Jay Steinfeld never set out to create the world’s largest e-commerce site for blinds...
An Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year shares his insight on building an award-winning company and the importance of four core principles for every business leader who wants to succeed in work and in life.
While presenting the story of his company’s growth from a garage to the backbone of Home Depot’s customizable home goods platform, Jay Steinfeld imparts his hard-fought wisdom from experience with honesty, humor, and heart.
Jay's Core Values - The 4E's
Each person’s core values can be different, but they’re essential to guide your life and business. Jay Steinfeld put the beliefs that guided his actions into words which formed the foundation not only for his own life, but also for a company that disrupted an industry to become Blinds.com, a national brand of consequence.
Evolve Continuously
Change is business’s only constant and to evolve continuously means to be adaptable, making you less afraid of change. We should always be eager to learn new things, to evolve as people, and to help others do the same. To evolve is to get ahead, to stay relevant, to make sure you’re helping everyone around you, and to be attuned to your customers’ needs.
Experiment Without Fear of Failure
In a culture of entrepreneurship, you cannot be afraid to fail. You’re still accountable for results, but the accountability is that you must explain what you’ve learned and embrace the initiative as an opportunity to improve continuously.
Express Yourself
More than just encouraging individual expression by clothing or workspace decorations, to express yourself means to be yourself and bring your unique perspective to the table. As a leader, it’s about creating an environment where people can communicate honestly, without repercussion or holding back. It’s about generosity and clear communication.
Enjoy the Ride
People are more creative and inventive when they’re having fun and at ease. Pushing people too hard to perform will result in worse performance. Business is serious, but what you’re doing should still be fun. So enjoy the ride.
Lead from the Core
The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity
Jay Steinfeld, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the founder and former CEO of Blinds.com, never planned to create the world’s largest e-commerce site for window coverings. But after overcoming a series of hardships that helped him define his core values—and rethink his entire definition of success—he was determined to never give up.
Told with humor and heart, Lead from the Core is an insightful guide to help make your company a resounding success and provide you with a life of prosperity. Steinfeld shares how Blinds.com grew from a van, to a garage, to a musty office with an alleyway entrance, to the company it is today, along with prescriptive, easily adaptable methods for any entrepreneur to master, no matter where you are in your career.
Speaking
Leadership guidance from an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Jay’s international speaking engagements focus on corporate culture, core values, rapid experimentation, scaling a start-up, integrating mergers and acquisitions, attracting strategic acquirers, and how to prevent being disrupted.
Jay has written over 100 articles for Inc.com and CBS MarketWatch
Four Reasons to Be Grateful That You Probably Forgot
When counting your business blessings this year, don't forget these important contributors to your success.
Blinds.com: How Empowering My Staff Powers My Business
Jay Steinfeld and his wife and business partner moved most of the business to the Web in 1996, founding Blinds.com, now a $50 million business and the No. 1 seller of blinds online.
Four Reasons Leaders Need to Be Crystal Clear in the Office
When the going gets tough, the best leaders get crystal clear in their communications. Here's how to retain that clarity to keep your organization effective.
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Jay's educational lessons, insights and philosophies have become an integral part of my entrepreneurship curriculum. They resonate so much with my graduate business students that he frequently gets standing ovations when he finishes speaking to them.
- Al Danto, Entrepreneurship Faculty Jones Graduate School of Business Rice University,
#1 Graduate Entrepreneurship Program (Princeton Review / Entrepreneur Magazine)
