Success of the Rulebreakers — Ted Talk by World Innovations Forum Chairman

Axel Schultze presenting at an event.

Humanity has one common enemy―ourselves. That’s the hypothesis of entrepreneur and SaaS pioneer Axel Schultze. He founded the World Innovations Forum Foundation (WIFF) to help entrepreneurs around the world build and scale their businesses. In addition to his entrepreneurship and philanthropy, he is also an accomplished writer and speaker.

Axel and Marita Schultze at a WIFF event in Seoul

In his recent Ted Talk “Success of the Rulebreakers,” Schultze argues that poverty and impossibility are mindsets, not absolutes. Schultze believes that anyone can change their situation by having the will to break the rules.

Here are some key takeaways from the Ted Talk:

1. Don’t always listen to reason. Schultze tells an anecdote about being laughed at by his supervisor and told his idea was “impossible.” Instead of being discouraged, he took his idea and created his own successful company. It is important to realize when conventional wisdom is holding you back.
2. Sometimes education holds you back. After recollecting his years in school, he says that more education doesn’t equal more innovation. In fact, formal education could force an uncreative worldview on people that limits their creativity.
3. It only takes a spark. Schultze argues that developing countries can completely transform their economies with just 5,000 entrepreneurs.

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