Peggy Johnson Quotes

Entrepreneurial business favours the open mind. It favours people whose optimism drives them to prepare for many possible futures, pretty much purely for the joy of doing so.

One of the things that I'm really proud of is that I have really good timing. It's very easy for me to see what's coming up and it's no coincidence that I went headfirst into wine and then headfirst into new media - none at all.

Any leader needs to be constantly interested in what's going on in the world, and constantly ready - even when things are going well - to change.

We want people who work for us to be entrepreneurs. We like them to look at ideas. We like them to chase ideas. We like them to not be what I call a caretaker of an asset.

When everyone is running the machine, and it's all working, there's a tendency to look at the short term and focus on incremental opportunities and not look ahead to the really big opportunities.

As an entrepreneur, you tend to see the opportunities where others see none.

Dad was an outstanding leader. He'd bring in top thinkers from a wide array of fields - how to fix the Detroit schools, for example. I watched him in these meetings. He listened and probed.

Entrepreneurship is not only about starting businesses but is an attitude to life.

I think one of the reasons why our brand has grown is because we never close any opportunity. We are open to anything and then we sort of move forward from there.

I didn't have a career plan. But what I did was, whenever there was a door open and a new opportunity, I always looked into it and took a chance and walked through the door.

When you have a concept and a sport like this, you have to have a vision.

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

You only stay in front by coming up with ideas your new competitors haven't thought of yet.

Forget about the business outlook... be on the outlook for business.

Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise, for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.

One thing I always think about in making a market, and it again is something I have learned from Sam [Palmisano] as well, he always says, "Be first and be lonely."

We in government should learn to look at our country with the eyes of the entrepreneur, seeing possibilities where others see only problems

The ability to recognize opportunities and move in new - and sometimes unexpected - directions will benefit you no matter your interests or aspirations.

The heart of entrepreneurship is never about what we have. It's about what we do.

Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one's monopoly.

Entrepreneurship is a process, not a job or profession. So be faithful to the process and remember that even when times are bad, the process will give you a glimpse of the future that lies ahead.

You've got to stay ahead of the game to be able to stay in it.

A team of giants needs giant pitchers who throw good ideas but every pitcher needs an outstanding catcher. Without giant catchers, the ideas of the giant pitchers may eventually disappear.

Being an entrepreneur isn't really about starting a business. It's a way of looking at the world: seeing opportunity where others see obstacles, taking risks when others take refuge.

The only phrase I've ever disliked is, 'Why, we've always done it that way.' I always tell young people, 'Go ahead and do it. You can always apologize later.'