

Nigerian-born Washington University scientist Samuel Achilefu wins
annual St. Louis Award for his cancer-seeing glasses

As head of the Washington University optical radiology laboratory —
where researchers study how to use light to improve diagnosis and
treatment of disease — Samuel Achilefu heard from surgeons
frustrated by the difficulty of removing every remnant of a patient’s
cancerous tumor.
Before surgery, imaging tests involving big, high-tech machines can
create detailed pictures of a person’s cancer, Achilefu said, “but
when a patient is in the operating room, it’s like walking in the
dark.”
Achilefu wondered, what if he could take imaging technology and
make it wearable like night-vision goggles used in the military so
surgeons could see the cancer while they are operating?
The technology would be extremely difficult — some even thought
impossible — to miniaturize and make functional and wearable for
hours. But after dedicating five years to the project, Achilefu created
cancer-visualizing glasses that were successfully used in surgeries
for first time last year.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian-born scientist won the prestigious St.
Louis Award for 2014 for his work in creating the technology, which
could affect the outcomes of cancer patients across the world.
At the awards ceremony, Achilefu, 52, told the crowd his work was
driven by the question: What if? “ ‘What if’ is really telling us that we
should not be focusing on the problem,” he said, “but the potential
solution for it.”
Foster pride
Achilefu is the 87th person to receive the annual award since it was
established in1931 — the worst of the depression years — by
prominent philanthropist David P. Wohl. The shoe company owner
anonymously founded the award to recognize a St. Louis area
resident who “performed such a service as to bring greatest honor
to the community.” Wohl hoped to foster optimism and pride in the
city he loved.
Award committee president David Kemper, chairman and of
Commerce Bancshares Inc., praised Achilefu for “putting St. Louis in
the spotlight for advancements in optical imaging technology that
have pushed the boundaries of cancer treatment.”
Even under high magnification, it’s nearly impossible for surgeons
to tell where a cancer tumor ends and healthy tissue begins. To
make sure they remove all the cancerous cells, surgeons remove the
tumor and neighboring tissue. The samples are sent to a lab and
viewed under a microscope. If the surrounding tissue contains
cancer cells, a second surgery is performed to remove even more
tissue. Among breast cancer patients, about 20 to 25 percent who
have cancerous lumps removed require a second surgery.
The glasses were used for the first time during a breast cancer
operation on Feb. 10 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and have since been
used on more than two dozen people with breast cancer, melanoma
or liver cancer.
A commonly used contrast agent is injected into the patient’s
tumor. When viewed with near-infared light, the cancerous cells
glow blue. Tumors as small as 1 millimeter in diameter (as thick as
about 10 sheets of paper) can be detected.
Breast surgeon Dr. Julie Margenthaler is encouraged. “Imagine
what it would mean if these glasses eliminated the need for follow-
up surgery and the associated pain, inconvenience and anxiety,” she
said.
Achilefu started his research into the eyewear using funds from the
university and the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research
Program. He assembled a team that included engineers and video
game specialists to further refine the glasses. After successfully
using the technology in rodents, his team received in 2012 a $2.8
million federal grant, paving the way for use in patients. The results
will soon be used to seek FDA approval of the device so other
surgeons across the country — who have already been calling — can
start using it.
Try very hard
In 2001, Gill Jost, former chair of the radiology department, was
searching across the country for an optical chemist to lead the
laboratory at Washington U. It turned out, the best candidate was in
St. Louis. Achilefu had since 1992 been working here for
Mallinckrodt Inc., rising in the ranks as a star chemist.
As one of the top five students in Nigeria, Achilefu won a
scholarship from the French government to study at the University
of Nancy. He excelled and went on to earn his post-doctoral degree
at Oxford University.
He came to St. Louis at the urging of his mentor, who was hired by
Mallinckrodt to start a new research department. Despite being
recruited by research institutions across the world, he chose to stay
in St. Louis when he made the switch to academia. Married with two
young children, Achilefu said he had come to love the city and see it
as his home.
Jost said what makes Achilefu a great scientist is not only his
diverse expertise in chemistry, cell biology, biomedical engineering
and even genetics, but an intense curiosity that makes him delight in
any challenge.
Achilefu also fosters that same determination in those who work in
his lab. “It’s such a joy to watch how he nurtures people,” Jost said.
His team is always pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Achilefu is also seeking FDA approval for a promising new contrast
agent he helped develop. The agent selectively enters cancer cells
anywhere in the body and stays there for up to a week, causing all
different types of cancer cells to glow the same. The agent could
help deliver toxic drugs directly to cancer cells, avoiding healthy
cells altogether.
While the St. Louis Award recognizes a significant contribution by
the winner, Achilefu said it was more about acknowledging values
that can shape the city’s future.
“I’m fortunate to be at an institution where this is encouraged,” he
said, “and to be a part of a community that encourages people to try
very, very hard.”
2015 ...increase your value!

