Don’t take yourself too seriously – learn to laugh. Hire slowly and fire fast. And the most important thing is: you never invest in ideas, only in people!

Business is full of pain and hardship and with that, laughter and release.

No one looks for pots of gold, it just happens. Sure, some people are born with an incredible financial ability, and some people are natural salesmen, but creating a business, driving a venture, mobilizing an army, is not something you are born to do – it just happens, by accident.

Business, like life, is funny. We all go through difficult times, and we all have to face curve balls and challenges, each and every week. And we need to laugh when things are funny. If we take it all too seriously we will go mad.

When things go right (and they go right a lot – you just got to keep trying) there is nothing to really laugh about.

As all entrepreneurs will say, “surround yourself with good people”. That is the hardest thing : finding good people.

An entrepreneur needs to have values. Values that are wholesome.

I could actually do a lot more if I didn’t have things go wrong. So, what I am trying to do now is stay light on the parasites. If you are not drained by anyone you can do way more.

I am tough minded, but not hard hearted.

I battle to fall asleep at night. My mind races every other night. I have always been like this, for as long as I can reminder.

The movie industry is brutal. It is dangerous. It is, for most, soul destroying. Creating art (music, books, films, etc.) can be beautiful and liberating, but trying to sell art, well, that is the movie business. There are few winners, and lots and lots of losers.

There are differences in the businesses themselves, but the fundamentals are the same: give customers a good experience, charge them a reasonable price, listen to them, and treat them with respect.

There is reason to smile and celebrate when you win, but when you struggle, that is about laughter. That is the pathos that is rooted in all comedy. And business is full of pain and hardship and with that, laughter and release.

Creating art (music, books, films, etc.) can be beautiful and liberating, but trying to sell art, well, that is the movie business. There are few winners, and lots and lots of losers.

Entrepreneurs need to listen. They don’t need to be good listeners (although it can only help) but they need to know when to listen.