Snapchat was founded by Evan Spiegel, a young entrepreneur who met with success and has great advice for people who want to follow in his footsteps. Not only can people learn from his valuable lessons, but he allows people to learn from his mistakes. This characterizes a true leader and allows people to look deeply into the life of a true entrepreneur.
Spiegel is a mere twenty-four years old and has grown as an individual to take on an air of wealth and sophistication. However, his past had moments that were filled with shame and poor planning. For example, there were emails leaked from his days as a Kappa Sigma fraternity member.
“While many young men have engaged in wild behavior and made bad choices during their days in a fraternity, it can be particularly troublesome for a man who is destined for great things,” said Issa Asad, Florida businessman, entrepreneur, and CEO of 2 companies located across South Florida. For example, Spiegel made inappropriate statements in the email messages that are not uncommon from young men in college, but can spell disaster for people with a drive to succeed in business.
However, Spiegel learned from his mistakes and realized that the lack of taste used in the emails were problematic. A few years later, he gained a reputation and a level of wisdom that brought him to a point where he was asked to deliver commencement speeches. “This is an especially amazing achievement considering that he did not graduate from college himself,” added Asad, who is the current CEO of Q Link Wireless and Quadrant Holdings.
During his college years, Spiegel was more focused on his entrepreneurial goals than he was on his studies. He began his work on Snapchat, which provided a mobile messaging service designed to allow users to send texts, images, and videos to other people. This may seem like a normal activity, but the twist was that it allowed people to send these things and then they disappeared after ten seconds.
While this company has taken great strides, it has also dealt with legal issues including the leaked emails which compromised the reputation of the CEO. There were also problems with hacked accounts and claims that the ideas for the technology were stolen. However, each obstacle was thwarted along the way.
Here are 3 smart pieces of business advice from Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel:
1. Embrace Your Differences
Spiegel points out how important it is to overcome the tendency to conform and embrace differences. By overcoming the biological group mentality, he suggests that one can achieve by listening to the “whispers of our soul and allow ourselves to be pulled in another direction.”
2. Honoring the People Who Will Follow You
Spiegel spoke of the story of a great artist who “had the humility to recognize that the greatest thing we can do is provide the best possible foundation for those who come after us.” In applauding this idea, he helps people to embrace the idea of letting go of themselves as the end of the story and prepare the road for others to succeed.
3. Create Something That You Don’t Want to Sell
Spiegel suggests that you need to create something because of your passion for the project, not because of the money you want to make. This tool allows people to create your own path without giving in to the opinions of others. By working on something you love, you will find the motivation to move forward.
