Young and Profiting with Hala Taha

Episode: Guy Kawasaki: Win Every Pitch Using These Timeless Sales Principles – YAPClassic
Date: January 2, 2026
Guests: Guy Kawasaki, Hala Taha
Main Theme:
How timeless sales and evangelism principles can shape outstanding entrepreneurial careers—from breaking in, winning pitches and building trust, to the realities of luck, decision-making, and crafting a life and business you love.

Overview

In this masterclass episode, Hala Taha interviews Guy Kawasaki—noted entrepreneur, legendary Apple and Canva evangelist, best-selling author, and podcaster. Together, they explore practical lessons for entrepreneurs: why sales is the most important skill in business, how to pitch and demo like a pro, what true evangelism means, the interplay of skill and luck, and how key career decisions reverberate over time. Guy shares vivid stories from his journey, including candid reflections on working with Steve Jobs, quitting (and sometimes regretting leaving) Apple, and how to practice humility and build remarkable teams.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sales—The Crucial Skill for Entrepreneurs

[02:43]

Guy’s foundation in sales came from working at a jewelry manufacturer, where selling was "hand to hand combat.”
Key principle: In startups, "there are only two important functions—making it and selling it."

“If you’re the engineer, you’ve got to make it. If you’re the salesperson, marketing person, evangelist, social media person, it’s all about selling.” – Guy Kawasaki [03:35]
Genesis of Apple: Jobs sold, Wozniak made. “The rest is extra.”

2. The Golden Touch: Sell What’s Good

[05:09]

Guy’s Golden Touch: “Whatever is gold Guy touches,” i.e., sell great products, not bad ones.

“It’s easy to evangelize and sell something good. It’s hard to evangelize and sell shit. So guess what? Don’t affiliate with shit. Duh.” – Guy Kawasaki [05:22]

3. Breaking In: The Power of Just Getting in the Door

[07:27]

Most people don’t get their “dream job” out of the gate, and that's fine—careers are about evolution.
"It's not how you get in, it's what you do once you get in."

“The day after I started at Apple, nobody gave a shit that I worked for this guy or that I went to college with this guy…you are productive and useful and valuable or you’re not.” – Guy Kawasaki [08:38]
Pedigree doesn’t matter after you’re in; impact does.

4. Enjoying the (College) Journey

[10:16]

Guy encourages maximizing the college experience as a unique time of freedom:

“This is the last time that [assignments] are seeming big challenges…for the rest of your life, you’re going to be worried about making money, paying off student loans, finding a lifelong partner. God help you, when you have kids, then you completely lose control of your life.” – Guy Kawasaki [10:24]

5. Building Outstanding Teams and Leadership

[11:44]

Biggest management lesson: Hire people better than yourself.

“Everybody in that room should be better than you at what you do… A players hire A players; B players hire C players.” – Guy Kawasaki [12:15]
Ultimate leadership: Being “big enough to hire people who are better than you.”

6. On Tough Bosses and Teachers

[13:36]

Hard bosses/teachers are often the best. Steve Jobs taught him:
- Don’t ask customers how to innovate – they want “better, faster, cheaper.”
- The power of belief-driven teams—it makes evangelism possible.
- Some of Jobs's toughness was unnecessary, but his standards shaped exceptional results.

7. The Truth About Luck and Success

[15:05]

Great success stories (Jobs, Bezos, Musk) combine intelligence and luck. Sometimes, “if you gave me the choice of a lucky CEO and a smart one, I’d probably pick the lucky one.” [15:46]

“There are plenty of smart people in the world, and some of them have just been unlucky...it takes a lot of things to be successful, one of which is luck.” – Guy Kawasaki [16:17]
Maximize your luck by showing up: “You have to go make the luck happen, and you have to be in the game.” [16:38]

8. The Courage—and Wisdom—of Quitting

[18:48]

Quitting takes courage; it’s not synonymous with failure.
Slippery slope concerns (that one quit means a lifetime of quitting) are “vastly overrated.”

