She may be the sister of Mark Zuckerberg, founder of one of the world’s most famous start-ups, but Randi Zuckerberg has proved herself an entrepreneur in her own right.
Zuckerberg was just a couple of years into what she has described as her “dream job” at advertising giant Ogilvy & Mather when she took the leap and joined what was then a little-known company in Silicon Valley called Facebook.
She spent seven years at Facebook, building its international presence to make it the behemoth it is today, before moving on again to launch her own social media firm, Zuckerberg Media, in 2011.
In the years since, Zuckerberg has balanced running her business alongside penning two books, raising a young family, and even appearing on Broadway.
For her, that entrepreneurial streak boils down to three key factors. Speaking to CNBC in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, Zuckerberg summarized them into advice for would-be entrepreneurs.
“First of all, you have to look at entrepreneurship like a muscle,” noted Zuckerberg.
“Just like you would go to the gym and make sure you stay fit, you have to keep your entrepreneurial brain fit.”
Zuckerberg recommended problem-solving and “thinking in disruptive ways” to keep your brain active and alert to new ideas.
Secondly, you have to keep up with the latest trends, said Zuckerberg.
She cited the first iPhone, which she credited with reinventing the entire technology industry.
“When the iPhone came out, that changed every business in tech,” said Zuckerberg. “If you weren’t ahead of the trend, you were left behind.”
She added that this has become increasingly important over recent years, as the pace of technological developments has sped up.
Finally, Zuckerberg insisted that you must focus on selling the best version of yourself.
“How you present yourself is really important,” said Zuckerberg.
“We are all in sales, all the time, whether you think you are or not. Any time that you are pitching for a partnership, for investment, trying to recruit great people to work with you, you’re selling.”
“That is, I think, one of the most important skills for entrepreneurs,” she noted.
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