{"id":17259,"title":"The 5 best TED talks for starting a business","description":"Until recently, starting a business was based on capital, investment, and risk. With the internet, we have access to near-unlimited knowledge, and to the global economy. That\u2019s what makes TED so powerful. Rather than spending years at university, or weeks and days reading books, you can click to watch and download the lessons from someone\u2019s life\u2019s work in minutes.\n\nSo if you want to grow a startup, here are the programs you need to install\u2026 sorry, TED talks to watch.  The 5 best TED talks about entrepreneurship, business strategy and leadership to help you make your Teemill store a success.","content":"<p>Most billion-dollar companies we interact with every day didn\u2019t exist 20 years ago. Over the next 20 years, we\u2019re going to see new entrepreneurs shaping the future of our economy. Notice, that\u2019s \u2018entrepreneurs\u2019, not \u2018businesses\u2019. Because what we often forget is that companies are built by people. People who one day had an idea, and managed to make it a reality.\u00a0<img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/pjhucqfwklkujzkqorss6zdlckjz6cdsciq51dylgveozjie.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"95361534\"><br><em>-- Mart and Rob built Teemill from an idea discussed in their garden shed into a pioneering sustainable business.<\/em><\/p><p>Until recently, starting a business was based on capital, investment, and risk. We are the first generation to have the technology to allow us to do things differently. Now, you can start a business online. There are innovative ways of either raising capital or doing away with the need for investment at all and just getting started right now. More meaningfully, with the internet, we have access to near-unlimited knowledge, and to the global economy. We are more connected than ever before, and that means we have more opportunities than ever.\u00a0<\/p><p>That\u2019s what makes TED so powerful. Rather than spending years at university, or weeks and days reading books, you can click to watch and download the lessons from someone\u2019s life\u2019s work in minutes. Learn entrepreneurship like Neo downloads KungFu in \u2018The Matrix\u2019.\u00a0<\/p><p>So if you want to grow a startup, here are the programs you need to install\u2026 sorry, TED talks to watch. The 5 best TED talks about entrepreneurship, business strategy and leadership to help you make your startup a success.<\/p><p><\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/heIXdS7Gs7c\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><h2>\u2018Dear Mr Bin Man: How to actually build a sustainable, circular economy\u2019<\/h2><p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>Everything you need to know if you want to start from nothing and build a truly sustainable business at international scale. In this talk Mart Drake-Knight talks about his journey, founding the award-winning company Teemill with his brother Rob and solving one of the biggest <a href=\"\/blog\/?search=sustainability\">sustainability<\/a> issues in the world: waste. Simply, Mart and Rob decided to <em>do something about it<\/em>. And then came the realisation: our economy is designed to be linear: products are made, used, and then thrown away.<\/p><p>The lesson is to find a problem, commit to doing something about it, and use technology to solve and scale the solution. This inspiring talk highlights the importance of taking action and seeing every issue not as a problem, but as an opportunity. And it contains lots of practical tips that you can use to build your business, including how startups can access and use the tech they built and why Teemill (that\u2019s us!) gives it away for free.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cThe Economy is not a thing that happens to us, it is us. If the economy is just a big game made up by adults - and we\u2019re the adults now - any of us can move the pieces around and change the game.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Don't wait for an opportunity. Find an issue - a problem - and fix it.<br><br><\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qp0HIF3SfI4\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><h2>Simon Sinek \u2018How Great Leaders Inspire Action\u2019<\/h2><p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>One of the most popular TED talks of all time, and for good reason. Simon Sinek, author of the bestselling book 'Start with Why', has spent over a decade investigating leadership: what makes a leader, why some leaders succeed and others fail, and how we can cultivate leadership in business. In this talk, Sinek summarises his findings and his pivotal concept of 'The Golden Circle'.<\/p><p>Sinek posits that the most important question to ask yourself as an entrepreneur is \u201cwhy\u201d. He demonstrates how purpose is the most influential aspect of a business, and how the very biological structure of our brains correlates behaviour most closely with emotion. Using the example of the race for flight, he proves why the Wright brothers succeeded where others with more resources, manpower and education failed: belief. Watch this talk to learn how you can harness that to build a loyal customer base and a successful business.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cPeople don\u2019t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p><strong>Takeaway: <\/strong>Start with the \u2018why\u2019. Find your purpose, then build your business around that.<\/p><p><\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bNpx7gpSqbY\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><h2>Bill Gross \u2018The single biggest reason why start-ups succeed\u2019<\/h2><p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>Having founded more than 100 companies, including the extremely successful Idealab, Bill Gross is uniquely positioned to ask the question: why do most startups fail? Or better, why do some succeed, and how can we apply that to make future startups more successful. He considers every aspect of starting a business, from the idea, the team, the business model and the funding. Reflecting on the lessons he\u2019s learned in entrepreneurship, he proves that the pivotal factor is a different one altogether: timing.<\/p><p>Gross demonstrates that starting a business to fill a gap in the market is the best way to ensure success. He gives examples of failed companies based on great business ideas, and shows how the wrong timing is most often the reason why companies fail. Ultimately, a business must fulfil an existing need in order to be successful. Watch for a data-based insight into how startups find success, and Gross\u2019 own advice on how to apply this to your own startup.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cThe startup organisation is one of the greatest forms to make the world a better place.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p><strong>Takeaway: <\/strong>When starting a business, the idea is important, and so is the execution. But most important is getting the timing right.