“If you quit three or four things in a row, you probably should be worried...but quitting one thing? I don’t think so.” – Guy Kawasaki [21:00]
Sometimes you should "fertilize and water the grass you’re standing on” instead of constantly chasing greener grass.
- He reflects on leaving Apple: “If you had told me when I quit in ‘87 and ‘97 that Apple would become a $2 trillion company, I would’ve told you you are on hard drugs.” [25:33]

9. Decision-Making, Pivoting, and Grit

[27:44]

Entrepreneurship is filled with conflicting truths: Should you pivot or persevere? Both have worked for others.
Even missed "billion dollar decisions" (leaving Apple, passing on Yahoo) don’t define you:

“If you looked at the numbers, you’d say, okay, Guy, so you have Apple and Canva, and you have 15 failures. I may be 2 for 17, but look at the 2.” – Guy Kawasaki [31:10]

10. Humility, Preparation, and Pitching

[37:00]

Preparation trumps everything—in podcasting, pitching, entrepreneurship.
“Most entrepreneurs believe that they’re natural communicators...and that’s total unequivocal bullshit. You need to prepare.” – Guy Kawasaki [37:13]
Key pitching strategy:
- Know your audience (study their background via LinkedIn) [40:01]
- Be brief (“You can never be too brief.”)
- Get to the point fast (“First 30 seconds, everyone should know what you do. Don’t pilot the Airbus A380–be an F18.” [43:43])
- Practice everywhere and often—“pitch to anybody who’ll listen" [49:42]

11. Evangelism & Indiscriminate Opportunity

[50:52]

Evangelism means spreading the good news—mostly, about democratizing access (be it computers at Apple, or design at Canva).
Cast a wide net: “I’m really into indiscriminate pitches...you never know.”
Tells the story of how a 14-year-old podcaster got Angela Duckworth as a guest, which led to Guy himself landing Duckworth for his own show—a testament to the power of saying yes and showing up.

12. The Power of Enchantment

[56:28]

Three pillars: Likability, competence, trustworthiness:
- “It’s hard to be enchanted by someone you don’t like…or someone incompetent, or someone you don’t trust.”
Authenticity cues: Smile (with "crow’s feet" for sincerity), accepting others as they are, good handshakes.
Align with a good cause for karma’s sake, not just for marketing:

“There is a karmic scoreboard in the sky. And if you jack people around and screw them and trash the earth, it’s being counted someplace.” – Guy Kawasaki [58:54]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“A Guy’s golden touch is not whatever I touch turns to gold…I wish that was true. A Guy’s golden touch is whatever is gold, Guy touches.” – Guy Kawasaki [05:11]
“You shouldn’t exactly sweat that you don’t like the first two or three jobs because there’s 12 more to come.” – Guy Kawasaki [07:55]
“The ultimate confirmation of you being the big dog is you’re big enough to hire people who are better than you.” – Guy Kawasaki [12:19]
“It’s not how you get in. It matters what you do once you got in.” – Guy Kawasaki [08:52]
“If Steve Jobs used to prepare for weeks for a keynote, and if Steve Jobs needs to prepare for weeks, guess what? You are not Steve Jobs…so you probably need months." [37:57]
“You have to stand by the side of the river a long time before the roast duck will fly into your mouth.” – Guy Kawasaki [16:46]
[About missed fortunes] “Two and a half billion here, two and a half billion there—it adds up to real money after a while.” – Guy Kawasaki [29:17]
“You can never be too brief. I’ve never sat in a presentation or a pitch and said, this was too short." [41:00]
“Empathy is a great skill, and it’ll just open your eyes to so many things.” – Guy Kawasaki [60:14]
On profiting in life: “Listen to your wife...I think we should let women run the world.” – Guy Kawasaki [61:11]

