Aaron Levie
All we're really doing is repeating technologies that were tried 10, 20, 30 years ago... it's just that it was too expensive, too unusable, and we didn't have the enabling technologies to make it possible.Collection: Technology
We didn't really start the company to go build an enterprise software company.Collection: Building
If there could've ever been a magical time to build an enterprise software company, now is absolutely that time.Collection: Building
The benefit to building a startup is that customers don't have the same kind of friction when they adopt new technology.Collection: Technology
The most customer-centric organizations can answer any question by deciding what's best for the customer, without ever having to ask.Collection: Organization
In an IT lead world, incumbents generally win because they have the existing relationship with the IT organization.Collection: Winning
In a user lead model, users are bringing in their own technology... and you can build software then, around the user.Collection: Technology
They can bring the technology in, then you can sell to the enterprise when they want to have better control, better security... you still have the same biz model as a traditional enterprise sw company, but the way to get into the company is through the end user.Collection: Technology
Tip: Take the stodgiest, oldest, slowest moving industry you can find. And build amazing software for it.Collection: Moving
Your product should sell itself, but that does not mean you don't need salespeople.Collection: Mean
What happens to the Microsofts, Oracles and IBMs of the world is that when they get big enough, they don't think they need to bring that same level of focus and energy to the end-user experience.Collection: Thinking
A lot of being productive personally is determined by how you organize your entire business. You can't separate those two things.Collection: Two
There's a lot of pride that business owners have. It's actually really critical that pride and ownership extends to everyone in the organization. I think of everyone is in the same boat in driving the company forward.Collection: Pride
When you're doing something you're passionate about, stress becomes a featurenot a bug.Collection: Stress
You intentionally start small, because you will not be able to compete with an incumbent... because the incumbent is always going to go for the full solution.Collection: Able
The 10% between 90% done to 100% done takes most of the time, causes most of the stress, but is all of the value.Collection: Stress
You want to find the really crazy but still somewhat reasonable outliers within the customer ecosystem.Collection: Crazy
Read these 3 books - Crossing the Chasm, Innovators Dilemma and Behind the Cloud.Collection: Book
In the enterprise you want to start intentionally small.Collection: Want
I think because of the iPhone and the fact that we now have a ubiquitous internet, our creativity in the startup space is 10 times different. Every single industry, every single market, is going to be technology-driven in some way. There's an infinite opportunity for startups because now you can go and solve problems that previously looked like they had nothing to do with technology.Collection: Creativity
My workday begins around 11 A.M., with a cup of black coffee in each hand. If I had more hands, there would be more coffee.Collection: Coffee
Focus too much on the near-term and you won't get tomorrow's customers, focus too much on the long-term and you won't get today's.Collection: Long
Always look for these changing technology factors- any market that has a significant change in the underlying raw materials ...or enabling factors, is an environment that is about to change in a very significant way.Collection: Technology
Entrepreneurship: 10% coach, 20% player, 30% cheerleader, 40% waterboy.Collection: Player
Everything about the enterprise, and then by definition the software the enterprise uses has changed - just in the last 5 years.Collection: Years
Go after the customers that are working in the future, but haven't totally lost their minds.Collection: Mind
If you don't go to every level of your company, you distance yourself from the marketplace and from your people.Collection: Distance
You can look at the cost structure of an incumbent company and discover: where are they not going to be able to drop their prices... because that business model is fundamental to the existence of the company.Collection: Looks
Listen to your customers, but don't always build exactly what they're telling you. This is a really key distinction around building enterprise software.Collection: Keys
It's unfortunate biologically we have to sleep.Collection: Sleep
I'm certainly not into money and prestige. For me there is simply nothing more exciting than people involved in the creation of great products. That is what drives me.Collection: People
The best technology is aimed far enough in the future that it stands out, but close enough to the present that it blends in.Collection: Technology