10 most important business tips successful businessmen have ever given

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Life lessons from the founders of IKEA, Amazon, Airbnb and other well-known entrepreneurs.

1. Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA

The main thing in business is love. If you do not win the sympathy of people, you will not be able to sell anything to them.

Where:Leading by Design: The Ikea Story, 1999.

IKEA is one of the world's largest furniture and home furnishings chains. The company would not have become so successful if it had not won the love of customers. Perhaps Swedish meatballs, fresh buns, funny toys and unusual product names helped her with this. In IKEA, there are no obsessive sellers - the store sells goods itself. There are catalogs for this, a hall in the form of an endless labyrinth and cozy interiors in which you want to stay.

2. Oprah Winfrey, the first black woman billionaire in history

Do one thing that you think you cannot do. Fail. Try again. You will do better the second time.

Where:23 Leadership Tips From Oprah Winfrey, 2013.

Now Oprah Winfrey is one of the richest and most influential women in the United States. But her path to success is a story of constant overcoming. The TV presenter was born into a poor family. She lived without parents, with her grandmother, and almost never went to school. At 13, Oprah rebelled and ran away from home. At the age of 14, she gave birth and soon lost her child.

After that, Oprah promised herself to change her life, took up her studies and became one of the best students. Thanks to her diligence and talent, she went to university and became the first black female TV presenter in Nashville, and then opened her own program, The Oprah Winfrey Show. According to the TV presenter, the main thing is to be yourself and not be afraid to fail.

3. Brian Tracy, world expert in the psychology of success

The smartest business decision is to hire qualified employees. The right people in the company are 95% of your business success.

Where:How the Best Leaders Lead: Proven Secrets to Getting the Most Out of Yourself and Others, 2009.

The main thing in a company is its employees. Thanks to them, your business works. Therefore, when hiring, take your time and clearly define who you need. Create favorable working conditions: flexible hours, convenient office, remote work opportunities. Build communication in the company on the principles of openness and mutual respect.

Hiring the wrong employees is a costly business mistake. Usually companies take a long time and take a long time to fire such people. But while the employee is working, he does not bring any benefit or profit. Therefore, fire quickly and without regret, as soon as you realize the need to do so.

4. Donald Trump, entrepreneur and president of the United States

If you don't tell people about your success, they probably won't know about it.

Where:Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004.

Trump is not even included in the first hundred of the American Forbes list, but is one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world. He owes this not to money, but to the talent to create news feeds. Trump turned his name into a brand: his company is called the Trump Organization, he launched the production of Trump Ice drinking water, Donald Trump perfume water, and a Visa Trump bank card.

The entrepreneur has never been shy about making loud statements, appearing on television and acting like a showman. His participation in the presidential race and his activity as president of the United States is another proof of this. Therefore, do not hesitate to talk about yourself and your business: share your achievements and successes with everyone and be active on social networks.

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5. Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group and one of the richest people on the planet

Strive for success, but be decent. Never cheat or do anything that will keep you awake.

Where:Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life and Business, 2006.

You can produce goods cheaply, but harm nature. You can make employees work overtime, but make them unhappy. You can cheat and pay less taxes, but deceive the state. Entrepreneurs have a social responsibility, so they must conduct business in a decent manner and be guided by the "do no harm" principle.

According to Branson, you can make a profit by making the world a better place. He does the same: his company Virgin Group is fighting global warming and increasing carbon dioxide emissions, donating money to charity and investing in education. And all this does not prevent Branson from building a successful business.

6. Bill Gates, American entrepreneur, one of the founders of Microsoft

Stop acting like you have 500 years to live.

Where:24 inspiring quotes from Bill Gates, who turns 60 today,, 2015.

Don't waste your time. Every second spent idle is a missed opportunity. Set goals, plan your day and always try to get the most out of your plans - these are the principles that guide Bill Gates.

Gates was expelled from Harvard for academic failure because he did not want to waste time attending lectures. In the six years between 1978 and 1984, when he first started his business, he only had 15 days off. He spent all the time in the office at work, and in order to distract himself, he went to the cinema. Gates reads 50 books a year - about one a week. Determination, hard work and diligence made Gates the richest man on the planet.

7. Jeff Bezos, American entrepreneur, founder of Amazon

There are two ways to build a successful company. The first is to work very, very hard to convince customers to buy expensive goods. The second is to work very, very hard to allow customers to buy goods at a low price. They both work, but we prefer the latter.

Where:Jeff Bezos owns the web in more ways than you think,, 2011.

Amazon is the world's largest company selling goods and services over the Internet. The web service accounts for nearly half of all retail online sales. The company became so popular thanks to the strategy of Jeff Bezos: he did not pursue immediate profits, but invested money in development and conquered new markets.

To compete with the competition, Amazon introduced free shipping and reduced the price if the customer found the item cheaper. This strategy brought Amazon minimal revenue, but allowed it to increase the number of customers and bankrupt its competitors. As a result, over 10 years, Amazon shares rose almost 30 times, and Jeff Bezos became the richest man in modern history, overtaking Bill Gates.

8. Jeff Sutherland, American programmer and head of Scrum

Forget business cards. Positions and titles are empty labels. Your deeds should speak about you, not how you call yourself.

Where:Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, 2014.

The higher the level of the boss, the less he knows about the intricacies of work. Therefore, the main task of the leader is to get rid of the hierarchy, trust employees and provide them with freedom of action. A team of passionate professionals, over whom there is no supervisor-overseer, will do the job better and faster.

Although the hierarchy and rigid structure in the company create the illusion of control, they do not actually work: projects are delayed, deadlines are missed, and employees are dissatisfied with their work and cannot fulfill themselves.

9. Warren Buffett, American entrepreneur and investor

It doesn't matter how talented and hardworking you are - some things just take time.

Where:11 Warren Buffett quotes that’ll make you a smarter investor, 2018.

The most obvious and surest path to prosperity is to patiently build up your savings. This is taught by Warren Buffett, the third-largest American investor on the Forbes list. He earned his fortune thanks to competent investments and flair.

To be successful in the long term, you need to be thrifty and patient. For example, don't panic if stocks fall in value and don't sell them for short-term gain. Buffett learned this from personal experience when, at age 11, he bought his first block of shares and soon sold them for a small profit. A few days later, the stock went up in price, and if he had waited, he would have made five times more.

10. Brian Chesky, co-founder of Airbnb

You need to live and think like a child - with curiosity and surprise. This is the most important trait an entrepreneur can have. And although I'm still young, I always try to look at what people much younger than me are doing.

Where:Top 100 Business Minds by Version, 2017.

Empathy, curiosity and the ability to see opportunities in difficulties are one of the main qualities of Brian Chesky. He is not afraid to look ridiculous in the eyes of others, he constantly learns and plunges headlong into all matters. For example, as a child, when Brian started playing hockey, he did not want to part with his equipment even while sleeping. When he became interested in drawing, he could copy paintings by artists for hours. And when Chesky was preparing to perform at a sports event at school, he came to the stadium the night before the event.

The entrepreneur is just as passionate about Airbnb. He lived only in rented apartments for several months to improve service, met with local authorities to change laws, and learned to run a business from scratch. Airbnb now offers accommodation in 65,000 cities in 191 countries. The service is used by more than 40 million people, and the company's capitalization is more than $ 25 billion.