Timestamps for Major Segments

[02:43] Guy’s early sales lessons and Apple’s founding dynamic
[05:09] Guy’s Golden Touch: Only sell what’s good
[07:27] Breaking into your first big opportunity
[10:16] Maximize your college years—and regrets about rushing
[11:44] Leadership and hiring A+ teams
[13:36] Lessons from Steve Jobs and tough bosses
[15:05] Luck, intelligence, and the myth of self-made success
[18:48] The courage and nuance of quitting
[25:33] Reflecting on leaving Apple and the unpredictability of outcomes
[27:44] Pivoting vs. grinding it out in entrepreneurship
[31:10] Decision-making, missed billions, and personal narrative
[37:00] The premium on preparation—in pitches and podcasts
[40:01] Pitching advice: Know your audience, be brief, hook fast
[49:42] Who (and how) to pitch as a founder; evangelism in action
[56:28] The three pillars of Enchantment (likability, competence, trust)
[58:54] Purpose, karma, and the value of aligning with a good cause
[60:14] Actionable advice: Practice deep empathy
[61:11] Guy’s secret to profiting in life

Actionable Takeaways

Emphasize sales as the essential entrepreneurial skill—everything else is secondary if you can't sell.
**Only evangelize products you truly believe in—**integrity and conviction are your strongest sales tools.
Prepare obsessively before pitches or presentations—know your audience, be brief, hook them immediately.
Practice pitching frequently: treat every opportunity (even “unqualified” ones) as priceless learning and possible connection.
Hire people better than you, and build teams that outshine your own capabilities.
Understand that **luck plays a part in every success—**maximize it by showing up and defaulting to yes.
Quitting isn’t failure; it takes courage, and often opens doors to greater things.
Empathize deeply—immerse yourself in the experiences and problems of customers.
Align your work with a sense of purpose or a bigger cause—not just for profit, but for long-term reputation and karma.

Final Words

Guy Kawasaki’s career arc and wisdom distill into principles every entrepreneur needs:
Don’t wait for the “perfect” role or timing—start anywhere, show up relentlessly, sell only what’s great, prepare like your life depends on it, and surround yourself with stronger, smarter allies. Prepare, practice, default to yes, and never underestimate the network effects of generosity—or luck.

“Empathy is a great skill…it’ll just open your eyes to so many things.” – Guy Kawasaki [60:14]

Related Links

Guy Kawasaki’s podcast: Remarkable People
Hala Taha: Young and Profiting

Young and Profiting with Hala Taha

Overview

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sales—The Crucial Skill for Entrepreneurs

[02:43]

Guy’s foundation in sales came from working at a jewelry manufacturer, where selling was "hand to hand combat.”
Key principle: In startups, "there are only two important functions—making it and selling it."

“If you’re the engineer, you’ve got to make it. If you’re the salesperson, marketing person, evangelist, social media person, it’s all about selling.” – Guy Kawasaki [03:35]
Genesis of Apple: Jobs sold, Wozniak made. “The rest is extra.”

2. The Golden Touch: Sell What’s Good

[05:09]

Guy’s Golden Touch: “Whatever is gold Guy touches,” i.e., sell great products, not bad ones.

“It’s easy to evangelize and sell something good. It’s hard to evangelize and sell shit. So guess what? Don’t affiliate with shit. Duh.” – Guy Kawasaki [05:22]

3. Breaking In: The Power of Just Getting in the Door

[07:27]

Most people don’t get their “dream job” out of the gate, and that's fine—careers are about evolution.
"It's not how you get in, it's what you do once you get in."

“The day after I started at Apple, nobody gave a shit that I worked for this guy or that I went to college with this guy…you are productive and useful and valuable or you’re not.” – Guy Kawasaki [08:38]
Pedigree doesn’t matter after you’re in; impact does.

4. Enjoying the (College) Journey

[10:16]

Guy encourages maximizing the college experience as a unique time of freedom:

“This is the last time that [assignments] are seeming big challenges…for the rest of your life, you’re going to be worried about making money, paying off student loans, finding a lifelong partner. God help you, when you have kids, then you completely lose control of your life.” – Guy Kawasaki [10:24]

5. Building Outstanding Teams and Leadership

[11:44]

Biggest management lesson: Hire people better than yourself.

“Everybody in that room should be better than you at what you do… A players hire A players; B players hire C players.” – Guy Kawasaki [12:15]
Ultimate leadership: Being “big enough to hire people who are better than you.”