http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/nigerian-born-wash-u-scientist-wins-annual-st-louis-award/article_db835312-9a05-588a-a7b5-7fdf28653805.html?mobile_touch=true

Don't Let the Fear of Your Idea Being Stolen Hold You Back

Don't Let the Fear of Your Idea Being Stolen Hold You Back

Stephen Key

I am truly amazed by how afraid some inventors are. They fear that someone is going to steal their million-dollar idea. They assume that every company is eagerly lying in wait, ready to rip them off.

This ugly point of view rears its head everywhere I look, from conversations on LinkedIn groups to YouTube comments. These entrepreneurs are quick to declare that companies will steal your idea. Why would they pay us for our ideas, they ask.

This thinking is not only annoying and counterproductive, but also simply untrue. I have been licensing my ideas for over 30 years. I’ve submitted hundreds of my ideas to companies without any trouble. For the past 13 years, I’ve been teaching inventors how to license their own ideas. Not one of my students has ever had their idea stolen.

Knowing how the game is played is a lot more beneficial than trembling with unfounded anxiety. Being concerned and careful is smart. After all, it’s perfectly legal for a company to try to work around your idea. You must account for that!

Many companies have embraced open innovation. These companies are actively seeking out product ideas from inventors. The reason why is simple. At the same time that a company is able to lower its internal R&D costs, it magnifies its chances of finding its next great idea. Reviewing inventors’ ideas costs next to nothing.

Do you know what does cost companies, though? Ripping off an inventor. The bottom line is that it’s not in a company’s best interest to steal ideas. For one, what company wants that kind of negative press? There’s also the potential of a lawsuit. Finally, stealing an inventor’s idea effectively closes the door on open innovation.

However, let me be clear. It’s our job to protect our ideas effectively with intellectual property. I’m not naïve. There are companies out there that will definitely try to work around your idea if you give them an opportunity to. These companies haven’t truly embraced open innovation, which is their loss. You can protect yourself from these kinds of companies by filing intellectual property that stops workarounds.

Stop giving in to your fear and follow the steps below to protect yourself instead.

1. Do a thorough prior art search.
You can hire an outside firm to do this, but you should also search for prior art yourself, because it’s you who must become an expert. Familiarize yourself with all of the relevant intellectual property that has come before you. Find your innovation’s uniqueness.

2. Learn about manufacturing processes.
There are many ways of doing this, including watching YouTube videos and visiting manufacturing facilities. How will your product be made? What are all of the ways it can be made? You need to know. Designing a product that cannot be manufactured is a grave mistake. You may need to hire an engineer to work with you. Make sure to have anyone you discuss your invention with sign a non-disclosure agreement and a work-for-hire agreement.

3. Study up.
Read your industry’s trade magazines. What new materials are being used? Where is the industry headed? Consider attending a tradeshow and/or a seminar. You need to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening.

4. Be selective about what companies you choose to work with.
Is the company inventor-friendly? Has it licensed an idea before? Are there any lawsuits or complaints that come up when you Google the company? Do your homework.

5. Maintain a paper trail.
Put everything in writing.

6. Don’t give anyone a reason to try to work around you.
If you ask for too much up front, the company will be less inclined to work with you. Be reasonable.

7. Think ahead.
When I write my own provisional patent applications, I try to steal my idea from myself. I think, if a company were to steal this from me, how would it? I think about manufacturing processes and materials.

Don’t let fear control your actions. Take responsibility. We’re entrepreneurs, after all. Risk is inherent.