<\/p><p><\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fxbCHn6gE3U\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><h2>Adam Grant \u2018The surprising habits of original thinkers\u2019<\/h2><p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>Through the framework of his decision not to invest in a startup founded by four of his former students, Adam Grant explores what makes a great entrepreneur, and why his instinctive assessment of that investment opportunity turned out to be wrong. The startup\u2019s founders displayed what seemed like concerning attributes: doubt, fear, procrastination. So, Adam asks, how did they turn this company into Warby Parker, the world\u2019s most innovative company?<\/p><p>An experienced organisational psychologist, Grant presents his concept of \u2018originals\u2019. Originals are those people who somehow seem to be ahead of everyone else, who have great ideas and act on them, and who are great entrepreneurs. Through a series of experiments, he concludes that those three attributes that seem negative at first - doubt, fear, and procrastination - are the very attributes that allow originals to build great businesses. Watch this talk to learn how to embrace and harness these qualities to help make a startup successful.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cThe people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Don\u2019t be afraid of bad ideas. Fear not failure itself, but failing to try.<\/p><p><\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ROW9F-c0kIQ\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><h2>Boyan Slat \u2018How the oceans can clean themselves\u2019<\/h2><p><strong>Summary:<\/strong> In 2012, 18-year-old Boyan Slat was searching for a way to remove plastic from our oceans - but he knew that in order for his idea to work, it would need to be practically and financially viable. In this fascinating talk, Slat outlined his plan to build multiple vessels with attached nets which could be secured within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and clean up all the plastic in our oceans within just five years.<\/p><p>What makes this talk particularly interesting is that Slat was successful. He made a plan, founded environmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup, and in 2021 they successfully collected and recycled their first batch of ocean plastic. Watch this talk for a fascinating look into the process of creating a viable business with a larger goal; watch Slat turn obstacles into solutions, and turn his dream into reality.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201cIf you want to do something different, you have to think differently.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p><strong>Takeaway: <\/strong>\u2018Impossible\u2019 problems require creative solutions, and you can design those solutions to resolve environmental, societal and financial issues all at once.<\/p><p><\/p><h2>Start your business right<\/h2><p>We built the Teemill platform based on these concepts: action, purpose, sustainability - in fact, the Ocean Cleanup is one of our Teemill stores. We\u2019ve helped countless startups succeed by joining the sustainability movement at the right time, with the right support. Now we\u2019re sharing what we\u2019ve learned with you, and giving you access to our tech and experience - <strong>for free<\/strong>. So when you're starting a brand with Teemill, you know you're <u><a href=\"\/register\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">starting your business the right way<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>","urlTitle":"the-5-best-ted-talks-for-starting-a-business","url":"\/blog\/the-5-best-ted-talks-for-starting-a-business\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/the-5-best-ted-talks-for-starting-a-business\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/teemill.com\/blog\/the-5-best-ted-talks-for-starting-a-business\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":{"id":1,"name":"Everywhere","code":"everywhere","created_at":null,"updated_at":null},"createdAt":1648737465,"updatedAt":1667887229,"publishedAt":1652715472,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":12,"name":"Teemill"},"tags":[{"id":40,"code":"inspiration","name":"inspiration","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/inspiration\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2phexbscpb0vqslwwqb5azv0ofddyrhazsyxwlmf0nyzzayh.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2phexbscpb0vqslwwqb5azv0ofddyrhazsyxwlmf0nyzzayh.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2phexbscpb0vqslwwqb5azv0ofddyrhazsyxwlmf0nyzzayh.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"The 5 best TED talks for starting a business","metaDescription":"Learn from the best: the top 5 TED talks about entrepreneurship, business strategy and leadership to help you make your startup a success.","keyPhraseCampaignId":30,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":35,"title":"The 12 Best Movies For Business Startups 2025 - Netflix, Disney, Prime","url":"\/blog\/netflix-startups-business\/","urlTitle":"netflix-startups-business","division":12,"description":"Instead of scrolling through an Instagram feed or studying your mate's dinner on Facebook, we like the idea that as a store owner you can flip the relationship and use tech to make time on the sofa productive and profitable for you.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9dcaa0289175.83327431.jpg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9dcaa0289175.83327431.jpg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":43,"title":"The 7 best business books everyone should read","url":"\/blog\/best-business-books\/","urlTitle":"best-business-books","division":12,"description":"In The Matrix, Neo just sits in a chair, and Morpheus uploads Kung Fu, how to fly helicopters and loads of other languages into his brain. Neo can do anything. That's basically what books are, although they do take a little longer. So we've pre-sorted some of the best business books that we've read and found useful for people building a brand online. Learn from successful entrepreneurs, read their journey to success and build an entrepreneurial mindset so you can make your brand a success.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c8e29ea58d3b2.79971756.jpg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c8e29ea58d3b2.79971756.jpg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":105,"title":"The best feminist t-shirt brands around","url":"\/blog\/feminist-t-shirt-design-ideas\/","urlTitle":"feminist-t-shirt-design-ideas","division":12,"description":"Feminism means business. Thanks to the likes of Emma, Michelle and of course Queen B, the new wave of feminism is a topic that's ingrained into our culture. We're dedicating this blog to just a few of the Teemillers who are getting behind B's vibe.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9f16b1682865.10624479.jpg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5c9f16b1682865.10624479.jpg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}