6. On Tough Bosses and Teachers

[13:36]

Hard bosses/teachers are often the best. Steve Jobs taught him:
- Don’t ask customers how to innovate – they want “better, faster, cheaper.”
- The power of belief-driven teams—it makes evangelism possible.
- Some of Jobs's toughness was unnecessary, but his standards shaped exceptional results.

7. The Truth About Luck and Success

[15:05]

Great success stories (Jobs, Bezos, Musk) combine intelligence and luck. Sometimes, “if you gave me the choice of a lucky CEO and a smart one, I’d probably pick the lucky one.” [15:46]

“There are plenty of smart people in the world, and some of them have just been unlucky...it takes a lot of things to be successful, one of which is luck.” – Guy Kawasaki [16:17]
Maximize your luck by showing up: “You have to go make the luck happen, and you have to be in the game.” [16:38]

8. The Courage—and Wisdom—of Quitting

[18:48]

Quitting takes courage; it’s not synonymous with failure.
Slippery slope concerns (that one quit means a lifetime of quitting) are “vastly overrated.”

“If you quit three or four things in a row, you probably should be worried...but quitting one thing? I don’t think so.” – Guy Kawasaki [21:00]
Sometimes you should "fertilize and water the grass you’re standing on” instead of constantly chasing greener grass.
- He reflects on leaving Apple: “If you had told me when I quit in ‘87 and ‘97 that Apple would become a $2 trillion company, I would’ve told you you are on hard drugs.” [25:33]

9. Decision-Making, Pivoting, and Grit

[27:44]

Entrepreneurship is filled with conflicting truths: Should you pivot or persevere? Both have worked for others.
Even missed "billion dollar decisions" (leaving Apple, passing on Yahoo) don’t define you:

“If you looked at the numbers, you’d say, okay, Guy, so you have Apple and Canva, and you have 15 failures. I may be 2 for 17, but look at the 2.” – Guy Kawasaki [31:10]

10. Humility, Preparation, and Pitching

[37:00]

Preparation trumps everything—in podcasting, pitching, entrepreneurship.
“Most entrepreneurs believe that they’re natural communicators...and that’s total unequivocal bullshit. You need to prepare.” – Guy Kawasaki [37:13]
Key pitching strategy:
- Know your audience (study their background via LinkedIn) [40:01]
- Be brief (“You can never be too brief.”)
- Get to the point fast (“First 30 seconds, everyone should know what you do. Don’t pilot the Airbus A380–be an F18.” [43:43])
- Practice everywhere and often—“pitch to anybody who’ll listen" [49:42]

11. Evangelism & Indiscriminate Opportunity

[50:52]

Evangelism means spreading the good news—mostly, about democratizing access (be it computers at Apple, or design at Canva).
Cast a wide net: “I’m really into indiscriminate pitches...you never know.”
Tells the story of how a 14-year-old podcaster got Angela Duckworth as a guest, which led to Guy himself landing Duckworth for his own show—a testament to the power of saying yes and showing up.

12. The Power of Enchantment

[56:28]

Three pillars: Likability, competence, trustworthiness:
- “It’s hard to be enchanted by someone you don’t like…or someone incompetent, or someone you don’t trust.”
Authenticity cues: Smile (with "crow’s feet" for sincerity), accepting others as they are, good handshakes.
Align with a good cause for karma’s sake, not just for marketing:

“There is a karmic scoreboard in the sky. And if you jack people around and screw them and trash the earth, it’s being counted someplace.” – Guy Kawasaki [58:54]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“A Guy’s golden touch is not whatever I touch turns to gold…I wish that was true. A Guy’s golden touch is whatever is gold, Guy touches.” – Guy Kawasaki [05:11]
“You shouldn’t exactly sweat that you don’t like the first two or three jobs because there’s 12 more to come.” – Guy Kawasaki [07:55]
“The ultimate confirmation of you being the big dog is you’re big enough to hire people who are better than you.” – Guy Kawasaki [12:19]
“It’s not how you get in. It matters what you do once you got in.” – Guy Kawasaki [08:52]
“If Steve Jobs used to prepare for weeks for a keynote, and if Steve Jobs needs to prepare for weeks, guess what? You are not Steve Jobs…so you probably need months." [37:57]
“You have to stand by the side of the river a long time before the roast duck will fly into your mouth.” – Guy Kawasaki [16:46]
[About missed fortunes] “Two and a half billion here, two and a half billion there—it adds up to real money after a while.” – Guy Kawasaki [29:17]
“You can never be too brief. I’ve never sat in a presentation or a pitch and said, this was too short." [41:00]
“Empathy is a great skill, and it’ll just open your eyes to so many things.” – Guy Kawasaki [60:14]
On profiting in life: “Listen to your wife...I think we should let women run the world.” – Guy Kawasaki [61:11]

