--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great companies, I think, are the ones…" description: "\"Great companies, I think, are the ones that see what they've built and can build on top of it and iterate their product.\" — Evan Sharp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/evan-sharp-18425_build_great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-tha_2576089.jpg" --- # Great companies, I think, are the ones that see what… ![“Great companies, I think, are the ones that see what they've built and can build on top of it and iterate their product.” quote by Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/evan-sharp-18425_build_great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-tha_2576089.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/evan-sharp-18425_build_great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-tha_2576089.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/evan-sharp-18425_build_great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-tha_2576089.jpg) > “Great companies, I think, are the ones that see what they've built and can build on top of it and iterate their product.” [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Successful firms continuously improve and build upon existing products. **In simple terms:** Iterate on what you have. Key Takeaway Keep evolving your offerings. Themes business innovation iteration Mood pragmatic energetic Type business motivational When to use this quote - startup scaling - software updates - market expansion - customer feedback Key Concepts product development growth strategy Questions to Reflect On - What can you improve today? - When is it time to pivot? A Different Perspective Iteration may lead to feature bloat. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Build](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies/) [Companies Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies-think-1736659/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-companies/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-ones-1573246/) [Ve Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-built-359209/) ## Related quotes > [Companies are bought for their revenue, customer base, technology, or people. A few great companies offer all of these, but any valuable business offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/companies-are-bought-for-their-revenue-customer-base-technology-or/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [The great companies get built by their founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/the-great-companies-get-built-by-their-founders/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [“Great companies are formed by great people. It’s not about attracting great people; it’s about retaining them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/great-companies-are-formed-by-great-people-it-s-not-about-attracting/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [Truly great companies are built on ideals, not just deals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/truly-great-companies-are-built-on-ideals-not-just-deals/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I believe in building great companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-rubin/i-believe-in-building-great-companies/) [Michael G. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-rubin/) > [Not one of the good-to-great companies focused obsessively on growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/not-one-of-the-good-to-great-companies-focused-obsessively-on-growth/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [In some cases, companies may think it's worth the cost of doing business to risk violating privacy laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lina-khan/in-some-cases-companies-may-think-it-s-worth-the-cost-of-doing/) [Lina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lina-khan/) > [I personally don't invest in a lot of companies because I think it would be a conflict of interest and Facebook doesn't typically either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-personally-don-t-invest-in-a-lot-of-companies-because-i-think-it/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [We like scalable companies that we think we can grow - because of our expertise, operational is consumer-facing. For the most part, consumer-facing, technology-driven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gilbert/we-like-scalable-companies-that-we-think-we-can-grow-because-of-our/) [Dan Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gilbert/) > [I've worked in many companies, and I think that, number one, if you are going to have a great environment, you produce great work...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/i-ve-worked-in-many-companies-and-i-think-that-number-one-if-you-are/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [We definitely are a supporter of lowering corporate income tax and managing through the reprehension of cash for companies because we do think that'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/we-definitely-are-a-supporter-of-lowering-corporate-income-tax-and/) [Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/) > [If you can't find any companies that you think are attractive, put your money in the bank until you discover some.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/if-you-can-t-find-any-companies-that-you-think-are-attractive-put/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [A lot of times, people think they're the only ones that feel a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/a-lot-of-times-people-think-they-re-the-only-ones-that-feel-a-certain/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [“We always think that we’re the ones who are fine. It’s everyone else who is screwed up. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/we-always-think-that-we-re-the-ones-who-are-fine-it-s-everyone-else/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“We are never the people we think we are. We are the ones we pretend, with all our hearts we can't become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/we-are-never-the-people-we-think-we-are-we-are-the-ones-we-pretend/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Evan Sharp > [Our vision for Pinterest is to be a discovery engine for people to see the possibilities for their life, to make their life more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/our-vision-for-pinterest-is-to-be-a-discovery-engine-for-people-to/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [I'm this real creative guy who was really good at design and coding stuff, but wasn't that kind of manager. I spent too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/i-m-this-real-creative-guy-who-was-really-good-at-design-and-coding/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [The biggest product thing for international is connecting you with local people, local content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/the-biggest-product-thing-for-international-is-connecting-you-with/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [Best of all, as you're creating a board on Pinterest, other people can get inspiration from your ideas, so there's this cycle where what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/best-of-all-as-you-re-creating-a-board-on-pinterest-other-people-can/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [The problem with images is obvious, they are two dimensional. Our vision at Pinterest is to use what's great about images, use the users…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/the-problem-with-images-is-obvious-they-are-two-dimensional-our/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [I think I spent the first many years of Pinterest trying to