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A Case Study: The Man Behind America Online

“Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and you really work hard and you bring the right perspective to it,” says Steve Case. “You shouldn't focus on why you can't do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why perhaps you can, and be one of the exceptions.”

Bringing America Online: Case Changes An Industry

When Case entered the world of computers in the late 1970s, personal computing was still a relatively foreign concept. “I remember even when I was in college and writing, sending resumes out to different companies, my cover letter really talked about, ‘We're about to usher in a new visual age, and with two-way televisions and more of an electronic frontier,’” recalls Case. “Most people 25 years ago, I think, thought I was a little bit loony, but I just believed. And so I just kept pursuing that.”

Lesson #1: Success Doesn’t Happen Overnight

“I think a lot of people, friends included, were saying, ‘I know you're a believer in this and all, but you know, sometimes no matter how hard you believe it just doesn't happen. Maybe you should kind of give up the ghost and try something else,’” recalls Case. While he can look back on the early stages of his career now and laugh, at the time, it was no laughing matter. Case was struggling to become a success, to find his niche and to make a name for himself in an industry in which he saw limitless potential. “I just believed, and so I kept doing it…we're going to make this happen. We were going to stick with it.”

Lesson #2: True Entrepreneurs Never Stop Thinking Outside the Box

“The idea of an entrepreneur is really thinking out of the box and taking risks and stepping up to major challenges,” says Case. “You can be entrepreneurial even if you don't want to be in business.”

Lesson #3: See the Forest Through the Trees

“I think the more you have a generalist perspective, I think sometimes the more you can kind of see through the forest and the trees,” says Case. “And when it gets a little bit cloudy, you know, have some sense of, ‘Well, maybe this might happen or maybe that might happen.’”

Lesson #4: In Order to Get Ahead, You Must Take the Lead

“It's not like you just sit back and eventually it's going to happen,” says Case. “It's going to happen when people make it happen, and you have to kind of have a strategy that is pragmatic at one level, so you can hang in for the long run, but proactive in another level, so you can actually try to accelerate the pace that it's going to take for something to take off.”

Lesson #5: Teamwork is an Essential Tool for Success

“When I was trying to think of what the key management principles were to build into the culture, I started talking about the Ps,” says Case. “The P's were things like passion, perseverance, perspective and people. I think the people aspect is really the most important one.”

Case in Point: How Steve Case Achieved Success

“I focus less on looking back and more on looking forward,” says Case. “That was all interesting. It was a great journey for 20-plus years. Some ups, some downs but overall a great experience. The question now is ‘What’s the next journey? What's the next challenge?’” From selling fruit baskets in college to ranking on Forbes’ list of the wealthiest Americans, Case had come a long way to create a company that would soon become a household name and go down in history for its impact on people’s lives as well as its multi-billion dollar merger. Just how did this boy, who once dreamed of becoming a rock star, become the successful entrepreneur that he is today?

Steve Case Quotes

Steve Case Quotes

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