Who are the most influential people who shaped your entrepreneurial journey?
Not everyone grows up in an entrepreneurial family or in an environment where they can naturally absorb the mindset of people who build businesses and generate wealth.
I grew up in what you'd call a working-class family, and I always knew that following the conventional path wasn't for me. So I had to look for inspiration elsewhere.
I found it in books, podcasts, documentaries, and interviews.
I was drawn to Forbes, TEDx Talks, and books on entrepreneurship and personal growth.
Two people, in particular, have had the biggest impact on my journey so far:
Richard Branson
Libor Hoření
Richard Branson taught me the value of being a generalist, thinking big, and taking risks.
Libor Hoření taught me to build things that help people and to always look for ways to stand out instead of blending in.
What about you?
Who were the people (or even the moments) that had the biggest influence on your entrepreneurial journey?
Replies
Honestly my biggest inspiration is just... doing it. I'm 11 and I built auriko.pro its a free K-8 learning platform with multiplayer battles, virtual pets and 1M+ questions. No business background, no connections, just curiosity and stubbornness 😅 Richard Branson says think big — I figured the best way to learn that was to actually build something big. Sometimes you don't need inspiration from the top, you just need to start 💛
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@auriko_app I thought this platform was above 15 or so :D
@auriko_app To be young and passionate is a blessing. Wishing you all the best in your journey.
WebCurate.co
For me, it's probably Naval Ravikant. The way he talks about leverage, long-term thinking, and building products is just epic!
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@hosseinyazdi I have heard about him, how brilliant he is. I should re-read his books.
@hosseinyazdi Thanks for sharing, will be reading him soon.
I can relate to this. I didn't grow up around entrepreneurs either, so a lot of my "mentors" came through books, interviews, podcasts, and learning from people who openly shared their journeys.
One thing I've realized is that a single conversation or book can completely change how you think about business, even if you've never met the person.
Can't help but gotta ask you, if you could spend one hour with any entrepreneur, past or present, who would you choose and what would you ask first?
@md_khayruzzaman My CoFounder @ryanbuchert and I are stuck on @mcuban rn. His disruption of the pharmaceutical market impacted me (positively) personally and was a rabbit hole I'd go down again! We'd ask him for his thoughts on BOSS.Tech.
@ryanbuchert @mcuban @felicitemoorman What an incredible choice! Mark Cuban is one of those entrepreneurs who doesn't just build successful companies. He completely rewrites the rules of an industry.
Beyond Cost Plus Drugs, I'm fascinated by how he has consistently challenged traditional markets. From selling Broadcast.com during the dot com era, to investing in fintech, AI, healthcare, and businesses that make complex industries simpler and more transparent, he has an amazing ability to spot opportunities long before everyone else. What I admire most is that he focuses on solving real customer problems instead of chasing hype.
One of my favorite facts about him is that he still reads hundreds of cold emails from founders because he believes the next great idea can come from anyone. That level of curiosity and accessibility is just as inspiring as his business success.
I'm even more excited knowing you're going to ask him about BOSS.Tech! Please do share what he says if you get the chance to meet him. I'm already manifesting that meeting for you! 💥💥💥
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@md_khayruzzaman Maybe Neil Patel or someone other in marketing or tech marketing. :D I would ask him/her how to earn my first million with my upcoming plugin.
@busmark_w_nika This is just my idea, but from my view, if someone like Neil Patel looked at it, he’d probably keep it very simple and super execution focused.
He’s built things like NP Digital and Ubersuggest by taking small ideas and turning them into growth machines using search, content, and conversion systems.
For your plugin, he’d most likely say:
First 30 days get crystal clear on the real problem and build a landing page that matches exact search intent.
Next 30 days start putting out focused helpful content and set up a simple email capture flow even if nobody is watching yet.
Final 30 days optimize everything that brings even a little traction and double down hard on what works.
No audience needed at all in the beginning, just clarity, speed, and consistency.
And honestly Nika, this is actually exciting for you. With your Product Hunt energy and how you already think about launching and experimenting, you are in a really strong position. I'm new at PH. But based on my leaening Product Hunt is basically built for exactly this kind of mindset where you test fast, learn fast, and iterate in public. Obviously a lot to learn from you about PH. I always lurk every now and then for your thread. I love it, honestly!
You are actually right at the starting point where things are still flexible, and that’s the best place to build from.
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@md_khayruzzaman The next steps are pretty clear! :D I need to build a website too, because of SEO etc :)
I feel inspired sometimes but also overwhelmed because every successful story seems different, so i focus on building my own path instead of copying any single influence.
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@akshay_shyam Sometimes even it can be demotivating too, because all others seem to be better than me ahaha :D
@akshay_shyam I had to stop myself from doing this and actively tell myself, ' My journey is different from others'. I need to find my own path.
For me it wasn't a book or a famous name, it was a previous CEO I worked under before I moved into a CTO role myself. What stuck with me wasn't a big philosophy, it was watching how he handled bad news from the team. No panic, no blame, just immediately asking what we do next. I catch myself copying that exact reaction now when something breaks in production at 2am. Funny how the influential people aren't always the ones with the biggest platform, sometimes it's just someone who modeled the right response to pressure at the right time.
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@galdayan He seemed to be very direct and actionable. Sort of a leader! :D
This brings back memories. Like some of us here, I didn't have a business-oriented environment, so I read. I grew up reading about everything. I heard a word, a conversation I read, and made it a personal goal of mine to simply be the best by never giving up and always staying curious. This habit alone shaped my journey to what I am today.
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@johnsongill Everything happens well, as it should. Without that shaping, we wouldn't end up here :)
@busmark_w_nika and that is exactly why I love how everything happened.
Branson's book called 'Screw It, Let's Do It' impacted me too. Love this guy
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@sasha_havrilyuk Yes, also read it as the first book by him. Then "Losing Virginity" :D
I started reading Steve Jobs biography when i was still in college and it completely changed how I think about obsession and focus in building products.
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@gaspard_dupuich Which one did you read? Because I was reading that one made by his first woman and it described him like very pathetic person :D
My biggest influence was not following the conventional way of life like everyone around me.
I made myself okay with the fact that my journey is going to be different from the ones around me, and I can not compare and measure success the same way everyone was.
Interesting. I was brought up in a lawyer's family, not much better off, in this respect, than a working class family. The only way ahead for me was studying and working as a white collar professional. I got drawn to entrepreneurship (especially IT) becaus eI wanted location independence. Then, too late in life, I discovered to have a creative trait, and entrepreneurship seemed the most practical way to express it.