Unable to afford physical components, Steve Wozniak spent years designing computers on paper. This constraint forced him to compete with himself to use the fewest possible parts, a skill that became a critical competitive advantage for Apple's early, cost-effective hardware.

Wozniak's insistence on eight expansion slots for the Apple II, against Jobs's preference for two, created a third-party ecosystem that drove sales. This open architecture's success funded the company, enabling the development of Jobs's later closed-system products.

True entrepreneurship often stems from a 'compulsion' to solve a problem, rather than a conscious decision to adopt a job title. This internal drive is what fuels founders through the difficult decisions, particularly when forced to choose between short-term financial engineering and long-term adherence to a mission of creating real value.

The ideal founder archetype starts with deep technical expertise and product sense. They then develop exceptional business and commercial acumen over time, a rarer and more powerful combination than a non-technical founder learning the product.

The CEO role is not a joyful or fun job; it's a high-pressure, problem-solving position. Founders who love their craft, like software engineering, often take the CEO title out of necessity to solve a larger problem and bring a vision to life, not because they desire the job itself.

Founders like James Dyson and Yvon Chouinard represent the "anti-business billionaire." They are obsessed with product quality and retaining control, often making decisions that seem financially sub-optimal in the short term. This relentless focus on creating the best product ultimately leads to massive financial success.

When Apple went public, Steve Jobs and the board excluded many early employees from stock options. In response, Steve Wozniak created the "Woz Plan," selling his personal shares at a steep discount to these colleagues. His actions were driven by a personal code of ethics, ensuring the team that built the company was rewarded.

Wozniak firmly believed that revolutionary products are not invented by committees. He advised inventors to work alone, comparing the process to art. This solitary approach, free from corporate bureaucracy and marketing-driven compromises, allows for the creation of truly novel designs without dilution.

Wozniak believed patience, not just intellect, was his core engineering skill. He learned this through years of gradual, step-by-step learning in childhood projects. This allowed him to focus on perfecting each stage of a design, avoiding the common pitfall of trying to skip intermediate steps.