Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

1. Insanely Great

That was one of Apple’s tag lines, and it’s stayed with me since I first heard Steve Jobs say it. Do something that is “insanely great.” It means working your hardest, of course; but beyond that, it means making the extra step, taking the extra chance.

Insanity doesn’t follow the rules. Insanity doesn’t compare itself to what others are doing. Insanity dreams and ignores the part of the brain that says dreams don’t come true.

I’ve risked more because of that phrase. I’ve taken chances I might not have taken otherwise. Because I, too, want what I do to be insanely great.

And, like Steve Jobs, I won’t settle for anything less.

Thanks to Jeannette De Beauvoir of Customline Wordware

2. Pave Your Own Way!

My favorite quote about Steve Jobs:

Born out of wedlock, Put up for adoption at birth
Dropped out of College
Then Changed the World
What’s Your Excuse?

Steve Jobs inspired me to not let the past define my future. He inspired me. He showed us all that despite the odds he kept on going. He believed in himself. He did not walk a path that was laid out for him, he paved his own way! Too often we all listen to others, allowing those thoughts to change how we live each day. It affects our future. We start questioning ourselves and stop believing. No one has the answers, so stop looking for them and create your own answer, Yes!

No one has an excuse for not trying. The world is full of possibilities if we learn to let go!

Thanks to Michelle Morton of Meet MichelleM.

3. If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try Again

The one thing that stuck out with me was how during his earlier years in business, he was fired from Apple. He literally started this company from scratch, but even with that ordeal, he still found another way to bounce back. Steve Jobs sent a message to me that no matter how many times you fall or fail, as long as you get back up and keep it moving, you will always be a winner. So, my advice to those of you starting a business, or wanting to pursue your dreams — if at first you don’t succeed, try try try it again and again until you are fully satisfied with your results. Keep it moving.

Thanks to LaTersa Blakely of Moms Wearing Multiple Hats

4. My Love of Technology

There was a time when you reached a certain age and you would pass the business on to the younger folks. What Steve Jobs has done for me and my business is to love learning new technology. Learning how to use technology that came from Steve Jobs imagination has helped me to develop as a person and as a business owner. The world is much greater because Steve Jobs was here.

Thanks to Eula M. Young, COO of Griot’s Roll Film Production & Services Inc.

5. Follow Your Intuition

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs

As a leader and an entrepreneur, I have to make challenging decisions about my business and life every single day. Many times, these decisions are based purely on intuition. Sometimes you just don’t have a precedent to base your choice on. Sometimes it’s a 50/50 shot whether a plan, employee, product, business trip or strategy will work out for the best. When it comes down to it, I have always trusted my intuition and it has almost always led me down the right path.

Thanks to Dema Barakat of Velocity Merchant Services

6. Give Them What They Will Want

One of the tenets that has always stuck with our business is “give them what they will want.” Steve Jobs always saw the future of consumer ideas and always presented a crowd pleaser. We try to see the future of our market and give our customers what they would want more often than not. He revolutionized how we get and share data, and that is our plan too.

Thanks to Michael Pesochinsky of GovernmentAuctions.org

7. Great Speeches

Steve Jobs inspired people in many ways and we are among that group. Even though we aren’t in the consumer electronics business, except that we post deals about them, his speeches and presentations as a whole just made us want to be a better company and fine-tune our business model.

Thanks to Elik Aaron of SaleRacks.com

8. Letting The Curtain Drop

The fact that Steve Jobs was the “face” of his company is a source of inspiration to us. It shows that there is someone behind the curtain and that reassures potential customers who are wary of faceless corporations. That old school mindset has really helped out our organization in that not only are we not afraid, but we try specifically to associate our people (myself included) with our company.

Thanks to I. Aronovich of Awardable.com

9. Stay Hungry; Stay Foolish

With his words (in the headline), Steve Jobs captured the secret of business-success and the secret of life-success as well. No matter how many clients you have, no matter how strong your financial statement is–if you remain hungry, you will always be looking. Looking for ways to streamline your business, to expand your business, to create new products/services. To be sated is to stop growing. And the foolish part? The inner child who exists and, ideally thrives, inside each business person will take time to enjoy success. To explore whimsy. To fantasize and dream and dare and imagine. The Steve Jobs wisdom, found in four simple words, guides me. I am grateful.

