Brad Jacobs

While the rental industry overall was slow to computerize, the larger regional players were more tech-savvy.

By 1997, nearly all of them were running on software developed by a company called Wynne Systems.

This told me that the software was capable of managing hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment flowing on and off jobsites.

I bought Wynne... See more

Screening for superior intelligence eliminates 90 percent of all candidates, so it's the first thing I look at.

There's just no substitute for smarts.

Radical acceptance quiets the noise created by yesterday's decisions and today's wishful thinking.

If customers see immense value in doing business with your company, they'll happily wire money from their bank accounts to yours.

If you want to make a lot of money in almost any industry, plan to invest heavily in tech.

Make your hiring choices as perfect as they can be because there are few mistakes costlier than hiring the wrong person.

An empty seat is less damaging than a poor fit.

The deals I've avoided have contributed more to my success than the deals I've done.

It's actually about finding problems, embracing and even enjoying them because each problem is an opportunity to remove an obstacle and get closer to success.”

Inevitably, the process of running a business will test your bias toward hope or fear.