Insights on leadership, entrepreneurialism and management
Xerox Almost Killed Us
Read moreAdapted from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn Xerox was responsible for a Micrel policy because they shook our business pretty badly. Xerox was in its heyday. They were the masters of many imaging industries, and at that moment...
Frugality, VCs and Enduring Companies
Read moreAn excerpt from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn It was a 1954 Ford coupe. Like many men on campus, I had a love affair with my car that might have rivaled those with co-eds. And though a Ford...
Entrepreneurs Are High Hurdlers
Read moreAdapted from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn Running the high hurdles isn’t easy when you are vertically challenged. Yet despite being only five feet, eight inches (173 cm) – markedly shorter than the other boys in starting blocks...
Entrepreneurial Stall Horns
Read moreAdapted from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn My stall horn sounded, telling me I was about to crash into the Tehachapi Mountains. A stall horn will wake the dead, and is designed to assure the pilot knows his...
The Secret to Employee Happiness
Read moreWhat CEO doesn’t wish for an office filled with happy, creative and hyper-productive employees? The fact is, CEOs who understand and nurture happiness create better people and better employees, which results in amazing effort and genius that will benefit...
Four steps to stop entrepreneurial procrastination
Read moreI saw Warren Muller, my co-founder at Micrel, pulling an oil tray from under his automobile and pouring the oil back into the car’s motor. He had been doing this for quite some time because he felt that taking...