Entrepreneurship

Work hard, like, every waking hour. That's the thing I would say, particularly if you're starting a company.

Focus on signal over noise. A lot of companies get confused — they spend money on things that don't actually make the product better.

It's about having the courage to give in to passion for an idea that makes your heart race. And if it doesn't scare you, you're probably not dreaming big enough.

There is no such thing as an overnight success. It is a myth that glosses over what being an entrepreneur is all about.

Think of negativity as noise. Believe in yourself and what you're doing. Remember: if the most unique ideas were obvious to everyone, there wouldn't be entrepreneurs.

While life is often determined by dumb luck, these are the ways to tilt the odds of dumb luck in your favor.

It's okay to not really know what you're doing, and just trust your gut. Make the best judgment you can. There's not going to be a syllabus assigned to you.

You're all here because you're good at not failing. This is the culmination of doing a great job at not failing. However, there are no GPAs after this. Failure is an option.

You don't have to be smarter than the next person. All you have to do is be willing to work harder than the next person.

The happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters to them. They remind me of a dog chasing a tennis ball.

Do what you love. Find a way to get paid for it. And if you ever have the luxury of multiple job offers, don't make the decision based on salary alone.

Don't be afraid to shoot the long ball. Take the risk. Life is too short to spend your time avoiding failure. If I had worried about failure or listened to those who do, I would never have started my company and never run for mayor.