"ZERO to ONE"
or "How to build the future"
by Peter Thiel
“Every moment in Business happens only once. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them.
Of course, it’s easier to copy a model than to make something new. Doing what we already know how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But every time we create something new, we go from 0 to 1. The act of creation is singular, as is the moment of creation, and the result is something fresh and strange.”
From ZERO to ONE
with DIGITAL • ONE
From ZERO to ONE
with DIGITAL • ONE
We are a network of entrepreneurs and support other entrepreneurs in getting to their level ONE, as Peter Thiel described it.
As we have a strong digital DNA, we are calling it the level DIGITAL • ONE.
VISION & STRATEGY
Imagine more than others. Disrupt yourself.
In 1994, Microsoft Founder Bill Gates made the statement “Banking is necessary, banks are not.”, a long time before we now talk about “Neo-Banks”. There will be always a need of capital and always a need of payment transactions … but are banks really necessary?
Couldn’t it all be done by online platforms? Nowadays most of us would say “Yes”, but Bill Gates did that 30 years ago.
If you are the CEO of a bank today, what could you imagine for the future?
Thinking disruptive will bring you to the right mindset and strategy. Challenge yourself or “Disrupt yourself!”, as Christoph Keese formulated it in his book. In the future some job profiles will be completely disrupted by machines (e.g. accountants), as it was with automotives and horses.
How will your industry look like in the future? What will there be and what will be disrupted?
Do you need to enlarge your scope of added value? What are your key resources?
This is a radical mindset, but the digital world creates monopolistic platform like Google, that could enter your field, thus you always have to ask yourself: “What would Google do?” (Jeff Jarvis).
We love to challenge.
We love to imagine more than others.
CULTURE & CHANGE
People are key.
Whatever your organization looks like today, people are the most important element in getting to your vision.
First, you have find a mindset of “DIGITAL • ONE” for yourself and then release it in your people. This is a critical process as people might not look as far as you do as entrepreneur.
The vision must be tangible for people, but the path should be an open space. Let your people find the best way and get them on board. Start with small grains and let the mindset grow.
Don’t forget:
Relations to employees and clients can’t be digitized or copied.
Focus on those!
BUILD & CODE
Get it done.
Now it’s time to start. However you call it: “Quick Wins”, “Minimum Viable Product” (MVP) … Let’s get started. Begin with something small and create the first success with your people.
The way to your vision is an open space, thus you have to be agile. Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 … every step will move you further, as the vision is already in people’s mind.
At some stage there will be a jump to a next level,
sometimes from one day to the next.
Now you have reached “DIGITAL • ONE”
PROPTECH
(Property Technology)
CONTECH
(Construction Technology)
FINTECH
(Financial Technology)
INSURTECH
(Insurance Technology)
FOODTECH
(Food & Beverage)
ECOMMERCE
(Retail)