20 Inspiring Quotes on How to Build a Successful Startup

20 Inspiring Quotes on How to Build a Successful Startup

THOMAS OPPONG

Startups have always been hard. Even when you think you are putting in your best, it may not be enough to pull it off. Truthfully, most people fail. But don't give up on your dream just yet. If you really believe that you have something amazing to share with the world (and there is a market for it), go for it. Don't be discouraged by the number of times you have tried and failed, but be inspired by the number of people who have failed and bounced back as successful entrepreneurs.

Here are some of the most important insights from amazing founders on building a great startup.

1."User experience is everything. It always has been, but it's still undervalued and under-invested in. If you don't know user-centered design, study it. Hire people who know it. Obsess over it. Live and breathe it. Get your whole company on board."
–Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter

2. “No growth hack, brilliant marketing idea, or sales team can save you long-term if you don’t have a sufficiently good product.”
–Sam Altman, president of Y Combinator and co-founder of Loopt

3. “The product that wins is the one that bridges customers to the future, not the one that requires a giant leap.”
–Aaron Levie, co-founder of Box

4. “The last 10% it takes to launch something takes as much energy as the first 90%.”
–Rob Kalin, co-founder of Etsy

5. “Mistakes will not end your business. If you are nimble and willing to listen to constructive criticism you can excel by learning and evolving.”
–Meridith Valiando Rojas, co-founder and CEO of DigiTour Media

6. “Make your team feel respected, empowered and genuinely excited about the company’s mission.”
–Tim Westergren, co-founder of Pandora

7. “Make something people want” includes making a company that people want to work for.” –Sahil Lavingia, founder of Gumroad.

8. “As an entrepreneur, you have to be OK with failure. If you’re not failing, you’re likely not pushing yourself hard enough."
–Alexa von Tobel, founder of LearnVest

9. “Unless you are a fortune-teller, long-term business planning is a fantasy.”
–Jason Fried, founder of 37signals

Related: 10 Quotes From Entrepreneurial Icons That Will Inspire You to Crush 2015

10. “The strategy is to first know what you don’t know, the tactic is to grind, and the value is to remember: there are plenty of places to innovate.”
–David Friedberg, founder of Weatherbill

11. “Even if you don’t have the perfect idea to begin with, you can likely adapt.” 
–Victoria Ransom, co-founder of Wildfire Interactive

12. “Micromanage the process, not the people.”
–Joe Apfelbaum, co-founder of Ajax Union

13. “The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.”
–Marc Benioff, founder of Salesforce

14. “Bad shit is coming. It always is in a startup. The odds of getting from launch to liquidity without some kind of disaster happening are one in a thousand. So don’t get demoralized.”
–Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator

15. “Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.”
–Anthony Volodkin, founder, Hype Maching

16. “If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”
–Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors

17. “I think not focusing on money makes you sane, because in the long run it can probably drive you crazy."
–Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram

18. “We must learn what customers really want, not what they say they want or what we think they should want.”
–Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup

19. “Don't start a company unless it's an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it's not an obsession.”
–Mark Cuban, serial entrepreneur and investor

20. “Sustaining a successful business is a hell of a lot of work, and staying hungry is half the battle.”
–Wendy Tan White, co-founder and CEO of MoonFruit

Failure hurts, but it's your response to it that matters.

7 Startup Habits Worth Keeping No Matter How Big Your Business Grows

7 Startup Habits Worth Keeping No Matter How Big Your Business Grows

ALICE DEFAULT

Your startup is not meant to be a startup forever. Eventually, it’s meant to become a larger company with a more sustainable plan of action. And as you move further along that road, you will undergo a lot of changes.

Most of these changes will be for the better. No more working from coffee shops or living rooms, no more late nights fixing bugs, larger teams and more resources, less financial insecurity, more customers and the ability to plan the future better.

But there are also things that helped your business move forward that you shouldn’t try to change. These things defined your culture and strengthened your team when you began. They will still work for you, even when everything else is growing.

Here are the seven startup habits that you should never lose.

1. Experiment and take risks
Since startups don’t really know what will work for them, they are constantly experimenting, trying out new things, tracking and iterating on the things that work. As a larger company, there is a big chance that you will already have figured out things that work for you and things that just don’t. That is no reason to stop innovating or experimenting on new things as the market around you evolves.

