Behind the founder: Marc Benioff

1. Cultivate Beginner’s Mind

Regularly practice mindfulness to clear your mind and approach challenges with a “beginner’s mind,” which opens up every possibility, unlike an expert’s mind which can limit solutions.

2. Lead The Whole Symphony

As an entrepreneur, embrace the role of an “orchestra leader,” balancing and integrating all aspects of the business—product, sales, marketing, stakeholders, employees—rather than focusing on just one area.

3. Experiment Broadly for Strategy

When launching a new product or initiative, try many different approaches and “throw everything against the wall” to see what sticks, then scale the winning tactics into a core strategy.

4. Embrace The Next Thing

Cultivate a mindset that anticipates and welcomes the “next thing” in technology and business, rather than resisting change, to stay ahead and foster continuous innovation.

5. Journey Is The Reward

Emphasize the journey and the mission as the primary reward, rather than solely focusing on financial outcomes like stock price, and encourage employees to do the same.

6. Maintain Startup Mindset

Regardless of company size or age, continuously view yourself and your company as a startup, always at the beginning, to foster innovation and growth.

7. Expect Non-Linear Success

Understand that entrepreneurial success is not linear; expect constant challenges and a “rock and roll roller coaster” journey, and be prepared for continuous ups and downs.

8. Set Ambitious Goals

Set extremely ambitious growth targets (e.g., 10x in 24 months) and focus on securing lighthouse customers and building out an ecosystem to drive significant scale.

9. Practice Continuous Improvement

Adopt the philosophy of Kaizen, or continuous improvement, striving to always get “better, better, better, never best,” as perfection is an ongoing journey.

10. Value Competitive Markets

Don’t fear competition; instead, embrace and value competitive markets because they drive continuous improvement and push companies to innovate and get better.

11. Align Company on Breakthroughs

When identifying a breakthrough product, actively seek ways to “fuel” the idea and ensure every employee is focused and energized around its success.

12. Lead Customers To Future

Strive to be at the forefront of innovation, anticipating future trends and developing solutions that lead customers into that future.

13. Create Remarkable Marketing

In a noisy world, create “remarkable” marketing and launch events that generate buzz and differentiate your product, even if it seems frivolous, to capture attention.

14. Rigorously Test Ideas

Before a major launch or public presentation, rigorously test and refine your ideas and products through extensive experimentation to ensure you know what resonates and works.

15. Tell Compelling Customer Stories

Actively collect and share compelling customer success stories, including your own “customer zero” experience, to demonstrate product value and inspire others.

16. Drive Product Adoption

After shipping a new product or feature to an existing customer base, actively motivate and educate them to “flick it on” and integrate it into their operations.

17. Expand Direct Distribution

If your business model relies on direct sales, continuously invest in and expand your distribution capabilities, such as hiring more account executives, to drive growth.

18. Adapt Workforce to Cycles

Be prepared to make difficult decisions, such as workforce adjustments, to adapt to economic cycles and ensure the long-term health and regeneration of the company.

19. Cultivate Generosity

Cultivate generosity in relationships, as it can lead to strong, supportive connections and reciprocal help in your career and life.

20. Identify Creative Locations

Identify and utilize specific physical locations, outside of the typical work environment, that help you clear your mind and foster creative thinking for business plans or product development.

21. Train Sales Teams

Ensure all salespeople are thoroughly trained on how to effectively sell new products to maximize their impact and adoption.

22. Aggressively Market Against Competitors

When facing a competitive product, develop and execute aggressive marketing and positioning strategies to highlight your product’s advantages.

23. Showcase Product Internally

Demonstrate the power of your product by using it internally for critical functions (e.g., customer support) and making it publicly visible as a “customer zero” example.

24. Leverage Unique Connections

Utilize personal connections and unique resources, such as celebrity friends, to create distinctive and impactful marketing campaigns.

25. Mobilize Your Ecosystem

Leverage and re-engage your existing community or ecosystem of users and partners to adopt and advocate for new products or initiatives.