Apoorva Mehta says Instacart’s focus will help it outpace a rising field of competitors – and create a distinctive advantage.

Reid Hoffman: “I believe you should embrace frustration, because its flipside – opportunity – can be a shortcut to scale.”

Reid Hoffman: “I don’t think entrepreneurs do what they do because of tax rates. They do what they do because they feel compelled to. This is the best path for them.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe that you need to listen to your customers … even when what they want is inconvenient, or inconsistent. But you must track their point of view … and let them know you’re listening.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe you need to act like a founder but also have the mindset of an investor.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe that building a global brand means creating a diverse and sustainable ecosystem.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe that building your personal brand is as important as building your product brand. In a changing world, it’s the constant that will allow you to adapt.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe that building a global brand to last means turning acquisitions into an ecosystem.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe you should never stop asking ‘What if?’ and ‘Why not?’ Take those daring notions seriously, and go all-in on the bold leaps. They will keep you innovating.”

Reid Hoffman: “Always be talking to smart people who will give you good feedback about your idea.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe you’re not just responsible for scaling your world-changing idea. You’re also responsible for stewarding its development and wider use.”

Reid Hoffman: “I believe managing your emotions is as critical as managing your business.”

Reid Hoffman: “Being first to scale means being the one to set the game, set the rules, and set the standards.”

Reid Hoffman: “With crises, there is opportunity – and an opportunity to be great. And I’m delighted in all of you who choose that path.”

Reid’s Theory: “I believe that onboarding is a hidden key to lasting success.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe that to scale a business, you’ll always need bridges – to new customers, new verticals and new markets. But for a bridge to last – it must be built from both sides.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe that in a crowded field – your competitive edge is in finding under-valued assets that others overlook.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe you need to sell without selling. Great branding is about identity … and matchmaking.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe you should first be human. Building one-to-one connections with your customers isn’t fast — and it isn’t easy — but it can drive you to scale and more importantly, keep you there.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe product-value fit is often more important than product-market fit. And finding it may require a pivot or two.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe that to navigate massive scale, you have to find – and keep – ‘true north.’ Establish clear landmarks that point to your founding principles. They’ll guide you when you’re at risk of losing your way.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe that to build an authentic connection with your customers, you need to do some things that may feel artificial.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe you can clear a path to scale by converting skeptics to fanatics.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe you need to design rituals that will take you to scale and evolve with you. Fail to do this, and you may find the rituals that do emerge will hold you back.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe you should strive to make your business a vitamin AND a painkiller.”

Reid Hoffman answers your questions: How do you take smart risks, how can you be transparent – but inspiring – with your board, and what does the future of blitzscaling look like now?

Reid’s theory: “I believe there’s no such thing as a crisis playbook. To survive a crisis, you have to double down on who you already are as a company.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe a scalable idea can start small – if you can leverage the small wins into a sense of greater purpose.”

Reid’s theory: “I believe that every business is an experiment. For the experiment to succeed, you need to test your hypothesis, measure the results, and follow wherever they lead.”

How do you find new markets when your old ones stall? How do you stay agile when your team is overwhelmed? Reid fields questions from Village Global.

New graduates are like entrepreneurs — standing on the edge of that cliff, ready to fly. But what if the blue skies and calm winds disappear?

Reid’s Theory:
I believe crowdsourcing can scale your business in unexpected ways – as long as you perfectly align your mission with your crowd’s motivation.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe you need an elevated mission – and everyday human contact – to unite a team.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe you need an elevated mission – and everyday human contact – to unite a team.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe: The more revolutionary your product is, the more reassuring you have to be when you invite consumers on board.

Reid says:
“Always be a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all.”

Reid’s theory:
I believe the secret to MASSIVE scale is compressed in three words: Be a platform.

Reid’s theory:
I believe the best scale leaders must be able to zoom out high and wide AND zoom in close and detailed.

Reid says:
“Blitzscaling is prioritizing speed over efficiency in an environment of uncertainty.”

Reid’s Theory:
I believe you need to master the business behind your business – it just might be the critical factor that lets you break out.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe that it’s not enough to just take advantage of inflection points in history – you have to accelerate those inflections if you want to achieve huge scale.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe that when faced with an impossible challenge, you should scout for someone who’s already solved it. Then help those inventors to keep inventing.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe every great founder has a second purpose, something outside their main business they’re trying to get done in the world.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe disagreement is the wellspring of great ideas and great companies – but only if you harness the conflict constructively.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe every leader has to create a drumbeat for their company. The more irresistible that drumbeat is to you, the more naturally your team will follow.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe that it’s not enough to just take advantage of inflection points in history – you have to accelerate those inflections if you want to achieve huge scale.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe you should never settle for a big opportunity when you can leverage it into something epic.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe that to scale a sustainable business, you need to combine patience, patience, patience – and move with explosive speed.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe you can leave overwhelming competition in the dust – but only if you know exactly what your advantage is.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe gatekeepers aren’t an impediment that you should outwit, but an opportunity that you should embrace.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe the smallest feature can make – or break – your product. The challenge is recognizing the impact of that feature – and making sure it’s actually positive.

Reid’s Theory:
I believe it’s never too late to join the entrepreneurial party. Founding a business can be your second, third, or hundredth act.

Reid says:
If you’re navigating a big life decision, this episode is for you.

