If you want to be an entrepreneur, it's not a job, it's a lifestyle. Niklas Zennstrom More Quotes by Niklas Zennstrom More Quotes From Niklas Zennstrom Look for when the environment is changing - the big shift now is mobile Internet. It's really happening big-time. The way you interact with services on a smart phone compared to the Web is quite different, so there's a huge opportunity. Niklas Zennstrom smartphonesopportunity The telephone is a 100-year-old technology. It's time for a change. Charging for phone calls is something you did last century. Niklas Zennstrom phonestechnologyyears If you want to be an entrepreneur, it's not a job, it's a lifestyle. It defines you. Forget about vacations, about going home at 6 pm - last thing at night you'll send emails, first thing in the morning you'll read emails, and you'll wake up in the middle of the night. But it's hugely rewarding as you're fulfilling something for yourself. Niklas Zennstrom morninginspirationaljobs Surround yourself with smart, dedicated people - to build something isn't a one-man show. It's more important to have smart people who really believe in what you're doing than really experienced people who may not share your dream. Niklas Zennstrom smartdreambelieve You shouldn't be afraid of failure - when something fails, you think, 'What did I learn from that experience? I can do better next time.' Then kill that project and move on to the next. Don't get disappointed. Niklas Zennstrom nextmovingthinking Some Internet operators are concerned that video services such as Netflix and YouTube consume lots of the bandwidth on the network. While there is some truth to this, my guess is that the operators wished they could provide the same kind of services with the same success as Netflix and YouTube. Niklas Zennstrom netflixvideokind As an investor, what we're not looking for is 'oh this is a cool app,' it's 'is this something that can become a big business?' You need to find those that can become real businesses. Niklas Zennstrom bigsrealneeds It's extremely hard to build a company with a product that everyone loves, is free and has no business model, and then to innovate a business model. I did that with Kazaa, had half a billion downloads but that wasn't a sustainable business. Niklas Zennstrom one-lovehalflove-is I try not to dwell on big mistakes but to move on when I make a mistake. I make mistakes most of the times and that's part of the risk profile being an entrepreneur. I guess one big mistake I did was not to start my own company earlier. I spent nine years working for others before starting Kazaa in 2000. Niklas Zennstrom mistakeyearsmoving Talent can pop up anywhere in the world, it's not just one city block. Niklas Zennstrom blockcitiesworld When we started Skype, if you look at analyst reports, no one forecasted it as a big business. Also when Google started, it was not fashionable to be in search. It's not trying to do the obvious - that's the hard part. Niklas Zennstrom googletryinglooks As an entrepreneur, if you're the originator, you need to be faster than ever. Niklas Zennstrom entrepreneurinspirationalneeds The next Google or Facebook will come from somewhere other than Silicon Valley. Niklas Zennstrom googlevalleysnext International markets are much bigger than the U.S. In Sweden we have 9 million inhabitants, and if you're successful in Sweden, you're not successful - it's such a small market. Niklas Zennstrom swedenbiggersuccessful Silicon Valley is the best place to start a tech company in so many ways. Niklas Zennstrom best-placevalleysway The thing about the Internet is the openness. People can link to each other themselves. Niklas Zennstrom internetlinkspeople You have 1 billion people using the Internet with 200 million of those now using broadband internet connections, so the Internet has become a powerful network. It can carry calls. Niklas Zennstrom connectionspowerfulpeople When we look at investing, we always think about 'how defensible is this, how likely is it that somebody is going to copy this.' E-commerce tends to be something easy to copy because it's execution. Niklas Zennstrom investinglooksthinking The Chinese market is very, very unique. Niklas Zennstrom chineseunique I hope that my investment into Atomico will become my best financial investment to date. Niklas Zennstrom financial-investmentinvestmentfinancial
