I served in the Israeli Navy, and it's not an easy thing.
— Adam Neumann
India is a unique and special place but a challenging business environment.
The most precious resource we have is time.
When I was a little kid, me and all my family lived in a house the size of my daughter's room.
When I started at Baruch in January 2002, I was almost 23 years old. I'd previously spent five years as an officer the Israeli Navy. I did what I thought you were supposed to do at that age - a little studying and a lot of trying to have fun.
There's no one person that can provide all the insights I need to run the business. There are so many aspects to WeWork: Digital, real estate, operations, space, and design. I pick and choose people who can help in each aspect.
If your business is the right business, then money will never be an issue.
WeWork is my fifth venture. I failed in my first, second and third, had mediocre success in the fourth.
Technology has made it possible to order food, buy clothes, get a ride - anything you can think of, really - at the touch of a button. But what about having the right people near you when you need them?
Happiness comes from within.
Mentorship plays such an important role in business - we know it's a must - and I believe schools should embrace it in a much fuller way.
When I moved to New York City from Israel, I came here with the idea to get a great job, have tons of fun, and make a lot of money. Growing up in Israel, I watched a lot of American TV, and I thought it's what the 'cool' people did, and I wanted the same thing.
Before WeWork, I had a baby clothing company. When I started out, I had no real contacts in the garment business and no mentor to guide me on how things worked. I just had an idea to put pads on the baby clothes on to protect the baby's knees.
Others think their American ways will work in other countries. That's not always accurate and can be disrespectful to the local culture.
When we launched WeWork back in 2010, we saw our opportunity to build community by bringing people together.
Do I think people who need a good opportunity become harder workers sometimes? Yes.
I do believe that mentorship is something I did not get in school, and I don't think it exists in school in a sufficient way.
My wife is absolutely one of my key advisors. She comes from a background that's very different than mine.
I never had a traditional mentor. I know people who have been successful with a mentor, but I've never understood why I should limit myself to the knowledge and expertise of one person.
