100 CEOs
Imagine being personally mentored by some of the world's greatest CEOs that are alive today and they personally answer whatever question you are struggling with in your journey. This is how 100 CEOs was born - a newsletter where some of the world's biggest CEOs and entrepreneurs answer questions that you want to hear.
What keeps you grounded when you're at the top?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 6 answers: John Mackey, Co-Founder of Whole Foods Market, and Co-Creator & CEO of Love.Life, an integrated health and wellness company. “What keeps me grounded is very simple: connection. It’s easy to focus on achievements and accolades, but for me, success isn’t wealth or recognition, but the impact we have on others and the relationships we build. Ego and fear have less room to grow when love is your foundation. At Whole Foods Market,...
What’s the boldest risk you’ve taken that nobody agreed with at the time?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 6 answers: Doug McNamee, Founder and CEO of JOLT, the Australian-founded global EV-charging company expanding fast-charging infrastructure to accelerate a zero-emissions future. “The boldest risk I took was following an idea everyone told me was impossible. In 2019, I bought an electric car and realised home charging would cost almost as much as the car itself. But there was a problem with the only alternative: public charging. Sydney...
What do you see in people which makes you instantly not trust them?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Isaiah Granet, Co-Founder and CEO of Bland AI, the self-hosted Voice AI platform, scaled from $0 to $65M raised in under two years. “Overselling is the tell. When someone oversells themselves, it usually means they’re trying to fill a gap with words instead of proof. The more someone tells you how great they are, the less likely they are to show it. People who are actually good don’t need to convince you; they do the work,...
Is pressure a creativity killer or your best fuel?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, answered this on the Diary of a CEO podcast: “Good companies survive a crisis, but great companies are defined by one. Eight weeks before the pandemic, we were preparing for one of the biggest IPOs in history. Then suddenly, headlines asked, ‘Is this the end of Airbnb?’ There were questions; not just whether the company would survive, but whether I could lead us through it. That...
When did you know it was time to let go of something you’ve built?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 4 answers: Lew Frankfort, former CEO of Coach, a luxury fashion brand specialising in handbags; author of BAG MAN. “Sometimes saving what you've built means letting go of the version that made it successful. In the late 1990s, Coach’s growth had stalled. The brand was almost 60 years old and had lost its appeal, especially with younger consumers. I’d been CEO for more than 15 years and was preparing to take the company public, but it...
What was the hardest 'no' you've ever had to say, and who was it to?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Sharmadean Reid MBE, Founder of WAH Nails, Beautystack and The Stack World, author of New Methods For Women. “Out of all the times I’ve had to say 'no', by far the hardest was turning down funding from people who didn’t align with our values. As a woman, saying 'no' can sometimes feel impossible. We’re expected to be pleasant and amenable to everybody. I've turned down a six figure investment from a fund who had zero female...
Has your success ever made someone you love resent you?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Dan Murray, an angel investor in 100+ companies and Co-Founder of supplements brand, HEIGHTS. “It’s not so much success itself, but the pursuit of it that has caused strain on my relationships. Most notably, my marriage. Even the most understanding and patient partner can’t hide the fact that early mornings, late nights, and every spare moment spent building your dreams don’t exactly drive connection and cohesion in a...
What's the one thing you wish CEOs talked about more openly?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers: Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, answered this on the Diary of a CEO podcast: "No one told me how lonely this journey would be.When I started Airbnb, I started it with my friends. Then we hired people. They were employees, but they were also kind of our friends. I was the boss but we were all broke in a three-bedroom apartment, so what does it mean that I’m CEO? It was a meaningless title. I felt very connected to...
What did you cling to when it all fell apart?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 4 answers: Becky Simms, CEO of Human First Collective, and Founder & CEO of Reflect Digital. “A couple of years ago I nearly lost my entire business, even though we were performing really well.We’d sold our majority share to a wider agency group but when COVID hit, that group started to fail. It was the most dreadful time, from the moment I woke up to the time I went to sleep (and sometimes even in my dreams), I was scrambling to find a...
You have 10 days to get your first 10 users. How do you do it?
Hi, I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 4 answers: John Hu, Cofounder of Stan, a community platform co-owned by Steven Bartlett. “My cofounder and I just landed our first 250 customers (each paying $100 a month) in just 14 days. We did just two things. Both require zero money, just sheer hustle and creativity. The first thing we did was build in public. My cofounder Vitalii launched a 14 day build in public series, documenting his journey of building our AI agent, Stanley,...
Imagine being personally mentored by some of the world's greatest CEOs that are alive today and they personally answer whatever question you are struggling with in your journey. This is how 100 CEOs was born - a newsletter where some of the world's biggest CEOs and entrepreneurs answer questions that you want to hear.