As the 2017 Sensors Expo and Conference has just concluded, we’re rebroadcasting a popular episode, featuring one of their 2016 keynote speakers.    Over Coffee® will publish a new episode next Friday, July 7th.

Getting the “tough things” out of the way is a crucial leadership skill for any business owner, says tech entrepreneur Ray Zinn.

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Ray, who is  Silicon Valley’s longest-serving CEO, is the author of the book Tough Things First.    In 1978, he founded his independent semiconductor company, Micrel, in Silicon Valley.  Ray would serve as Micrel’s CEO for a total of thirty-seven years, retiring in 2015.

Delivering a keynote speech at the 2016 Sensors Expo and Conference, in San Jose, Ray told his audience. “Every morning, when I get up, I think of all the things I don’t want to do–and I do them first.”

Shortly after the 2016 Sensors Conference, we had the opportunity to talk with Ray about his book Tough Things First, in which he details the practices that led to his success as an entrepreneur–and the principles which allowed him to enjoy the journey.

On this edition of Over Coffee® you’ll hear:

• How Ray’s growing-up years prepared him to succeed in Silicon Valley;

• The unforgettable lesson his father taught him, during his college years;

• A key success technique for small-business entrepreneurs;

• The routine Ray used, to make his days at Micrel go smoothly;

• A technique for learning from mistakes;

• What entrepreneurs need to know about “frugality” versus “cheapness” in daily operations;

• How a “business culture” applies to smaller entrepreneurs;

• The difference between creating a business that lasts, versus one that’s “flashy”;

•  A business’s most important area on which to focus  (and it isn’t making money!)

• How Ray developed an essential entrepreneurial skill.

   (Had to miss the Sensors Expo and Conference this time?  Sensors Midwest, in Rosemont, Illinois, happens October 2-4, 2017!)