Written By: Kelly Bryant
Hate him or love him, Elon Musk sure has a way of getting on people’s radar.
One of his latest tweets “Love Me Tender” suggested he was either jamming out to Elvis Presley or contemplating initiating a tender offer to the board at Twitter (the drama!). This tweet is one of many coming from Musk in the last week including a video of the Falcon 9 spaceship and a photo of his dog dressed up as the easter bunny.
You’ve got to applaud this man’s ability to multitask. He’s the founder and CEO of SpaceX, CEO of Tesla, and co-founder of Neuralink (to name just a few of his ventures). Yet all of this buzz got me thinking… with so much on his radar, how is Musk still such a reputable entrepreneur?
After a bit of digging, I found 3 reasons.
#1 – He thinks he’s wrong (initially)
In an interview at an energy conference in Norway, Musk had this advice for anyone looking to become an entrepreneur: “You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong.” Yes, you read that right. He explains that if you accept the fact that “you’re wrong” right out of the gates, you’re better able to spot issues as you build your business and ultimately minimize the impact of the ‘lows’ of entrepreneurship.
#2 – He loves a critic
Inc. Magazine explained that one of Musk’s many business strategies is to actively seek out criticism – a task that seems pretty easy if you scroll through some of his twitter replies I might add! But seriously, he thinks few things are more important for a successful venture than a critique. He even goes as far as to say they’re as “valuable as gold”. Bonus points, Musk explains, if you seek this advice out from friends since they’re often the ones that see what could go wrong, but don’t want to hurt your feelings.
#3 He’s got passion
One of my favorite quotes from Musk is, “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” This was his mindset when starting Tesla. Many thought he was crazy for wanting to create electric cars that were aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly and could actually generate a profit. He’s admitted in multiple interviews that he doubted his own ability at times, but had the tenacity to see it through despite the noise.
Whether you think he’s brilliant or a mad scientist, he must be doing something right because Musk is the richest person in the world (net worth of $273 billion)! As you pursue your own venture(s), consider Musk’s strategies: get in the right mindset, seek out tough feedback and solve problems that matter to you. Hopefully, you’ll be a better entrepreneur because of it!
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