The Big Idea: start businesses in emerging markets where there is much less competition.

• I decided to visit the small Eastern European country of Estonia.
• People who build successful businesses — are driven by circumstances and then led by opportunity. As an entrepreneur , you must be first and foremost an optimist. Being a successful entrepreneur requires three things: vision, leadership, and a team.
• In the beginning, I had no vision. I was taking steps along a path, like wandering around a map. But once I had the vision of what I really wanted to do, everything became easy.
• Faith is contagious.
• Leaders commit and make decisions.
• Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Now is the best time to start.  Don’t procrastinate.
• Your venture doesn’t need to be perfect at the start.
• Try things quickly to see what works and what doesn’t. In the beginning, it’s easy to make mistakes. Early mistakes don’t cost much. Writing and storytelling are powerful tools and key skills for anyone who wants to build a company.
• A plane spends 95 percent of its flight off its charted course.
• Like that pilot, you need to course correct . When you write something down over and over, it gets clarified. Effectively sharing your dream with other people is critical to building the right team.
• Ask for help. It’s the single most important thing you can learn to do in life.
• Not knowing something means you have to start at the beginning. That’s a good thing. Not knowing forces you to ask questions.
• Do ask for advice. Your job is knowing what questions to ask and finding people who know the answers.
• To succeed at anything, you need a team behind you, carrying out your visions and plans and executing.
• Find the right people to support you.
• Reward your team and build camaraderie through work and play.
• Managers implement systems. Good managers get the most out of people and processes. 
• Make a habit of brainstorming.
• One day you will grab the right idea that fits the place you’re at . Ultimately, the key is not the million-dollar idea but the million-dollar execution.
• The execution is the single most important aspect of success in any business. Since execution is the single most important ingredient for success, you better make sure you have the staff to make it happen. 
• Hire people who want to work hard, and reward them. Create a vertical ladder of opportunities for your employees, and train them relentlessly. Pay them well and earn their loyalty.
• Debt by its very nature is cheaper than equity .
• Equity is the dearest thing, and it’s expensive. Don’t give it away. There’s no substitute for tracking your income and expenses personally.
• People will be drawn to you because of your brand.
• Identify the aspect of your business that uniquely identifies you and distinguishes you from the rest of the market.
• To most investors and entrepreneurs outside the continent, Africa is still a virgin market and a dangerous place.
• What is really lacking in Africa is a knowledge base of business skills. As I continue to read more about Africa and meet with people, I see huge similarities between the former Soviet Union countries and the continent of Africa.
• When you are thinking about a business or sector to launch in, look for a market or opportunity where competition is lacking.
• Blue sky means a market or opportunity where you are free to create and explore before everyone else catches up. Hot markets are tempting. They look promising and always seem easy to enter.
• A hot market is both crowded and competitive.
• You will have far more success opening a cool fast food taco stand in Ghana than in London or New York .