In today’s post I want to share some of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes. These quotes will be very helpful for network marketers and other entrepreneurs.
Steve Jobs was a legend, one of my business heroes. He was a marketing genius, a renegade and true entrepreneur. He led Apple® for many years, turning it into a multi-billion dollar company. He was also very successful in other business ventures.
He was a leader, a doer and high achiever. He was hard charging and savvy. He understood business and was respected by his peers.
I recently read a book titled I, Steve by George Beahm, which shares some of Steve’s most popular quotes. What I’ve done below is provided a few of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes from the book.
Top 14 Steve Jobs Quotes
Each quote is in bold and italics. After each quote I will share my own two cents on it discussing how it applies to network marketers. Enjoy.
# 1: We’re not going to be the first to this party, but we’re going to be the best.
When it comes to network marketing, there is definitely an advantage to joining a company in the early stages; however, the big money always goes to the people who are produce the best results, whether they joined the company in its early years or not.
# 2: The journey is the reward.
Who we become on our journey to success is much better and much more important than what we actually accomplish or the money we earn.
# 3: Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful – that’s what matters to me.
Live your life with a purpose. Do what you love. We’re all going to die one day. Focus on creating something that will outlive you.
# 4: My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to make them better.
The real role of a leader is to develop the people who follow him, not to be liked. Help your followers develop their potential. Help people grow and learn new things. Help people step out of their comfort zone and awaken the giant within them. If you can do that, you have succeeded as a leader.
# 5: People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.
Keep the main thing the main thing and eliminate distractions. When it comes to network marketing, avoid the shiny objects at all costs. Only promote ONE MLM Company. Stick with one thing until successful.
# 6: Let’s go invent tomorrow rather than worrying about what happened yesterday.
Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t dwell on your previous failures. Learn from everything you do, set big goals, and get a little bit better every single day.
# 7: Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
When it comes to network marketing, followers follow a system, but leaders create systems. You might start out as a follower, but at some point you want to transition to a leadership role and leverage your own talents and abilities to grow the business in a way that works for you. As Mark Yarnell frequently said, “leaders innovate, they don’t duplicate.”
# 8: You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. Don’t settle.
Find something you love and you will never work a day in your life. If you’re involved in network marketing, but don’t really like it or enjoy it, just be a customer and find something else to do with your time and life.
# 9: I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance… Unless you have a lot of passion about this, you’re not going to survive. You’re going to give it up. So you’ve got to have an idea or a problem or a wrong that you want to right that you’re passionate about; otherwise, you’re not going to have the perseverance to stick it through.
Tough times never last, but tough people do. Sticking with your network marketing business during the tough times is a key indicator as to whether or not you will ever succeed. You will face disappointments, setbacks and temporary failure as you grow your business. You must become mentally tough and press on.
# 10: Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.
Look for quality people to partner with. Recruit up whenever possible. It’s much better to recruit 2-3 leaders than 500 followers.
# 11: … Most overnight success took a long time.
There is no such thing as overnight success. Most successful people in network marketing, or any other profession, went through YEARS of struggle and failure before they had their big breakthrough. There is always a story behind the story.
# 12: … Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.
This is a team sport. Surround yourself with talented people. In network marketing, you are promoted or demoted based upon the people you surround yourself with.
# 13: … If you know who someone’s heroes are, that tells you a lot about them.
Look at the people you admire and respect and look up to and determine why you are attracted to them. This will be very helpful in your own personal development.
# 14: Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Don’t live your life the way others expect you to. Set your own terms. Ignore your critics. Do what you want and do what you love. Surround yourself with people who uplift and encourage you and bring out the best in you.
Final Thoughts
In review, these are some of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes. Which quote is your favorite and why? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.