Timestamps for Major Segments

[02:43] Guy’s early sales lessons and Apple’s founding dynamic
[05:09] Guy’s Golden Touch: Only sell what’s good
[07:27] Breaking into your first big opportunity
[10:16] Maximize your college years—and regrets about rushing
[11:44] Leadership and hiring A+ teams
[13:36] Lessons from Steve Jobs and tough bosses
[15:05] Luck, intelligence, and the myth of self-made success
[18:48] The courage and nuance of quitting
[25:33] Reflecting on leaving Apple and the unpredictability of outcomes
[27:44] Pivoting vs. grinding it out in entrepreneurship
[31:10] Decision-making, missed billions, and personal narrative
[37:00] The premium on preparation—in pitches and podcasts
[40:01] Pitching advice: Know your audience, be brief, hook fast
[49:42] Who (and how) to pitch as a founder; evangelism in action
[56:28] The three pillars of Enchantment (likability, competence, trust)
[58:54] Purpose, karma, and the value of aligning with a good cause
[60:14] Actionable advice: Practice deep empathy
[61:11] Guy’s secret to profiting in life

Actionable Takeaways

Emphasize sales as the essential entrepreneurial skill—everything else is secondary if you can't sell.
**Only evangelize products you truly believe in—**integrity and conviction are your strongest sales tools.
Prepare obsessively before pitches or presentations—know your audience, be brief, hook them immediately.
Practice pitching frequently: treat every opportunity (even “unqualified” ones) as priceless learning and possible connection.
Hire people better than you, and build teams that outshine your own capabilities.
Understand that **luck plays a part in every success—**maximize it by showing up and defaulting to yes.
Quitting isn’t failure; it takes courage, and often opens doors to greater things.
Empathize deeply—immerse yourself in the experiences and problems of customers.
Align your work with a sense of purpose or a bigger cause—not just for profit, but for long-term reputation and karma.

Final Words

“Empathy is a great skill…it’ll just open your eyes to so many things.” – Guy Kawasaki [60:14]

Related Links

Guy Kawasaki’s podcast: Remarkable People
Hala Taha: Young and Profiting

Guy Kawasaki: Win Every Pitch Using These Timeless Sales Principles | Sales | YAPClassic

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Summary

Young and Profiting with Hala Taha

Overview

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sales—The Crucial Skill for Entrepreneurs

2. The Golden Touch: Sell What’s Good

3. Breaking In: The Power of Just Getting in the Door

4. Enjoying the (College) Journey

5. Building Outstanding Teams and Leadership

6. On Tough Bosses and Teachers

7. The Truth About Luck and Success

8. The Courage—and Wisdom—of Quitting

9. Decision-Making, Pivoting, and Grit

10. Humility, Preparation, and Pitching

11. Evangelism & Indiscriminate Opportunity

12. The Power of Enchantment

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Major Segments

Actionable Takeaways

Final Words

Summary

Young and Profiting with Hala Taha

Overview

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sales—The Crucial Skill for Entrepreneurs

2. The Golden Touch: Sell What’s Good

3. Breaking In: The Power of Just Getting in the Door

4. Enjoying the (College) Journey

5. Building Outstanding Teams and Leadership

6. On Tough Bosses and Teachers

7. The Truth About Luck and Success

8. The Courage—and Wisdom—of Quitting

9. Decision-Making, Pivoting, and Grit

10. Humility, Preparation, and Pitching

11. Evangelism & Indiscriminate Opportunity

12. The Power of Enchantment

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Major Segments

Actionable Takeaways

Final Words