Steve Jobs Entrepreneurial Legend
10th Anniversary of Steve Jobs’ Passing
A decade ago, on the 5th of October, the world lost one of the greatest entrepreneurs ever! It was a surreal day where someone that had achieved so much and was an inspiration was no longer with us.
Steve Made Being a Young Entrepreneur Legitimate
It was Steve Jobs who gave legitimacy to being a young entrepreneur. It’s hard to believe today, but back in the early 80s, it wasn’t cool to be a young entrepreneur. Parents were like “that’s cute, but when are you going to get a real job.” Then Steve Jobs came on the scene and proved someone in their 20s could scale to $1.9 billion in revenue (not just market cap) before age 30.
Steve Away from Apple
It was Steve Jobs time at Pixar that taught him a different way to scale – the power/focus of having only one priority, Toy Story.
So, when he returned to Apple he decided the business (his baby) would launch one new product every two years like Pixar. Pulling Apple out of most of their product lines (handhelds, scanners, printers, etc.) he launched a great computer, then the iPod/iTunes (2001), iPhone (2007), iPad (2010).
What an interesting way to look at it by reducing product lines and pivoting in a new direction.
Steve’s Apple University
If you want to guarantee your baby will not only survive, but thrive, education has always been the avenue. So, after he started to deteriorate more rapidly in 2008, he hired the dean of the Yale School of Management and launched Apple University.
Unfortunately, many people bet against Steve, thinking Apple would also dwindle after his passing, after reaching the pinnacle of business as the highest market cap business two months prior to his untimely death.
However, Apple, still today, holds that distinction, being the first company to surpass $2 trillion in market value ($2.31 trillion today).
The key here is that if the true measure of a leader is the performance of your business/company when you are not there. You must be able to replace yourself for it to be a business that runs when you are not there.
Steve’s legacy is clear!
Steve’s/Apple’s Greatest Business Decision of All Time
What an amazing decision it was for Apple to bring Steve back as iCEO after being ousted 10 years prior – something that had never happened before in Fortune 500 history.
The way we see it – what a fantastic decision by both parties.
A few of Steve’s great quotes/thoughts that resonate really well with us:
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our awesome article and you found the information was great. Please contact us if you would like help implementing any of the ideas in this article.
Also, feel free to pass on this newsletter to anyone you feel would receive value from all of the great ideas. Please remember that our next Global Business Camp event is on from the 28th – 30th of March 2022 and we have a very special offer available for you.
