Lessons Learned from Steve Jobs: His Legacy Continues

The world was saddened on October 5, 2011 by the death of Steven Paul Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple from 1998 - 2011. He was of one of the great business leaders of our time. Steve Jobs, through his passion, innovation and unique business insight, led Apple to heights of greatness. Through his direction, his engineers created computer products that dominated the industry. In 1976, he and high school friend Steve Wozniak started Apple in his parent's garage. That year, they released the Apple 1. From its humble beginnings, Apple went on to introduce such innovations as iTunes, iPhone, and the iPad in 2010. Apple Computer Co. is currently worth $222 billion.

Surely from such great business success there are lessons to be taken away. What are some of the greatest lessons we can learn from the legacy of Steve Jobs?

• Drive - Steve Jobs was quoted by Time magazine in 1996 as saying, "The thing that drives me and my colleagues is that you see something very compelling to you, and you don't quite know how to get it, but you know, sometimes intuitively, it's within your grasp. And it's worth putting in years of your life to make it come into existence." You can have all the business sense and financial knowledge in the world, but without the drive to succeed, you will never achieve your dreams.
• Perseverance - Steve Jobs is a story of perseverance. He was given up for adoption by his biological mother, dropped out of college, was fired from his own company in 1984, and battled pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs said, "I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance." It takes planning and ingenuity to fund, maintain, and grow a business in today's financial market. With the right mindset and a lot of perserverence, you can make your dreams come true!
• Invest in Your Dreams - Steve Jobs and co-founder Steve Wozniak sold their personal possessions in the early days of Apple to give the company operating capital. Steve Jobs sold his Volkswagen micro-bus and Steve Wozniak sold a Hewlett-Packard scientific calculator, raising $1,300 in capital to start their new company. You might need more than $1,300 to start your dream business but there are many ways to get business funding.
• Think Different - A sign at Steve Job's work desk simply said "think." Later, the slogan for apple became "think different." His high school electronics teacher said Steve "always had a different way of looking at things." With his industry knowledge and charisma, he convinced the world of his ideas and convinced the world to "think different" about computer technology. There is something to be said for "thinking outside of the box." Take a bold step and do things differently. You could be surprised at the results.

Apple's own website says it best in their memorial tribute to Steve Jobs, "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."