From homelessness to a multi-billion dollar entertainment empire, Tyler Perry’s entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of extraordinary. In a revealing conversation about his path to success, which you can watch below, Perry shares insights that every business owner should hear about understanding your market and staying true to your vision. Perhaps the most striking aspect of Perry’s success is his unwavering commitment to his core audience. “I never succumb to [pressure to change who you are to attract someone or something],” he explains. “I always believe in serving my audience, super-serving them.” This dedication to understanding and meeting the needs …

In a business climate often fixated on competition and market share, some of the most successful entrepreneurs take a radically different approach. In one segment from a much longer conversation with Lex Fridman, Elon Musk challenges young people and those early in their entrepreneurial journey with a deceptively simple insight: focus on creating value, not capturing it. “Try to be useful… are you contributing more than you consume?” This fundamental question cuts to the heart of sustainable business success. While many aspiring entrepreneurs obsess over their slice of existing markets, truly transformative businesses expand possibilities for everyone involved. This might …

Sometimes, the most interesting business stories start with a simple observation. That’s exactly what happened when Bo Burlingham, writing for Inc. Magazine, visited a quirky deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. What he found at Zingerman’s wasn’t just great food—it was a completely different way of thinking about business success. The article Burlingham wrote about Zingerman’s, dubbed “The Coolest Small Company in America,” sparked something unexpected. His publisher noticed a pattern: successful companies actively choosing not to expand as aggressively as possible. This insight led Burlingham on a journey that would challenge conventional wisdom about business growth and eventually culminate with …

In today’s challenging economic climate, with rising inflation and market uncertainties, entrepreneurs like you need more than just financial savvy to succeed. They need a new approach to business itself. Enter John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods Market, with a revolutionary idea: Conscious Capitalism. Mackey’s journey from a small natural foods store in Austin to the billion-dollar Whole Foods empire wasn’t just about making money. It was driven by a higher purpose: “to nourish people and the planet.” This purpose guided every decision, from product selection to employee policies. With economic headwinds, you might be tempted to focus solely on …

Owning a business carries with it a lot of responsibilities. From simply keeping the lights on to keeping up employee morale to finding the right vendors, the list is long and there never quite seems to be enough hours in the day. The more trivial aspects of everyday interactions are easy to overlook or gloss over. But those overlooked aspects of interaction, both with your customers and with your employees, can radically alter the experience they have with you and your business. This is the insight offered by restaurateur and author Will Guidara in the video you can watch below. …

If succeeding in business was easy, everybody would be doing it. When it comes to running your business, so many of the little details are specific to your goals and industry, but there are some insights and advice that can apply to every entrepreneur. Legendary entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban gave a frank and eye-opening interview in 2019 to answer big questions about why businesses fail and what can be done to avoid it. You can watch the entire video below. Even though the implementation of Cuban’s advice is going to look a little bit different for every business and …

Economics and finance. The two are related, though perhaps not quite so closely as one might assume. For entrepreneurs, the nuts and bolts of financial reality are incredibly important. After all, how can you keep your business running without accurately tracking and balancing what’s coming in and what’s going out? Finance is what keeps the doors open. So, what does broad, macro-level economics have to do with any of that? Ray Dalio is a hedge fund manager who has spent his incredibly successful career investing in a wide array of businesses, even in trying economic times. He put together a …