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ends<br />
Five Facebook secrets<br />
for entrepreneurs<br />
BY EKATERINA WALTER ’08<br />
One billion people<br />
have Facebook<br />
accounts, making<br />
it the largest social<br />
network in the world. When<br />
the company went public<br />
in 2012, Mark Zuckerberg<br />
became the 29th richest<br />
person on the planet.<br />
How has this young man<br />
achieved such incredible<br />
success? Here are five secrets<br />
covered in my new book.<br />
Passion: If you think <strong>of</strong><br />
successful CEOs such as<br />
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg,<br />
TOMS’ Blake Mycoskie<br />
or Zappos’ Tony<br />
Hsieh, one thing about all<br />
<strong>of</strong> them is their passion.<br />
James Dyson created 5,172<br />
prototypes before he perfected<br />
the bagless vacuum<br />
cleaner. Passion gives you<br />
Ekaterina Walter ’08<br />
the perseverance to keep<br />
going, no matter what the<br />
obstacles.<br />
Purpose: Everything that<br />
Facebook does, from the<br />
people it hires to its working<br />
environment to the way<br />
it rolls out new products,<br />
is driven by a sense <strong>of</strong><br />
purpose that infuses the<br />
company at every level.<br />
Zuckerberg’s purpose is<br />
to make the world more<br />
transparent and to create<br />
connections among people.<br />
So build what you believe<br />
in, and align your business<br />
interests with your personal<br />
philosophy.<br />
People: Hiring the right<br />
employees is vital for building<br />
a company’s culture.<br />
It’s not just about having<br />
the right skills, it’s also<br />
having the right outlook<br />
that fits with a company’s<br />
values and its purpose. The<br />
4,000 Facebook employees<br />
all believe in the “hacker<br />
way,” a method <strong>of</strong> working<br />
that prioritizes speed<br />
over perfection and results<br />
over arguments. And they<br />
believe in Zuck’s vision.<br />
Product: Facebook’s<br />
philosophy is to “move fast<br />
and break things.” Creating<br />
an environment <strong>of</strong> agility<br />
and a sense <strong>of</strong> urgency<br />
is critical to the ongoing<br />
success <strong>of</strong> an enterprise<br />
that is looking for ways to<br />
innovate.<br />
Partnerships: Having<br />
the right partner — Sheryl<br />
Sandberg — next to him<br />
means Zuckerberg is free<br />
to play to his strengths: His<br />
imagination, insight and<br />
vision, leaving the task <strong>of</strong><br />
business prosperity to Sandberg.<br />
So partner smartly.<br />
“Think Like Zuck”<br />
Author: Ekaterina Walter ’08<br />
Description: 256 pages<br />
Publisher: McGraw-Hill<br />
(Dec. 18, 2012)<br />
Ekaterina Walter ’08<br />
graduated from <strong>Thunderbird</strong>’s<br />
Online MBA program. She is a<br />
social media innovator at Intel<br />
and a contributor to Mashable,<br />
Fast Company, Huffington<br />
Post and other print and online<br />
publications.<br />
thunderbird magazine 43
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