Lessons From Legends

The 5 Greatest Entrepreneurs Of All Time And What You Can Learn From Them


Being a business owner can make you feel like you really have no one to turn to for advice.
But yet, one of the most important things to do as a business owner is to avoid the mistakes of others and build on what you know.
There are many ways to do this. Numerous books come out every year that address the plight of the entrepreneur and provide tips and advice on every topic of business you could think of. Entrepreneurial groups where business owners of similar sized businesses can come together to discuss meet almost everywhere.
Another way to prepare for being the best entrepreneur possible is to study the successful methods of those who have gone before you.
Here are some of the most well-renowned entrepreneurs of all time and the bits of advice they have passed down.

1. Andrew Carnegie

Famous for his production of steel, Andrew Carnegie has been considered one of the first real rags to riches stories.
He was primarily self-taught when he started with Western Union as a messenger boy and telegraph operator, but he eventually found himself as one of the richest men of all time.
While he may or may not have been the originator of the saying “surround yourself with people who are smarter than you,” he certainly lived out that motto in his business affairs. One of Carnegie’s key parts of his business plan were the young but exceptionally well educated men he brought in to his business.

2. Estee Lauder

To many women everywhere, her name means cosmetics. In a time where women weren’t typically involved in business, Estee Lauder founded one of the most enduring retail brands.
Her approach centered on quality: quality of product and of customer service. Her quality based approach included providing free samples of her products and teaching her staff about attention to detail in customer service. If you run a business that sells a product, some of these tips may work for you.

3. Phil Knight
Nike. Just the word brings to mind all kinds of images. And that’s the idea.
Knight may very well be the face of branding (no pun intended). His ad campaigns for Nike have encompassed their catchy slogan as well as a bevy of celebrity athlete endorsements. In many ways, Knight has changed the idea of how to brand your company.
But in case you don’t have a Nike sized budget for advertising, the most important thing to take away from his success is the idea of branding yourself on your advertisements, merchandise, everything. The goal is to have your name associated with your brand.


4. Steve Jobs
Creating products that appeal to a certain crowd of people is how Steve Jobs makes his fortune and sells some of the most popular products of all time. As the co-founder of Apple, Jobs has focused on making products that appeal to the consumers’ desire for easy to use products.
He has found his niche in the market and Apple products are everywhere. Finding your niche in the market and making products that appeal to your consumers is one of the easiest and yet most elusive aspects of being a business owner.
Taking a serious look at the typical consumer and identifying his wants and needs is a good first step towards creating your place.

5. Ray Kroc
Last but not least, the founder of McDonald’s.
While McDonald’s name is familiar in almost every country around the world, there are a great number of people who don’t know where the business came from. Kroc was already fifty two years old when he discovered a small restaurant run by the McDonald brothers through his business as a kitchen equipment salesman.
He liked the idea of a restaurant with a limited menu and wanted to make the McDonald’s restaurant a name all over the world. Perseverance was Kroc’s life theme throughout the years before he founded McDonald’s, and during the time it took to build up the empire, he never stopped working. This is a lesson to all the mature entrepreneurs: success can come at all stages of life.
In fact, one of the most quickly growing groups of business owners is the retirees. A little perseverance is all it takes.
Of course, these leading entrepreneurs have significantly more to teach than the basics of running a good business. A little research on your favorite(s) can provide a wealth of information regarding good business tactics and successful ways to run a business.
The options for expanding your knowledge about business and being an effective entrepreneur are endless so don’t ever feel like you have nowhere to turn when your business faces a problem. There are always people to turn to, past or present!

Your Coach
Bill

New 19 yr old IBO Making Great Moves!

Hi Bill and Janice!!

Rosy suggested I send you an e-mail regarding my new IBO Jessica. Bill you met her at the training night in April, she was asking questions, and you both met her at BDS in May.

Jessica is 19 and lives on her own, working at a part time retail job in Maple Ridge. She did not have the money to get started, so we set up a Grand Opening, and a SAM Session makeover. The grand opening landed on a canucks game, but she still made about 80pv and $83 retail. Then her SAM session our goal was to finish raising money for registration, and get a summer leadership ticket. She had 3 people show, did 120pv and over $150 retail. This month she had done total of 200pv customer volume and $230 retail profit!!!! So we are hoping to sign her up on 31, so she will qualify for the activation bonus of $50 for May as well And she already has a great customer base!! She has Summer Leadership ticket in hand, and we will sit with a couple one on one customers to help raise a bit more to cover any other expenses for Summer Leadership. I am so proud of her because she is such a great student, listening to suggestions, and following through. It has paid pretty good for her!

Thanks for leading the way!!

Trudy

It's About A Team

One is too small a number;
Great Team Effort This Past Month Team,
Some great thought process here.

A Chinese proverb states, “Behind an able man there are always other able men.” The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement. The question isn’t whether teams have value. The question is whether we acknowledge that fact and become better team players. That’s why I assert that one is too small a number to achieve greatness. You cannot do anything of real value alone.
I challenge you to think of one act of genuine significance in the history of humankind that was performed by a lone human being. No matter what you name, you will find that a team of people was involved. That is why former US President Lyndon Johnson said, “There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.”

C. Gene Wilkes, in his book, Jesus on Leadership, observed that the power of teams not only is evident in today’s modern business world, but it also has a deep history that is evident even in biblical times.

Wilkes asserts:
Teams involve more people, thus affording more resources, ideas, and energy than would an individual.
Teams maximize a leader’s potential and minimize her weaknesses. Strengths and weaknesses are more exposed in individuals.
Teams provide multiple perspectives on how to meet a need or reach a goal, thus devising several alternatives for each situation. Individual insight is seldom as broad and deep as a group’s when it takes on a problem.
Teams share the credit for victories and the blame for losses. This fosters genuine humility and authentic community. Individuals take credit and blame alone. This fosters pride and sometimes a sense of failure.
Teams keep leaders accountable for the goal. Individuals connected to no one can change the goal without accountability.

Teams can simply do more than an individual.

If you want to reach your potential or strive for the seemingly impossible – such as communicating your message 2000 years after you’re gone – you need to become a team player. It may be a cliche, but it is nonetheless true: Individuals play the game, but teams win championships.
Your Coach
Bill