Marc Randolph

The thing is, I just always believed things would succeed. Even when everyone else said my ideas were ridiculous. Even when we were almost out of money. Even when the metrics were all upside down. I always have confidence that I'll figure something out. That things are…

Mountain guiding taught me everything I needed to know about founding companies. You plan for the worst, hope for the best, and keep everyone alive long enough to reach the summit.

The most important step that anyone can take to turn their dreams into reality is a simple one: You just need to start.

I resolved not to be one of those entrepreneurs on their 7th startup and 7th wife. The thing I'm most proud of isn't that I co-founded Netflix - it's that I built it while staying married to my best friend and raising kids who still (at least I think) want to have dinner with…

Be honest. Honesty and directness do a lot more good than face-saving deception. Because by being courageous enough to state the difficult truth, the most important reputation that you will preserve is your own.

I’d rather have someone who executes a mediocre idea brilliantly than someone who talks about a brilliant idea forever. Execution beats perfection every time.

The moment you start protecting people from failure, you’ve stopped them from succeeding. Give people the freedom to mess up.

Your first idea won’t be your best idea. Your hundredth idea probably won’t be either. But somewhere in there, if you keep testing and learning, you’ll find something that works.

My job isn’t to have all the answers. My job is to hire people smarter than me, tell them where we’re going, and get out of their way. Then let them solve the problems I can’t.

Hard work is a myth.

People think entrepreneurs are risk-takers. But actually, we’re risk-managers. We try to take calculated risks. And we always have a plan B. Usually a plan C too.

There is nothing wrong with being wrong. Sure, it could be expensive. But not admitting it is even more expensive.

People love to say “fail fast.” But what they really mean is “learn fast.” And the learning only happens when you’re honest about why something didn’t work.

“Pivot” is a fancy word for “we were wrong.”

The most dangerous phrase in business is “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

Building Netflix taught me that your first idea is rarely your best idea. We started mailing DVDs, not streaming movies. Stay married to the problem you’re solving, not the solution you THINK will solve it.

Every successful founder I know started before they were ready.

Entrepreneurship, for the most part, is the a willingness to be wrong 90% of the time and keep showing up.

The first version of anything you build should embarrass you. If it doesn’t, you started too late.