There’s no doubt about it: being a young entrepreneur requires the DNA of a pioneer. But groundbreaking doesn’t require that one go it alone. Many of today’s most wildly successful entrepreneurs started out as Biz Kids. In this week’s post, we dig through magazine articles, biographies, and newspapers to uncover 11 pieces of sage advice from some of the most brilliant entrepreneurs of our time.
Name: Warren Buffett
First Income: Door-to-door egg sales
Advice: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Name: Oprah Winfrey
First Income: Grocery Store Clerk
Advice: “You are where you are in life because of what you believe is possible for yourself.”
Name: Jeff Bezos
First Income: McDonalds Short-Order Cook
“One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.”
Name: Sarah Blakely
First Income: Walt Disney World Cast Member
Advice: “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know.”
Name: Sean Combs a.k.a. P Diddy
First Income: Record Company Intern
Advice: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Name: Thomas Edison
First Income: Selling candy on the train
Advice: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
Name: Beyonce Knowles-Carter
First Income: Star Search television appearance fee
Advice: “Embrace mistakes. They make you who you are.”
Name: Elon Musk
First Income: Video game code
Advice: “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.”
Name: Melinda Gates
First Income: Math tutoring
Advice: “If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction.”
Name: Steve Jobs
First Income: Part-time employee for Hewlett-Packard
Advice: “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”
Name: Daymond John
First Income: Flyer distribution
Advice: “Don’t focus on you, focus on what you can give others.”