Coca-Cola, for example, splits its advertising budget in three. They use 70 percent of it to do things they know work well, 20 percent to try things that are a bit more risky or iterate on past successful experimentations, and the last 10 percent to go for crazy experiments on that could fail completely. This enables them to stay on top of advertising innovation as the largest beverage company in the world while ensuring they’re not risking everything.

2. Keep mixing and matching jobs
Remember when there was only three or four people on your team? Everybody had to wear several hats. Multitasking in your company remains a great way to boost innovation and enhance team collaboration as you grow. Someone who understands what their colleague’s job is really like, and what he or she does on a daily basis, can work better with them.

Have your customer service people sit in on product meetings, mix marketing and sales, invite your engineers to do customer support. Companies like Amazon or Freshbooks have all their employees, whatever their job title or spot in the organization, do customer support on a regular basis. It keeps them focused on the things that really matter.

Related: The Case for Making Sales Reps Frontline Marketers

3. Have lunch and coffee together
This isn't trivial. Finding moments to talk with your team outside of meetings is crucial to your business. Going through an agenda can be long, annoying and a limit on the exchanges that spark creativity.

Lunch or coffee breaks are the perfect opportunity to brainstorm on new projects or challenges while catching up on what everyone is working on. You will create a better understanding inside of your company of each person’s job and role. With better understanding also comes better cooperation and better company culture.

At Evernote, the entire top management team takes turns at the office coffee shop making drinks for everyone. The weekly schedule is shared so that everyone can have a chance to catch up with any top management over a drink.

4. Stay close to your users
As a startup, your first users are always really dear to your heart. You cherish them and follow all of their ups and downs on your product. But as you grow, the risk is that you stop caring about them so much. Your first customer will always mean something to you, but do you feel the same about your 1,000th customer, your 10,000th, your 100,000th?

Make sure you never lose focus that your customers are the reason why your business is growing. When it launched  in 2009, inDinero started to take a few hours every week to call every single customer who churned the previous week. Five years later, they still do it to make sure they always stay connected with their users and understand what’s working or not for them.

Related: How to Attract (and Keep) Your First 100 Customers

5. Stay transparent
Information usually flows easily inside of a startup. Because there are not many of you, it’s easy for the CEO as well as for the employees to regularly catch up with everyone and stay on top of everything that’s happening. This gets harder and harder as a company grows.

To face this, companies like Stripe and Buffer have chosen to go for full transparency with shared email addresses and displayed dashboards, letting everyone have access to all the information they need at all times. Buffer’s metrics, salaries, and revenues are actually public for everyone to see. No secrets are kept and everyone can be fully involved in the mission of the company.

Regular team meetings are a great way to share information in both directions, from employees to CEO and CEO to employees. Google and Zappos have weekly or monthly team meetings where the entire company is invited to join the CEO for AMA sessions. All questions are permitted.

6. Keep things simple
As your company grows, you will have access to more resources, hire more employees and have more customers asking you more and more things. In this case, the temptation is high to keep adding on to your product with new features and additional use cases. However, the simplest products are usually those who will win over customers. Before adding this new “never-seen-before” plug-in, remember when you were keeping it simple. Ask yourself if it’s really necessary.

The team at Box, for example, is always sure to simplify their product as much as possible, from customer signup to in-app experience. They believe that staying clutter-free is what customers are looking for. This doesn’t mean that their product does less, it just means that complexity is hidden as much as possible from the end-user.

7. Stop planning, start doing
Startups often need to make do with what they have, which usually is not a lot. This pushes them to do instead of think. This lets them adapt quickly to any new situation, allowing them to move faster than larger companies.

Of course, as companies grow, more thorough planning becomes necessary for everything to run smoothly. You’ll have more people to manage, more projects to run and more people to report to. But this shouldn’t take you away from actual “doing”, “making”, “building”.

To avoid over-thinking things, the growth team at Hubspot put in place a very effective growth process to track all their actions. Now that it’s up and running, they only allow themselves one meeting on Mondays to plan the week ahead. All the other days are exclusively focused on doing.

In the end, it’s all about finding and keeping the habits that work for you. That starts by never forgetting the things that worked for you when you were small and got you where you are today.