The Lesson: Jonas Kjellberg’s dynamic mindset has led him to take on a number of risks and make a lot of big bets – some of which failed spectacularly, and some of which became massive successes like Skype. In this podcast, Tony and Jonas talk about the evolution of Skype, and how it became one of the internet’s most revolutionary businesses, disrupting the telecommunications sector in a way no one saw coming. Jonas reveals what he has learned from his past failures, and the key lessons he’s taken with him when it comes to eliminating costs, customer acquisition, why every company should be ready to embrace change and pivot on a dime.
Notable Excerpt: “I think one of the main things for you as an entrepreneur … is to really challenge the cost-side. Because in a lot of businesses, there is a lot of cost. And it’s not about making things free, it’s basically taking away cost. Here’s an example: for Skype, a normal telecall [company would require] a lot of infrastructure, so we thought ‘well, how could we get the customer to pay for it?’ So we said, ‘okay, you already pay for your internet’ – so we found our first zero. Second thing, a telecall company needs a lot of switches. So we found that the CPU power in a lot these switches is actually the same as the ones in your personal computer. So we said ‘why don’t we let your personal computer pull the cost’, and we found another zero.”
The Guest: Jonas Kjellberg is a serial entrepreneur, author, investor, and most notably – the co-creator of Skype. When not running companies, Jonas lectures at Stanford University and Stockholm School of Economics on the topics of entrepreneurship and how to create a winning sales culture.
The Host: Tony Robbins is a best-selling author, motivational speaker, life coach, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. The California-based strategist has become such an influential lecturer, over 4 million people have attended his live seminars. In addition to founding several different companies (and his own foundation), Robbins has worked with charities such as Feeding America, Spring Health, and Operation Underground Railroad.
Podcast: The Tony Robbins podcast is available for free on Spotify and iTunes. You can also find more of his longer motivational programs on his website.
Books: Robbins is the author of “Awaken the Giant Within,” “Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook”, “Money: Master the Game”, and “Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement”.
(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below) – Photo by Ray From LA, CC
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