Anything You Want

Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what's not working.

If you're ever unsure what to prioritize, just ask your customers the open-ended question, “How can I best help you now?” Then focus on satisfying those requests.

If you want to be useful, you can always start now, with only 1 percent of what you have in your grand vision. It'll be a humble prototype version of your grand vision, but you'll be in the game. You'll be ahead of the rest, because you actually started, while others are waiting for the finish line to magically appear at the starting line.

Never forget that absolutely everything you do is for your customers. Make every decision—even decisions about whether to expand the business, raise money, or promote someone—according to what's best for your customers.

Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what's not working.

Starting small puts 100 percent of your energy on actually solving real problems for real people. It gives you a stronger foundation to grow from. It eliminates the friction of big infrastructure and gets right to the point. And it will let you change your plan in an instant, as you're working closely with those first customers telling you what the

It's another Tao of business: Set up your business like you don't need the money, and it'll likely come your way.

This time, instead of just answering the question, I called everyone together for a minute. I repeated the situation and the question for everyone. I answered the question, but more important, I explained the thought process and philosophy behind my answer.

Don't waste years fighting uphill battles against locked doors. Improve or invent until you get that huge response.