Business-Do

1The 10 Core Principles

The ten business rules explored in this chapter are the foundation of my business philosophy. They are the keys to success, and I review them here in order of importance. I urge you to read these rules in sequence, from the beginning.

01 All concepts are relative

Never believe in the absolute.

No one way of thinking is perfect. Nothing in this world is absolute. Say you turn on a light bulb in a dark room. It feels bright. But step inside a room lit by a single bulb after being outside in the midday sun, and it will seem dark. Everything is relative.

Nothing in human thought is absolutely right. So you shouldn't put your faith in dubious expressions such as, “It's just common sense.”

This is my basic philosophy. In fact, common sense itself is often completely arbitrary.

Here's an example: Some 20 years ago, I began my business—an online shopping marketplace. I was not the first to try this. Several other companies including famous leaders such as IBM had tried this, and failed. Because they had failed, many told me I was foolish to try it myself. Online shopping malls won't work, they told me. It's just common sense.

Obviously, that turned out not to be true. It was not “common sense” that blocked online marketplaces from thriving. Online marketplaces were a good idea, waiting for good execution to attract customers. When the right online marketplaces ...