Carmine Gallo of Entrepreneur Magazine posted an interesting article, here is a summary of what she thought of Steve’s key success factors:
world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be
entrepreneurs, he said, "I’d get a job as a busboy or something until I
figured out what I was really passionate about." That’s how much it meant to
him. Passion is everything.
2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once
asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life
selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don’t lose sight of
the big vision.
3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He
meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things
that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn’t have any practical
use in his life — until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and
Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don’t live in a bubble. Connect
ideas from different fields.
4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do
as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a
company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year
period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you
saying "no" to?
5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the
customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the
Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving
boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you
have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and
to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are
you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?
6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if
you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Jobs was the world’s
greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation
like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he
entertained, all in one presentation.
7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he
really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our
imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the
front of an iPad. It’s so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers
don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes,
their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their
dreams, you’ll win them over.
There’s one story that I think sums up Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive
who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and
asked for advice. His counsel? DREAM BIGGER. I think that’s the best advice
he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself,
believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.
Digital Ventures 
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