4 Common Sayings in Business Translated -- Finally! Business is full of clichés. Three successful entrepreneurs turn all that "blah blah blah" into a real advantage.
This story appears in the May 2016 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
People in the business world use a lot of jargon and idiomatic expressions, but as common as certain words are, we sometimes find ourselves asking, "What does that even mean?" Finally, we've found some answers. Read on to learn what these cliches really mean, and how you can act on the advice behind the adage.
1. Follow Your Passion
"When people hear "passion,' they think "hobbies' -- which is not helpful. Every successful entrepreneur I know has followed a sort of formula: Passion + mastery + difficult skill + value = success. Translation: Use your motivation to sustain you through hard times, become great at what you do, make something hard that your competition can't, and focus on the benefits to your customer."
-- Phil caravaggio, CEO, Precision Nutrition
2. The Customer is Always Right
"Companies only exist as long as they have engaged customers -- but we're obligated to challenge them too. Education is central to helping consumers understand a new product or category. Challenge them, inspire them and then you've helped motivate them at the same time."
-- Brendan Brazier, Cofounder, Vega
3. Go Big or Go Home
"In business, and in life, there are many ways to get results -- but if you are thoughtful in your strategy, then you should pursue the execution of it relentlessly. That means getting your team onboard -- that's the "go big," because you're involving everyone -- and give them the freedom to use their individual talents and experiences to drive to that collective outcome."
-- Shannon Pappas, SVP, Beachbody Live
4. Work Smarter Not Harder
"I've never met anyone successful who didn't work hard. So forget about that. The question is, What are you working for? The only way to work smarter is to have an explicit goal. Ask yourself: One, what do you really want? And two, what's stopping you from getting that? Focus your time, talents, energy and money on the bottleneck to your progress. That's working hard and smart."
-- Caravaggio
