HOW STEVE JOBS SAVED APPLE

In this episode, we dive into Steve Jobs's extraordinary journey, from his struggles with rejection and failure to his iconic return to Apple. 

Discover how Jobs applied courage, resilience, and innovative thinking to turn a struggling company into one of the most successful brands in the world. 

Learn the key lessons from his setbacks, triumphs, and relentless drive that can inspire you to overcome your challenges and achieve greatness.

Transcript

3-POINT INSPIRATION EP 21 SPOTIFY

Did you know that in 1985, Apple kicked Steve Jobs out of a company he cofounded with his high school friend in 1976? Later, he was called back to save the company from collapsing in 1996.

Under his leadership, Apple became one of the most profitable and successful companies of the 21st century and continues to dominate today.

In this episode, we'll examine three strategies from Job's life that helped him succeed and show you how to apply them to your life so you, too, can succeed. 

 Hey, welcome back to Three Point Inspiration, where we discuss courage, resilience, and grit. My name is Bessy Ebule. 

 NUMBER ONE- START FROM WHERE YOU ARE 

Steve was born in 1955, but his biological parents didn't raise him because his grandfather did not consent to his mother's affair with his Muslim father. Because of this, his mother arranged for a closed adoption and decided that only college graduates would adopt Steve.

 But there was a problem. Paul and Clara Jobs, who had put their hands up to be Steve's adoptive parents, were not college graduates. So, his mother refused to sign the adoption papers. She then went to court and demanded Steve's removal from the Jobs' house. She only changed her mind after desperate Paul and Clara promised to pay for Steve's college education.

 Steve was a difficult child, and by the time he was two, Clara was already thinking she had made a mistake by adopting him. He had difficulty functioning in a traditional classroom, tended to resist authority figures, frequently misbehaved, and the school suspended him a few times. 

 His parents changed his school in the 6th grade, but soon, he became a socially awkward loner. Steve could no longer bear it, and in the middle of 7th grade, he gave his parents an ultimatum: either they would take him out of his new school or he would drop out. His parents had to decide.

 Paul and Clara were not affluent people, so they expended all their savings to buy a three-bedroom apartment in Los Altos, California in 1967. This allowed Steve to change schools to Homestead High School, which had strong ties to Silicon Valley. It was here that one of the greatest companies of the 21st century would be built.

Steve's father, Paul, loved mechanics and built a workbench for him in his garage to encourage him to love mechanics as well. Steve said he admired his father's craftsmanship "because he knew how to build anything. Steve wasn't necessarily into fixing cars but longed to hang out with his father. Through this, he learned how to work and be creative with his hands. That creativity would write Steve's name in the history books.

 There was something Steve knew how to do, which was to ask for and pursue what he wanted. One day in 1968, at the age of 12, Steve found the number of Bill Hewlett co-founder of Hewlett Packard, and cold-called him to ask for some leftover electronic parts he wanted to use for a project. 

Bill picked up the call and was initially amused as they talked, but he later took Steve seriously, gave him the parts, and offered him an internship at HP. It was at HP that Steve Jobs met Steve Wozniak, who was also working there in 1971. A friend told him, "You should meet Steve Jobs because he likes electronics, and he also plays pranks." The University of Colorado expelled Wozniak for hacking their computer system and sending prank messages earlier in 1969. 

 Their business partnership started when Wozniak built a blue box that enabled people to make long-distance telephone calls at no cost. Steve became the sales manager and sold about 200 units of the products for $150 each, and they split the profit. Steve later said that if it hadn't been for Wozniak's blue box, there wouldn't have been an Apple. 

 In 1972, Steve enrolled in the expensive Reed College in Portland, Oregon. But without telling his parents, he dropped out after one semester because he felt it was useless. Steve stated that during this period, he slept on the floor in friends' dorm rooms, returned Coke bottles for food money, and got weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple.

 By March 1, 1976, Wozniak had completed the basic design of the Apple I computer, which he had been working on. He alone designed the computer's hardware, circuit board designs, and operating system. He originally offered the design to HP, but the company denied it five times. 

 Jobs saw an opportunity and advised Wozniak to start a business building and selling bare printed circuit boards of the Apple I. Wozniak was sceptical at first, but Jobs convinced him later. Even if they were unsuccessful, Jobs said, they could at least tell their grandchildren that they had had a company of their own. Wozniak sold his HP Scientific Calculator, while Jobs sold his Volkswagen van to raise the money needed to build the first batch of circuit boards. 

 Jobs and Wozniak assembled the first boards of the Apple 1 in Jobs' parents' Los Altos home, initially in Jobs' bedroom and later when there was no space left in the garage. The Apple 1 was a massive success, and Steve and Wozniak were thrown into the limelight.

 Here's the lesson. If you have an idea or product, you shouldn’t wait until you have a high-rise office in the city before you sell. In Apple's case, all Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had were Wozniak's creative ability, Jobs's ability to spot an opportunity, and a bedroom and later garage from where they could work.

 For you, all you may have is a phone, an internet connection, and an idea. Get off the couch and start. Get off the analysis and tell someone what you can do. Get up and start immediately.

