Richard Rawlings Quotes

For me, the most fun is change or growth. There are definitely elements of both that I like. Launching a business is kind of like a motorboat: You can go very quickly and turn fast.

I believe businesses don't grow or develop in terms of a blueprint. There is a huge element of opportunism involved.

Start-ups should be hunch-driven early on and data-driven as they scale.

The Future Belongs to Those Who are Fast

I can't say enough about the guts and the talents of Amazon. They're so agile, they're so nimble; they picked us up two weeks after we premiered, and their whole attitude is, 'Go, go, go, go,' so I'm very, very impressed.

Leaders have to be intensely aware and be bold and flexible enough to adjust course ahead of impending changes.

Diversifying, to me, is the product of having an idea and knowing to say, 'Let's do it.'

I don't know if there's a genetic marker for entrepreneurship. But if there is, it's most likely not a genius for planning. It's a propensity for action - and the ability to put failure behind you quickly. To stop being precious about your ideas.

Move fast. A sense of urgency is the one thing you can develop that will separate you from everyone else. When you get a good idea, do it now.

You cannot afford to wait for perfect conditions. Goal setting is often a matter of balancing timing against available resources. Opportunities are easily lost while waiting for perfect conditions.

As an entrepreneur, if you're the originator, you need to be faster than ever.

The important thing to remember, if you are trying something that is an innovation, is not to think too much about it. Because if you take too long, by the time you get there, the world will have changed. You take a risk, and if it doesn't work, you make a change. We are not betting our lives on it.

This business is always changing. If you're going to be a leader, you've got to take chances.

Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all.

Optimistic people play a disproportionate role in shaping our lives. Their decisions make a difference; they are inventors, entrepreneurs, political and military leaders - not average people. They got to where they are by seeking challenges and taking risks.

If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It's much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.

Everybody's career has ups and downs. I like to take chances; I don't like to stand still. And I don't give a damn what the market is interested in; I want to try things.

Some people revel in getting their hands dirty. These are the people that make startups grow wildly. People with hustle also tend to be much more agile - they're the water that goes around the rock. These are the people you want around when everything goes wrong. They're also the people you want beside you when everything goes right.

You need to be honest and always see new opportunities coming. So I call it intuition, innovation, execution - these are my working principles.

So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don't sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.

I don't believe in pitfalls. I believe in taking risks and not doing the same thing twice.

The man who knows it can't be done counts the risk, not the reward.

Because I was poor I had one special advantage. When you are poor, and basic survival is your concern, you have no alternative but to be an entrepreneur. You must take action to survive just as you must take action to seize an opportunity.

If you don't take risks, you won't be able to do anything. I was confident I could use my experience to change and improve the way Macau worked.

I have seen American determination in people like Debbi Sommers. She runs a furniture rental business for conventions in Las Vegas. When 9/11 hit, and again, when the recession tanked the conventions business, she didn't give up, close down, or lay off her people. She taught them not just to rent furniture, but also to manufacture it.