Business idols inspire us to achieve more and look beyond our limits. How most of these idols achieve their success may at times prompt us to ask questions to help us learn from their experience. Given a chance, there is a top priority question you would love to ask your business idol. We asked entrepreneurs and business owners the questions they would ask their business idol.
#1- Elon Musk- What keeps you going in the difficult times?
The reason I want to ask him is because, at times as a founder, things don't always work out. He has also faced such conditions with Tesla & SpaceX. A lot of people make assumptions in retrospect, but I want to know the real reason behind his struggle in the early days of Tesla.
Thanks to Jugal Anchalia, JustDoc!
#2- Daymond John – How do you push through your worst times?
I want to understand how he does it so that I can derive from his experiences in creating my own path of success. So many times I just want to give up, so I would love to know what John does to get through those tough times.
Thanks to Zondra Wilson, Blu Skin Care!
#3- Richard Branson- What is most important to you and why at this point in your life?
I would love to ask Richard Branson what is most important to him and why at this point in his life. He has founded so many businesses in vastly different areas that it truly boggles my mind. His mastery of marketing and how he has been able to get his messages and value propositions out to the public is also wildly impressive. Most of all though, I believe that the positive and productive relationship that he has with the team members who work at his businesses is the secret to his success. He has made the world a better place through innovation and taking bold steps. Branson also speaks his mind and thinks that a business leader should also be a leader in society and use their talents for philanthropic reasons. I'd love to chat with him about what really matters to him and to get his insights into business and life.
Thanks to Steven Benson, Badger Maps!
#4- Richard Branson- What have you learnt from your greatest flops?
I would like to ask Richard Branson about failure; specifically, what he learned from his greatest flops. His vast experience and many business ventures would surely produce some interesting insight. I know from my own personal experience, that we learn much more from failure than we do from success. With that in mind, I have a feeling this kind of question would elicit some deeper, more enlightening conversation.
Thanks to Anne Reyes, VinCheck!
#5- Sheryl Sandberg- How do you maximise Facebook's mission while maximising profit?
I would like to ask her how she balances the mission of Facebook to bring the world closer together with the company’s obligation to maximize profits, particularly given the latter sometimes has negative effects such as the dissemination of fake news? I care about this issue because fake news has had a detrimental impact on our society and affects us all.
Thank to Beth Gerstein, Brilliant Earth!
#6- Richard Branson- What's the best way to spread the word on balance without guilt?
I'd ask Richard Branson what's the best way to spread the word that business can create *profitable products and services* that create abundance out of hunger and poverty, peace from war, and planetary balance out of catastrophic climate change–without guilt or shame even being involved.
Thanks to Shel Horowitz, GoingBeyondSustainability!
#7- Warren Buffett- What keeps you up at night?
I would ask Warren Buffett what keeps him up at night. He always seems to be very thoughtful and at peace with very little stress but I wonder if he is really as calm as he seems with all the craziness going on in the world and political uncertainty. I wonder if he thinks that sense of calm has contributed to his amazing success. I started a global marketing firm 16 years ago and would love to know how he does it.
Thanks to Paige Arnof-Fenn, Mavens & Moguls!
#8- Steve Jobs- What is the key to true innovation?
There are many entrepreneurs that have made small improvements to the world, but very few who have completely changed the way that the world does things. Steve Jobs was one of these few. From making the mp3 into the main way we listen to music through the introduction of the iPod, to leading the tablet market with the iPad, Apple has truly changed the way we live our lives. Sometimes, it almost seems as if they can see it into the future… or maybe, they create the future?
Thanks to Matt Collins, Loans Now!
#9- Cindy Joseph- What are the daily changes you face as a female entrepreneur
I'd love to ask my business idol, Cindy Joseph of BOOM by Cindy Joseph, about the daily changes she faces as a female entrepreneur who embraces pro-aging in a very anti-aging world. Her drive and desire to change the game for women over 40 is precisely what drew me to her and what gives me the confidence to pursue my own, similar business goals.
Thanks to Anna Morrison, The No BS Supplements Co!
#10- Kevin Feige- Where did you find the courage, confidence, and motivation to ask the decision makers to place the fate of Marvel on your shoulders?
This may sound unconventional but I consider Kevin Feige as a businessman and the MCU as his business. Marvel was on the verge of selling more of its properties but Feige was able to convince the powers-that-be to make one final gamble and let him head the creation of Ironman movie to kick-start a cinematic universe. I would love to ask him how and where he found the courage, confidence, and motivation to ask the decision makers to place the fate of Marvel on his shoulders.
Thanks to James R. Nowlin, Excel Global Partners!