By Jessica Stillman
Do you have what it takes to start a business? A veteran entrepreneur suggests a surprising character for start-up life. Dream of starting a business, but wonder if you have the best personality for the job?
Veteran entrepreneur Kevin Johnson may be able to help you answer that. On his blog, he writes about the unexpected characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.
For example, in his latest post, he suggests that if you like to be the smartest guy in the room, start-up life might not be a great fit for you. Intellectual humility is actually a good sign you’ll do well as an entrepreneur, he writes: Read the rest of this entry »
Shaq O'Neal
The star athlete on why he’s getting his Ph.D., how he chooses business ventures, and the weirdest pitch he’s ever received. One Shaquille O’Neal you probably know: The retired basketball player who has four NBA championship rings and an Olympic gold medal, who was voted an All-Star fifteen times, and who ranks 6th on the all-time scoring list.
Or you might know another Shaq: The one who appeared in movies, released rap albums, was a character in video games, had a reality TV series, and is now an NBA television analyst for TNT. But there’s one Shaq you probably don’t know: The one who has an MBA and is working on his Ph.D., who owns fitness centers, car washes, Five Guys franchises, nightclubs, and real estate, has his own shoe brand, and holds equity positions in companies like Google (his slice was pre-IPO), Vitamin Water, and Muscle Milk. Read the rest of this entry »
In Facebook’s SEC filing there was a letter written by Mark Zuckerberg talking about the company. In that letter he outlined the 5 core values he built Facebook on and plans to continue focusing on as the company goes public.
All 5 of these values can be taken and applied to any company today. The following is the excerpt from the letter where we get a look into the values one of the youngest and most powerful CEOs on the planet has: Read the rest of this entry »
Billionaire entrepreneur and best-selling author Richard Branson has become an icon in the eyes of many aspiring business owners. His inspirational advice has helped steer many startups, simply by learning from his vast experience building the Virgin empire of businesses. Here, we capture nine of Branson’s best strategies for success — from branding and customer service to leadership and learning to let go. Read the rest of this entry »
We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Jake Nickell, the founder of Threadless and author of the new book by the same name. Not only is the Threadless book visually stunning, entertaining, and mind-bending, it’s full of great information and views about the creative process. As it should be, as it’s written by a guy who has taken an idea and turned it into a $30 million+ business without following any of the normal tenets of big business success.
Jake is as unconventional a CEO as you’ll find anywhere, and it works! Enjoy the interview, then go order the book.
Young Entrepreneurs: Threadless is so much more than a T-shirt company – it’s a community. To what extent has the community aspect played a role in the company’s success? Was building a community what you had in mind from the outset, or did it just happen?
Jake Nickell: Threadless started as a project within another online community called Dreamless. Had that community not existed, Threadless never would have existed.
Jake Nickell, founder of Threadless Read the rest of this entry »
At first, it sounds like another startup fairytale. A 19-year-old Princeton freshman starts a company with the hopes of making a tangible difference in the world, and it grows into a global, multi-million dollar venture.
But stories like TerraCycle founder and CEO Tom Szaky’s are never as they seem.
It takes more than just a genius idea to succeed. Businesses that are looking to make a transformational global impact require hard work, incredible business savvy and the courage to press on when everyone calls you crazy.
TerraCycle began as a sustainable fertilizer company, making the product out of worm refuse and putting it in used bottles. It even got a license to use Coca-Cola bottles (which have a patented contour shape). Read the rest of this entry »
Four years ago, sitting with Haile Gebrselassie in his eighth floor office at Alem Building, we enjoyed an uninhibited view of Addis Ababa. Alem Building, named after the running legend’s wife, is the headquarters of the couple’s business empire, Haile and Alem International PLC, and is one of the most prominent structures in Addis. Making a return visit to Haile’s office earlier this week was a totally different experience. The view from the former world marathon record holder’s office has changed quite a bit, with mushrooming, gigantic new structures dotting the skyline and obscuring the erstwhile breathtaking view of the Ethiopian capital.
