The Philosophy of Business
A recent conversation between Ron Morris and Don Jones

  1. The success of a company will be inversely proportional to the size and elegance of the CEO's office.
  2. If the CEO has a reserved parking spot — I'm out. I don't even go there.
  3. Company leaders must have a marketing bent. So many times we find these technologists that want to start a company, and they're good people, but they don't think in markets. They get gratification when they build one — I want a person who gets gratification when they sell 1,000. You need to capture a market, rather than create a widget.
  4. A leader needs to exude enthusiasm and can be beaten up in his office (like when the bank calls their debt or when your biggest customer cancels an order) and can still walk out to his people and be as cheery as can be. Remember — the attitude at the top permeates through the organization.
  5. Ninety-five percent of the people are followers and want to be led.
  6. The difference between an entrepreneurial company and one that isn't: The leader of an entrepreneurial company is a visionary while the other one is just a curator of assets. This curator keeps things as they are. They may talk about vision, but it's mostly lip-service. When faced with difficult times, they revert back to what's comfortable: the status quo.
  7. Face-to-face trumps telephone. Telephone trumps e-mail. E-mail trumps text messaging. Get out and see people face-to-face.
  8. Never underestimate anyone. You can and will learn from everybody if you are open to learning it.
  9. If you want to find out what someone is really like - see how they treat the people who serve them lunch.
  10. So many "entrepreneurs" today are more concerned with salary than they are with equity. Get your money at the end. Why do you think Steve Jobs only makes $1 a year?

Ron Morris is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years experience starting and growing companies in the Western Pennsylvania region. Currently he hosts The American Entrepreneur radio show on each Saturday from 9 AM to 12:30 PM on Money Talk 1360 WMNY. In addition, Ron is the Director of Entrepreneurial Studies at Duquesne University and takes particular interest growing and developing the next wave of entrepreneurs. More information about Ron can be found at www.taeradio.com.