If you don't understand the details of your business you are going to fail.
Information technology is at the core of how you do your business and how your business model itself evolves.
The best thing about being a business owner is that you get to run your own schedule.
At Shopify, we are trying to make things as simple as possible, but for the business owner, it's not unlike starting your own little shop along Main Street somewhere.
Many business owners dream of having their product or service endorsed by a global celebrity. But instead of trying to get a superstar to support your business, try seeking out a local celebrity instead.
I like to tell small business owners and entrepreneurs, 'I get it. I have your back on this. I understand about regulation. I understand how taxes are taxing. I understand what it is like not to be able to borrow money when you need it.'
Approach your business partners with concepts that they can get their heads around, and try to respond to their needs.
The flakier your mission, the fiercer you have to be on the business side.
I wanted to do two things when I was growing up, about your age. I wanted to play in the NBA, and I wanted to be a businessman after my basketball career was over, and that is what I am doing now.
I'm a small businessman and I'm well aware of the uncertainties of the economy, exactly what the 'inflationary spiral' means when I'm forced to raise prices to my customers, and how taxes can eat into your earnings.
There are three types of pitchers you have to deal with. Some, you just have to tell what town they're in, remind them where they are. Some, you remind them about mechanics, and some, you have to bust their tail. You have to make them your friend and have them trust you.
Fighters today are much bigger, stronger and quicker and not only that but referees, judges and doctors back then were very strict and if your head got busted up the fight would be stopped.
Luck is the by-product of busting your fanny.
Get off your butt and join the Marines!
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.
You work your butt off and somebody says you can't have your record played because it offends them. Tyrants are made of such stuff.
Once I will warn you, and then I will fire you! I have a zero-tolerance-plus-one policy for gossip. I will teach you once, and then I will fire your butt.
Be different, stand out, and work your butt off.
If you can't control your peanut butter, you can't expect to control your life.
You want to have butterflies in your stomach, because if you don't, if you walk out onstage complacent, that's not a good thing.
