Google, Apple, and Yahoo! CEO's discuss Surviving the Economy

Known throughout Silicon Valley as the "entrepreneurs behind the entrepreneurs", Sequoia Capital has been the first venture capital investor and business partner for some of the most successful and influential companies throughout the world.

Technology giants Google, Apple, Yahoo!, and Oracle are among the many firms whose rise to success is due in great extent to the foresight and partnership of Sequoia Capital's investors. Needless to say, when the CEO's of Sequoia's top 100 partner firms gathered on October 4th to share strategies for surviving the current economic crisis, the whole world took notes.

Here's what they had to say:

• Focus on managing what you can control. You can't control the economy, but you can control everything else.
• Cut spending. Cut fat. Preserve Capital.
• Don't trust your models and spreadsheets. All assumptions prior to today are wrong.
• Focus on quality.
• Reduce risk.
• Do everything possible to get to cash flow positive. Now.
• Nail your Sales and Marketing message.
• In a downturn, aggressive PR and Communications strategy are key.
• Pound your competitor's shortcomings. They are hurting and they will be quiet. Take the offensive.
• Spend every dollar as if it were your last.