The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won't create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren't learning from them.
It's easier to copy a model than to make something new: doing what we already know how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But every time we create something new, we go from 0 to 1. The act of creation is singular, as is the moment of creation, and the result is something fresh and strange.
"Progress comes from monopoly, not competition." —Peter Thiel
If you do what has never been done and you can do it better than anybody else, you have a monopoly - and every business is successful exactly insofar as it is a monopoly. But the more you compete, the more you become similar to everyone else. From the tournament of formal schooling to the corporate obsession with outdoing rivals, competition destroys profits for individuals, companies, and society as a whole.
Zero to One is about how to build companies that create new things. It draws on everything Peter Thiel has learned directly as a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and then an investor in hundreds of startups, including Facebook and SpaceX. The single most powerful pattern Thiel has noticed is that successful people find value in unexpected places, and they do this by thinking about business from first principles instead of formulas. Ask not, what would Mark do? Ask: What valuable company is nobody building?
"Every moment in business happens only once." —Peter Thiel
Powerful Quotes from the Book Zero to One
Here are some of the amazing quotes from Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future.
[1]. Be an Optimist. While the path to success will undoubtedly be littered with failure and setbacks, you must always keep an optimistic mindset and focus on the future.
[2]. Focus on One Thing. The truly successful ones will put all of their effort behind one unique idea or business plan and throw all of their weight behind that effort.
[3]. Ignore the Common Wisdom. To be successful, to truly create a 1 from 0, you’ll need to think for yourself and come up with a new product or solution that people don’t already know that they need.
[4]. The 80/20 Rule. 80% of your profits or yield will be produced by 20% of your customers or products. This fact is also true for most of the other topics.
[5]. Learn How to Sell. If you aren’t already good at selling, become better. If you are good, become better anyway.
[6]. Invest Early. Maximizing retirement savings should be a key interest to any successful entrepreneur.
It will lead to greater dividends as you age and will generate wealth much more quickly than you might think.
[7]. Important Truth. “What important truth do very people agree with you on?” Your answer to it may reveal a potential pathway for your efforts or future business.
[8]. There’s No Formula. There’s no winning formula to success. Instead, consistent success is normally found in people who constantly push themselves.
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