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This year promises to be full of difficult challenges and unique opportunities for small business owners nationwide. That makes right now an ideal time to seek inspiration and advice from the leaders who have proven their ability to overcome obstacles and achieve success despite difficult times.
This unique slideshow brings together key quotes that encapsulate the wisdom and advice of 15 remarkable American entrepreneurs. From Marc Andreessen to Sam Walton, each one of these titans found ways to change the world with their vision, hard work, and perseverance. And their pithy quotes -- covering everything from branding to leadership and beyond -- offer invaluable nuggets of wisdom for all small businesses and entrepreneurs.
(Google)
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"If you can run the company a bit more collaboratively, you get a better result because you have more checking and balancing going on." Larry Page's parents were both computer science professors, so it's not surprising that he gravitated toward computers at an early age. Page attended the University of Michigan, where he earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering, and Stanford University, where he gained a master's in computer science. It was at Stanford that Page met Sergey Brin, a fellow Ph.D. candidate. After developing the PageRank algorithm, the men conceived the idea for a superior search engine. Google was founded in 1998 and quickly came to dominate online search and advertising while playing key roles in cloud computing, video, email, mobile communications, and many other growing businesses.
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"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." One of the leading entrepreneurs of the personal computer industry, Bill Gates discovered his interest in software at the age of 13. In 1973 he entered Harvard University, where he developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer, the MITS Altair. It's also where he met Steve Ballmer, who became a lifelong business partner at Microsoft Corp. Gates started the company in 1975, believing that the computer would become an indispensable tool in every home and office. Now chair of Microsoft and a major philanthropist, Gates is the world's secondwealthiest person, with an estimated worth of $53 billion.
Netscape Communications Corp., which was sold to AOL for $4.2 billion in 1998. Andreessen went on to start Loudcloud, which changed its name to Opsware and was sold to Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion in 2007. Today he is a prominent venture capitalist who has invested in Ning, Digg, Twitter, and other firms. He is a director of HewlettPackard, Facebook, and eBay.