Thanks to Dr. Marlene Caroselli of Center For Professional Development

10. Continue To Adapt

Steve Jobs inspired us to always adapt to the changing society. People want the latest and greatest in their products. Being a supplier of goods or services, we have to figure out what the people want. Like Jobs, we are constantly innovating and progressing. His goal was to always have the clear-cut best product out there. We took that mantra and ran with it.

Thanks to Max Aronson of Government-Auctions-Guide.com

11. Constant Innovation In Your Niche

In our opinion, we are the Steve Jobs of our niche. He was the innovator—the person that rose to the occasion when people wanted a change in technology. In our field, we bring the best service there is to the public. Jobs revolutionized the game for so many widely used products. His consistent work ethic and ability to reinvent products for the better is exactly how we treat our business. We find out what the people want, and we give it them as best as we can.

Thanks to Eli Israel of ForeclosureMagic.com

12. Steve Jobs Was Inspiring, But…

Honestly, without his influence, his company, his approach to beautiful type and the computer he created – I would never have become a graphic designer. The old way of design where elements were cut-and-pasted was not my skill (I just don’t have any talent with glue). Thanks to him and his work, I found what I’m really good at.

Thanks to Erin Ferree of BrandStyle Design

13. Steve’s Campus Visit In The ’80s Inspired Me

In 1987 Steve Jobs came to my college, Carnegie Mellon. He had been kicked out of Apple & was using CMU’s Mach kernel in his NeXT computer. Steve tossed his expensive Avirex leather jacket on a chair. It fell to the ground. A student rushed to help & he said “It’s okay, just leave it.” It was just a thing. Steve played the Beatles Revolution #9 on the NeXT cube, but he played it backwards! You could decide for yourself if there was a hidden message!

In 2008, remembering how Steve had fun with sounds, I created an app called 100sounds. When Steve launched the Mac in 1984 he had it ‘speak’ for itself so I created AutoRingtone which lets users create talking ringtones in 40 voices! That led to AutoVerbal which helps kids with Autism communicate! All thanks to Steve & his love of the Beatles!

Thanks to Todd Bernhard of No Tie LLC

14. The Genius Who Inspires Those To Deliver Their Best

Steve Jobs has left his mark in my personal life and in the way I conduct business. Steve’s drive for excellence and his personal vindication to not accept mediocrity showed that he was one of the crazy ones, the misfit, the rebel, the troublemaker, the round peg in the square hole, he saw things differently, and he was not about to let someone else tell him how to make things work. His vision was to make things be of excellence and to give people an experience they would never get anywhere else on the level that he was going to deliver it. From Apple, to Pixar, To NEXT, and then back to Apple. Steve Jobs was a true genius! He has opened the doors for all businesses to advance as well as the human race.

Thanks to Matt Lynch of Torklift Central

15. If You Build It, They Will Come!

Even though we seem to be a very different company than Apple Computer, Steve Jobs’ way of doing business and his entrepreneurial vision have been like a beacon of light here. He epitomized to the highest degree how following your passion and doing what you love will ultimately lead to great success in every area of your life. For him, it wasn’t about the money, it was about the product. Create the best product and money will follow. Put money first and you’ll bankrupt both your company and yourself emotionally.

His risk taking was based on true passion, vision, and intelligence. In a world where corporate profits dictate just how much R&D can be spent on any given project, he was the epitome of creating the best product possible and then people would stand up and take notice!

Thanks to Craig Wolfe of CelebriDucks

16. We’re Crazy, Because Of Him.

Steve Jobs addressed Stanford University on June 12, 2005. My favorite quote from the commencement was this: “Have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition.” This always stuck with me, and now is stuck on my wall by my desk on a post-it note. Each day in the office I ask myself, am I following my heart and intuition? And the answer is yes. At our company we want all of our employees to do just that. Fortunately, we all share the same passion; to utilize the online world to help facilitate action offline. He is an inspiration to our company, and we continue to pay him respect by having the courage and persistence to pursue something we love. Thanks Steve, for showing how far you can go, when you believe in yourself.

Thanks to Michael Brooks Jr. of LifeKraze