Jack Dorsey is the co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Square and PayPal. He created each one with an innovative idea designed to solve a problem in society. He saw it happen first-hand while living abroad as well!
After dropping out of New York University and spending some time abroad, Jack Dorsey returned home to his native St. Louis in 2001. He taught himself how to program because he wanted an easy way to communicate with friends overseas. That platform became Twitter!
While living abroad, Jack was inspired by the long lines at the local merchants he visited. He thought there had to be a better way than using cash and changing money everywhere. That’s when the idea of Square came to fruition!
We love learning about self-made billionaires, especially when it involves innovative ideas that make life easier for each one of us. So, the following are life-changing lessons from Jack Dorsey to make you successful in your own life.
1. Keep the end goal in mind
Jack Dorsey was inspired to develop Square as a way for local merchants to accept credit card payments. It has quickly evolved into a service that allows anyone with an iPhone, Android device or iPad to have a merchant account and take any payment from anywhere worldwide!
2. Always be open-minded
In a recent interview, Jack Dorsey was asked if he could share one piece of advice, what it would be. He said, “You have to be open-minded. You have to believe in your ideas more than you believe in yourself.”
He added, “If you believe in your ideas, they will work. And if it doesn’t work for some reason – wrong team, wrong market… you haven’t fully explored the idea.”
3. Don’t be afraid to take risks
Jack Dorsey made a life-changing decision and dropped out of college at NYU to travel abroad and teach English. He spent two years living in St. Louis before returning to New York City, feeling like his life was on the right track.
When he returned to NYC, Jack joined Odeo as a software engineer who eventually developed Twitter.
4. Stay true to your values
Jack Dorsey is an outspoken advocate against bullying and a proponent of marriage equality and gender equality. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recognized the latter as she presented him with the 2013 Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award!
5. Never stop learning
“Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.” – Jack Dorsey.
Jack Dorsey credits many of his successes to his love of interacting with people. His goal was to meet one new person each day after returning from abroad because he felt that travelling alone gave him a unique perspective on life.
That’s why Jack Dorsey created Square, as it allows merchants worldwide to accept credit card payments quickly and easily!
6. Be open to opportunities
Jack Dorsey was among the many attendees when he met his future co-founder for Twitter; Jack Dorsey had no idea what the platform was and had never used it!
He credits that moment in life as one of the best examples of not judging a book by its cover and also wanting to meet new people instead of pushing everyone away because you’re too consumed with yourself.
7. Follow your gut
Jack Dorsey admits that the company he helped found had gone through several evolutions since its inception. Some were alternative versions of Twitter as they all attempted to transform it into something different.
He said his intuition told him not to lose faith when many people around him told him to move on because Twitter wasn’t working out. Instead, he trusted his gut, and look where it is today!
8. Be kind to everyone you meet
Jack Dorsey says he has always been a little shy, especially when meeting someone new; that’s why he tries to make people feel comfortable with him. He creates a space where they can be open and honest to know them better.
9. Find your niche
Jack Dorsey said that most successful people are generalists – Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs… But there is something about doing the things everyone else does but extremely well that gives you an edge in the business world.
He recommends finding a niche for yourself and becoming the best at it!
10. Think differently
“People who are skilled at creating genuinely new things have a different thought process from everyone else.” – Jack Dorsey.
Jack Dorsey said that if you want to try something that has never been done before, you can’t hold on to any ideas or beliefs rooted in the way things have always been done.
He said you need to be open-minded and adapt because nobody knows what’s coming next and what kind of crazy innovation will change the world!
11. You can’t do it all alone
Jack Dorsey credits his success to the people he surrounds himself with. He firmly believes that if one person on your team isn’t doing their best, no matter how great you are at your job, it won’t work out in the long run!
He says working with good people is more important than being extremely talented because he wouldn’t have been able to create Twitter without them.
12. Be flexible
“The more successful you are, the fewer people want to see you fall on your face.” – Jack Dorsey.
Jack Dorsey said that if failure is an option, you are not setting yourself up for success. He believes that if you want to build something great, the only way to do it is by putting yourself out there and trying new things.
He also said he distanced himself from technology when he was younger because he felt people were judging him on his phone or what applications he used, so he wanted to create something special and unique!