be a really good leader, like what I thought a good leader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/i-think-i-spent-the-first-many-years-of-pinterest-trying-to-be-a/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [When I have free time, which I wish I had more of, playing frisbee is a great way to get outdoors and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/when-i-have-free-time-which-i-wish-i-had-more-of-playing-frisbee-is-a/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [I've always been a good student, made good enough grades to do well, and enjoyed a lot of different subjects. It wasn't until I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/i-ve-always-been-a-good-student-made-good-enough-grades-to-do-well/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [If we're not doing better, it's almost always our own inability to execute, not because someone else is stealing our market share or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/if-we-re-not-doing-better-it-s-almost-always-our-own-inability-to/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [My background industry is design - I code a lot, too - but there's been this narrative of design in technology becoming more prominent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/my-background-industry-is-design-i-code-a-lot-too-but-there-s-been/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [If you're designing a hammer, it's clear that it should hit a nail. But when designing a home, it's much more nuanced. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/if-you-re-designing-a-hammer-it-s-clear-that-it-should-hit-a-nail-but/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [Like inspirational quotes, which have been huge on Pinterest. Or looking at dog photos! We didn't know how to take those uses for Pinterest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/like-inspirational-quotes-which-have-been-huge-on-pinterest-or/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [Our public description, a visual bookmarking tool, tends to resonate with people. That's why we use it. When we talk to the tech press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/our-public-description-a-visual-bookmarking-tool-tends-to-resonate/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [I was in school for architecture and when you're in school for a creative discipline, so much of what you produce comes out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/i-was-in-school-for-architecture-and-when-you-re-in-school-for-a/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) > [When we talk about Pinterest, we typically talk about use cases like cooking, or decorating your home... these are all very much project-oriented, goal-oriented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/when-we-talk-about-pinterest-we-typically-talk-about-use-cases-like/) [Evan Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) [Explore all 35 Evan Sharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/) ## More Build quotes > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [I build on Christ, the rock of ages; on his sure mercies described in his word, and on his promises, all which I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/i-build-on-christ-the-rock-of-ages-on-his-sure-mercies-described-in/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [The way you get wickets is, you've got to build pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-arthur/the-way-you-get-wickets-is-you-ve-got-to-build-pressure/) [Mickey Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-arthur/) > [For rich children, it'd be very easy and convenient never to take any steps to build an identity outside of your association with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-johnson/for-rich-children-it-d-be-very-easy-and-convenient-never-to-take-any/) [Jamie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-johnson/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [You have to build what the market needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-s-miller/you-have-to-build-what-the-market-needs/) [Jamie S. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-s-miller/) > [I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/i-oppose-any-proposal-for-the-federal-government-to-build-and-operate/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) > [“Create with the heart; build with the mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/create-with-the-heart-build-with-the-mind/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For 'Inhuman,' it's a 'chess game' series. You have a lot of pieces moving different ways at once, and it's about what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-soule/for-inhuman-it-s-a-chess-game-series-you-have-a-lot-of-pieces-moving/) [Charles Soule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-soule/) > [What we need to make sure we do as a team is build the quickest car on the grid - if we have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valtteri-bottas/what-we-need-to-make-sure-we-do-as-a-team-is-build-the-quickest-car/) [Valtteri Bottas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valtteri-bottas/) > [Always build. If you start at fever pitch, there's nowhere to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goldman/always-build-if-you-start-at-fever-pitch-there-s-nowhere-to-go/) [Jane Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goldman/) > [I have spent my career helping to build and grow businesses, and if I've learned one thing, it's that being pro-business and pro-consumer are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/i-have-spent-my-career-helping-to-build-and-grow-businesses-and-if-i/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [If you can build it, you can unbuild it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-pitts/if-you-can-build-it-you-can-unbuild-it/) [Jake Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-pitts/) > [You don't build your character by doing what everybody else is doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ghosn/you-don-t-build-your-character-by-doing-what-everybody-else-is-doing/) [Carlos Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ghosn/) [Browse all 1,564 Build quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great companies, I think, are the ones that see what they've built and can build on top of it and iterate their product.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evan Sharp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-that-see-what-they-ve-built-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Build" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-that-see-what-they-ve-built-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/evan-sharp-18425_build_great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-tha_2576089.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/evan-sharp-18425_build_great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-tha_2576089.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/evan-sharp-18425_build_great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-tha_2576089.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great companies, I think, are the ones that see what they've built and can build on top of it and iterate…” — Evan Sharp", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Evan Sharp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-sharp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Great companies, I think, are the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-that-see-what-they-ve-built-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-sharp/great-companies-i-think-are-the-ones-that-see-what-they-ve-built-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```