Tough Things First

“Tough Things First is not a typical business book about a market success or effective business methods. It is about the success of one Silicon Valley startup, Micrel, which has been run profitably by the same CEO/founder for 36 years. It is about how a founder’s dedication to basic principles is required to make any startup successful. The precise recipe for success may change—for example, my 32-year-old company, Cypress Semiconductor, used venture funding, while Zinn preached and achieved financial independence—but Zinn shows how startups must have and truly practice their core values to succeed.”

—T.J. Rodgers, president and CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp.

“The disciplined pursuit of what is essential is ten times harder than the undisciplined pursuit of the nonessential but it is a hundred times more valuable. This is brilliantly illustrated in Tough Things First.”

—Greg McKeown, author of the New York Times bestseller Essentialism

“Unlike many management books I’ve read, Tough Things First is entertaining, enlightening, humorous, as well as truly practical. It is not just for tech types. Executives and entrepreneurs from every industry, as well as those in business school, will find it relevant and insightful.

“I have known many Micrel employees, and they were there because of Ray and his approach to leadership. This book shares what made Micrel a special place and how you can live life on your terms to make your business, your vision, and your dreams a reality and a success.

“After reading this book, you may not be able to do a one-armed push up like Ray can, but you will learn a philosophy, the importance of discipline, and practical advice to do the tough things first and become a leader, build a lasting culture, and master your industry profession.”

—Mike Noonen, chairman of Silicon Catalyst

“Ray Zinn has chronicled the discipline, the cultural foundation blocks, and the tough decisions required of a successful startup. Ray explains how ‘discipline defines success’ under his four principles: focus, short time frames, frugality, and being the best.”

—Michael Shepherd, president and CEO of Bank of the West

“At a time when a rush-to-riches attitude prevails in Silicon Valley, it’s refreshing to get a dose of perspective from a veteran. Ray Zinn reminds us all that conviction, discipline, and perspective are still keys to success—not lucky timing with an app. Tough Things First is Ray Zinn’s manifesto for entrepreneurs. It is a must-read for anyone interested in a successful career.”

—Richard A. Moran, PhD, president of Menlo College and author of Sins and CEOs

“Ray Zinn’s journey is not only a genuine Silicon Valley success story but also a remarkable life story from which nearly anyone can draw important lessons. In Tough Things First, Ray explores not only the how-to aspects of building a company but also the mindset and character traits—discipline, intense focus, and attention to detail—needed for lasting entrepreneurial success. Most important, in an era when success is too often defined by publicity, speedy exits, and financial windfalls, Ray reminds us that the fulfillment of building a thriving, enduring enterprise is the reward that a true entrepreneur seeks.”

—Balu Balakrishnan, CEO of Power Integrations

“Wow! Tough Things First is a read that you won’t want to miss. From beginning to end, this book shares tough lessons every entrepreneur needs to know. Along with his incredible personal drive which helped propel him to success, Zinn points out the tough lessons he learned early and how you can use those same lessons. Executives and entrepreneurs will find this book compelling.

“Ray Zinn is not the kind of man you want to tell that something can’t be done. He shows it can—and how he did it. He learned the tough things first, and now he is sharing those tough things with us. What a philosophy!”

—Dr. Richard G. Whitehead, university ambassador of Southern Virginia University

“Covering Micrel as a sell-side analyst was a real pleasure for me personally. It wasn’t so much because the company represented one of the hot stocks—it certainly did­—but because the man at the helm was Ray Zinn. Here’s this very dynamic, very unique individual who at the time was still running the company that he had founded 20 years prior. Impressively, Ray would go on to run Micrel for nearly 20 more years, and that’s no small feat when you consider how highly competitive and notoriously cyclical the chip industry is.

“Outside of tremendous stamina, I think the first thing that jumps to mind when I think about Ray is his great integrity as a manager and as a person. Honesty, fairness, the way he treats everyone around him and expects to be treated. Ray is also one of the more effective communicators I’ve known. He is very much a straight shooter, very transparent in his dealings with people, and very direct. With reason, there are no hidden agendas. What you see is what you get. Ray is also extremely generous with his time. I think that comes from a genuine respect he has for people. If you’re going to spend a good part of your day focused on issues important to him or his company, then he’s going to reciprocate by giving his undivided attention to you. If you are lucky enough to spend some time with Ray and you keep your ears open, you will pick up pearls of wisdom along the way. At his core, I believe Ray Zinn is a teacher. For me, that has definitely been a good thing.”

—Douglas Lee, CEO of Marinwood Capital Management

“The one thing that always struck me about Ray Zinn was his sincere belief that a company’s most significant valuable asset was its people and his unrelenting focus on trying to make each and every one of us a better person—whether it was to make you more patient, more tolerant, or more temperate. The fact that Micrel was started with a fairly limited amount of financing is probably one of the keys to the value that he built at the company. Essentially, Ray increased the value of the company by increasing the value of its employees.”

—Jung-Chen Lin, VP of LAN Solutions at Micrel

“Ray believes that an enduring company should have a simple but strong culture. The four pillars that Ray fostered in Micrel are honesty, integrity, dignity of every individual, and doing whatever it takes. This corporate culture is the guiding principal that we’ve followed in our daily work. Culture is passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. However, a company consists of people from different backgrounds. Communicating culture can be a challenge. Ray took every possible opportunity to give talks or ask the staff to speak every Friday. He believed that good employees make good companies.

—Wiren Perera, VP of LAN Solutions and Corporate Strategic Marketing at Micrel

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