There’s obviously quite some activity in the Addis construction business. One of the buildings sprouting up is the four-star Kenenisa Bekele Grand Hotel, being built by world and Olympic champion, Kenenisa Bekele, at the upmarket Bole Medhane area. The hotel was designed by Italian architect Carlo Stronati and its proximity to the Bole International Airport, just four minutes’ drive away, definitely makes it a strategic address for travellers. Addis Ababa’s complexion has been dramatically transformed, thanks to investments from the diaspora coupled with massive construction projects by Ethiopia’s world-beating distance runners. Read the rest of this entry »
2011 has just started, in our quest to motivate and bring out the entrepreneurial spirit in you, we thought it fit to feature our very own African brothers who have defied all odds to earn billionaire status recognized by America’s Forbes Magazine.
I sincerely hope these gentlemen’s short stories will motivate you to move to the next level in your entrepreneurial journey. Today we feature two prominent gentlemen from humble beginnings Patrice Motsepe Mining Magnet (South African) and Nigerian Aliko Dangote Industrialist par excellence.
Patrice Motsepe
Source of Wealth: Mining
Age: 48
Country : South African
Residence: Johannesburg
Fortune: $2.3 (Self Made)
Forbes.com Says:
“Johannesburg mining magnate is South Africa’s first black billionaire. Net worth up this year by $1 billion as a result of rising stock prices and South African Rand’s strength against the dollar. Born in the sprawling black township of Soweto and then trained as a lawyer, became first black partner at Bowman Gilfillan law firm in Johannesburg, before starting a contracting business doing mine scut work. Bought low-producing gold mine shafts in 1994, turned them profitable using lean, mean management style. Since then built $1.3 billion (sales) mining conglomerate, African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), with interests in a wide swath of minerals: platinum, nickel, chrome, iron, manganese, coal and gold. Benefited from South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws, which mandate that companies be at least 26% black-owned in order to get a government mining license. Also holds a 6.2% stake in Sanlam, a publicly traded financial services company outside Cape Town where he sits on the board. Invited to chair the board of Sanlam in December, but turned down the post.”
Aliko Dangote
Source of Wealth: Sugar, flour, cement
Country Of Citizenship: Nigeria
Age: 52
Residence: Lagos
Fortune: $2.1 bil (Inherited and Growing)
“Commodities keeping Dangote afloat despite Nigeria’s financial meltdown. Stocks of his sugar and flour companies are both up in the past year. Meanwhile, stake in Benue Cement has doubled, helped by demand from China. Dangote now expanding cement operations in Senegal and Zambia. Overcame negative reports about debts owned to banks and share price fixing allegations to become the newly installed President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange last August. Settled row with businessman Femi Otedola, who fell off the billionaires list this year. Dangote began career as trader; built his Dangote Group into conglomerate with interests in sugar, flour milling, salt processing, cement manufacturing, textiles, real estate, and oil and gas.”
Source: Forbes Magazine
The life of Dr. Farrah Gray is an inspiring story. I hope it helps you kick start your entrepreneurial journey towards realizing your dream. Please read the excerpt below and enjoy the equally motivating video link.
Dr. Farrah Gray became a self-made millionaire by the age of 14, after working for himself at age 6. Motivated to work toward wealth at a young age after seeing his mother struggling in dire financial circumstances, Gray went on to create a number of successful companies while in his teens. Not content with material wealth alone, Gray has put that same caring compassion he felt for his mom to use in service for others.
Now 25 years old, Gray is not only a businessman, but also a community leader who contributes to many philanthropic organizations while leading his own foundation. The Farrah Gray Foundation helps young people learn the same skills that helped Gray achieve success through career coaching and granting scholarships.
Gray also enjoys sharing his practical advice as a sought-after public speaker and through popular business books such as ‘Get Real, Get Rich’ and ‘Reallionaire.’
Hear Dr. Farrah Gray speak on his achievements here: Dr.Farrah Gray interview
To your success!!!