 NUMBER 2- TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR MISTAKES

Apple was a huge success, and by 1980, Jobs and Wozniak were already millionaires. But as the company grew, more people were needed. Wozniak was involved in a plane crash in 1981, which led him to try to rediscover himself. He did not return immediately to Apple but dabbled in promoting music concerts, which seemed to have failed. 

 By 1983, Wozniak returned to Apple product development, desiring no more than a role as an engineer and a motivational factor for the Apple workforce. In the same year, Jobs lured John Scully away from Pepsi-Cola to serve as Apple's CEO, asking, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?"

 But then, Jobs and Sculley had different visions for the company. Sculley wanted to focus on open-architecture products like the Apple II, targeting education, small business, and home markets less vulnerable to IBM. Jobs, on the other hand, favoured a closed-architecture product like the Macintosh to compete with IBM.

 In 1984, Jobs emotionally introduced the Macintosh to a wildly enthusiastic audience at Apple's annual shareholders meeting. As it turned out, the product was a failure when compared to Jobs' desire to compete with IBM. Effectively, Jobs had traded the product that brought Apple to prominence over a phantom dream!

 By early 1985, the Macintosh's failure to defeat the IBM PC became clear, strengthening Sculley's position in the company. Sculley then decided to reorganize Apple and proposed a plan to the board that would remove Jobs from the Macintosh group and put him in charge of "New Product Development." This move effectively rendered Jobs powerless within Apple. 

 In response, Jobs planned to eliminate Sculley and take over Apple without success. When Sculley told Jobs he had all the votes needed for the reorganization, Jobs knew it was time to leave. On September 17, 1985, Jobs submitted a resignation letter to the Apple Board. He took five senior Apple employees who resigned and joined him in his new venture, NeXT. Jobs later said, "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me."

 Here's the lesson. There are times when we all make mistakes in life. It may be in a relationship, a business venture, or family. As Jobs showed, we should be willing to take responsibility for our actions. You may have been acting out of ignorance or sheer stubbornness, hoping things would go as planned. If they do not, there's no need to kill yourself. Failure is part of the learning process. As Truman Capote said, "Failure is the Condiment that gives success its flavour." 

 Before we find out what happened at NeXT, please follow the channel if you are new here. On this channel, we focus on successful people's strategies to overcome their failures and encourage you to use them in your life. 

 NUMBER 3- START AFRESH

Jobs founded NeXT with $7 million, but just a year later, he was running out of money. Jobs was able to get billionaire Ross Perot to invest heavily in the company. NeXT then produced their workstations which were first released in 1990 and priced at a whopping $9,999. The workstations were technologically advanced and designed for the education sector but they were too expensive.

 Jobs touted the revised second-generation NeXTcube as the first "interpersonal" computer that would replace the personal computer. With its innovative NextMail multimedia email system, NeXTcube could share voice, image, graphics, and video in email for the first time. 

 Jobs ran NeXT with an obsession for aesthetic perfection, as evidenced by the development of and attention to NeXTcube's magnesium case. There was considerable strain on NeXT's hardware division and In 1993, after selling only 50,000 machines, NeXT transitioned fully to software development with the release of NeXTSTEP/INTEL. The company only reported its first yearly profit of $1.03 million in 1994.

 In 1986, Jobs also acquired Pixar Animation Studios, which became a massive success with its Disney partnership, producing movies like Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monster, Inc. etc. Then, in a twist of fate, something was happening at Apple!

 By 1996, Apple was struggling, and its survival depended on completing its next operating system. Apple eventually reached a deal with NeXT in December for $400 million, bringing Jobs back to the company he had started.

  Jobs became de facto chief after CEO Gil Amelio was removed in 1997. 

While NeXT wasn't a commercial success, its purchase meant much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, most notably NeXTSTEP, which evolved into Mac OS X. Under Jobs' guidance, the company increased sales significantly by introducing the iMac and other new products; since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. 

 With the introduction of the iPod portable music player, iTunes digital music software, and the iTunes Store, the company made forays into consumer electronics and music distribution. But the best was yet to come.

 On June 29, 2007, Apple entered the cellular phone business by introducing the iPhone. This multi-touch display cell phone also included the features of an iPod. With its mobile browser, Apple revolutionized the mobile browsing scene. Even after Jobs died in 2011, Apple has remained a dominant player in the tech industry.

 Here's the lesson: Don't hesitate to learn from your failures and start afresh. Jobs refused to give up, and you will find that he used most of the ideas from his past failures to turn Apple around. His experience with NeXT Computer taught him the importance of adaptability and understanding the market needs. He learned to balance his creative vision with business acumen. 

 So, the fact that you failed in your last business start-up, failed at getting people to attend your event or failed at getting people to buy your products should not make you give up. Failure always leaves with a lesson and you should use the experience gained  to bounce back stronger.

 Steve Jobs started Apple from his garage. He took responsibility for his mistakes and started afresh after his failure. You, too, can take a cue from his life and apply it to yours. 

 Thanks for listening. Please let me know what you think about Steve Jobs's success in the comments. Don’t forget to listen to my other episodes to get more inspirational stories about successful people.

 Always remember with God, all things are possible. I'll see you in the next episode. God bless you.