Reid’s theory:
I believe that every successful band of roguish pirates must transition into a disciplined navy.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you can bootstrap your way to scale, but you’ll have to catch the crest of multiple waves of good fortune.

Reid’s theory:
I believe no organization that’s entirely closed – or entirely open – can scale as successfully as an organization that combines both.

Reid’s theory:
I believe that the surest way to succeed is to take startling – yet intelligent – risks, again and again.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you need a diverse portfolio of viewpoints to see the opportunities others are missing.

June’s theory:
I believe that to chart a truly epic journey to scale, you need to make everyone you enlist a hero. Not just in your story, but in their own.

June’s theory:
I believe that to chart a truly epic journey to scale, you need to make everyone you enlist a hero. Not just in your story, but in their own.

Reid’s theory:
I believe customer feedback is the coiled spring that catapults your company forward. It will continually adjust your trajectory, while keeping you on target.

Reid’s theory:
I believe that great companies are built on great stories. And great stories are completely, transparently honest.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you can marshal the power of millennials to grow your company, but you have to evolve with them — and help them evolve.

Reid’s theory:
The first 150 hires are your cultural co-founders. It’s up to you, the founder, to get every one right.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you must cast off received wisdom in order to revolutionize an industry.

Reid’s theory:
I believe that a founder who has pushed themselves too far, and is running on empty, becomes a liability—to themselves, their employees and their investors.

Reid’s theory:
I believe that to quickly build the foundations of a long-term relationship, you have to find shortcuts to trust.

Reid’s theory:
I believe simple ideas can soar to massive scale but only if you steer them to catch the prevailing winds.

Reid’s theory:
I believe when you can’t find the right people to help your company scale, you have to make them.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you have to be relentless about pursuing a big opportunity — and ruthless about killing your own bad ideas along the way.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you can harness the power of the human cloud to solve almost any problem — as long as you keep “human” in the equation.

Reid’s theory:
I believe there’s only one way to find your big idea: look for it, look for it, look for it. And then act.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you can scale positive social impact along with your business. But only if you’re as creative and cash-conscious about doing good as you are about your business itself.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you can never know the full reach of your first idea. It could span your entire career.

Reid’s theory:
I believe the price that bleeds your business may save your business.

Reid’s theory:
I believe you can scale a business that lasts a century or more — but you have to learn to rise and fall and rise again.

Reid’s theory:
I believe it’s more important to have 100 people who LOVE your product than one million who just sort of like it.

Reid’s theory:
I believe every founder of an online community has a responsibility to shape the culture from day one, because the tone you set is the tone you’re going to keep.

Reid’s theory:
You have to frequently ask yourself, “Which of the old lessons have to be thrown out? And which things do I have to unlearn or learn anew?”

Reid’s theory:
Almost every scalable idea forces you to grapple with an emerging phenomenon. Everything around you is changing — your business, your market, your team.

Reid’s theory:
There’s more to a pivot than a sharp left turn. First, there’s the opportunity you’re pivoting toward. Can you see it clearly enough to navigate toward it? Can you convince others to come along?

Reid’s theory:
Quiet conversations are critical for ideas that come at you sideways. You ask ‘Are you seeing what I am seeing?’ Your own vision gets sharper.

Reid’s theory:
If you really want to scale a business, escape the competition. Change the playing field.

Reid’s theory:
The best entrepreneurs? They let fires burn. Knowing which problems not to solve is just as critical as knowing which problems must be solved.

Reid’s theory:
Today, no region can match Silicon Valley’s collective wisdom for scaling a business. But — from Buenos Aires to Boston, Tel Aviv to Shenzen — there are fledgling startup scenes that could ultimately give Silicon Valley a run for its money.

Reid says:
All of the advice I give entrepreneurs comes from lessons that I have personally learned.

Reid’s theory:
The company’s famous “culture deck” offers a 100-slide description of how Netflix sees itself — not a “family” but a high performing sports team. It won’t appeal to everyone — and that’s the point.

Reid’s theory:
You should be bullheaded in your pursuit of a big idea, but always on the lookout for shortcuts.

Reid’s theory:
Eric Schmidt—CEO of Google since 2001 and now Chairman of parent company Alphabet—shares the controversial management techniques he created to cultivate an environment of free-flowing ideas plus disciplined decision making that lead to breakthrough ideas.

Reid’s theory:
Great scale leaders know how to pivot. Every day, there are new competitors, new threats, new opportunities. There’s no simple, straightforward set of marching orders.

Reid’s theory:
Imperfect is perfect. Why? Because your assumptions about what people want are never exactly right. Most entrepreneurs create great products through a tight feedback loop with real customers using a real product. So don’t fear imperfections; they won’t make or break your company

Reid’s theory:
If you’re hearing a chorus of “No’s” it may actually be a good sign… Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Airbnb — they all sounded crazy before they scaled spectacularly. So don’t be discouraged by rejection. Instead, learn to hear the nuance between the different kinds of “no.”

Reid’s theory:
Think you’ve raised enough money for your startup? Think again. You’ll have to run through a minefield of unexpected expenses. So always, always raise more money than you think you need.

Reid’s theory:
If you want your company to truly scale, you first have to do things that don’t scale. Hand-craft the core experience. Serve your customers one-by-one. Then figure out how and what to scale.