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Gerry Schwartz Quotes: How to Build a Conglomerate from Scratch

Today, I will be sharing with you Gerry Schwartz quotes and strategies for building a conglomerate from scratch. Gerry Schwartz is the Canadian billionaire founder of Onex Corporation; one of the largest conglomerate in Canada and in this article, he outlined his step by step strategy for building a business conglomerate from scratch.

Are you interested in starting a business from scratch and growing it into a conglomerate? Then read on as I share with you Gerry Schwartz strategies for building a conglomerate from scratch.

                Gerry Schwartz Quotes: How to Build a Conglomerate from Scratch

 

1.            I’ve always liked transactional things. And I always knew that I’d go into business. But the person I was in high school wouldn’t recognize me today. I had no inkling, not even a slight one, of building a company as large and as much fun as Onex.

2.            As a kid, I worked Friday nights and Saturdays in my family’s retail store. I remember a salesman who was just fantastic. I marveled at his ability. I didn’t close any big deals. But I loved having customers and closing a sale.

3.            I wanted to be an executive and to have a big job that would pay at least $10,000 a year. I thought $10,000 was a big deal.

4.            I can’t remember a day growing up without my father talking to me about business. If he bought real estate, he’d explain how and why.

5.            Onex is a holding company and takes an active role in the strategic and financial direction of its subsidiaries. Our goal has always been to build individual subsidiaries into a position of being number one or two in market share in the world, or at least in their niche.

6.            The digital revolution and e-commerce are just in their infancy, and we’ve been trying to find ways to put our hook into that rocket ship as it goes up.

7.            I enjoy the independence of single-handling a boat. I like controlling the elements, making the wind and the waves and the water work for me.

8.            One of the hallmarks of Onex is that since I started the company in 1983, every professional who has joined the company at our Toronto head office is still here. We’ve had no turnover.

9.            Collectively, we make Onex a dynamic and collegial place to work, which is why we’ve had almost no turnover among our professional staff in the more than 20 years since we started the company.

10.          I consider myself fortunate to work with one of the most capable teams in our business. They are as tireless as they are inventive, and those qualities have served the interests of shareholders as well.

                Gerry Schwartz Quotes: How to Build a Conglomerate from Scratch

 

11.          We operate it in a very team-oriented, team-spirited way, and very non-hierarchical. It’s more of a partnership than like a hierarchical corporation.

12.          The strength of Onex is the strength of that team of people. And not just the team as it is today. We keep adding to it all the time, younger people who work their way up.

13.          The personality still comes from the Chief Executive.

14.          We take an excruciating length of time to buy an asset. We did nothing in the late 1980s because of all the pressure to do deals. That’s not our game.

15.          Every decision Onex makes is made on the basis of creating long-term value. Our philosophy is to operate like a forever owner of an asset.

16.          I am very excited by this transaction because of the opportunity to make a paradigm shift in an unbelievably important industry that has been limping or broken for probably 25 years.

17.          In every business we’ve been, employment is higher than when we started.

18.          Everybody’s spending all their time talking about whose hand is in whose pocket. That’s not the issue. The issue is, what can this airline become? Combine these two companies, and you’ll have a $9 billion, highly profitable domestic franchise that can go out and conquer the world.

19.          I think Canadians are entitled to see the Maple Leaf go around the world and know that it’s Canadian owned.

20.          That is 800 million in new revenue and thousands of Canadian jobs.

                Gerry Schwartz Quotes: How to Build a Conglomerate from Scratch

 

21.          The hardest lesson I’ve learned has been to not repeat the dumb mistakes I’ve made over the years, which are too numerous to list.

22.          I thought I’d have assistants do that stuff for me, which is why I missed the value of the digital era in so many ways. You can’t understand the power of technology unless you use it.

23.          He gave me a Palm Pilot. I got on a plane from Seattle to Florida, a five-hour flight, and started on the instruction book. I couldn’t figure it out.

24.          I said, ‘That’s it.’ I decided to learn. From that day forward, I’ve insisted Onex be on the leading edge of information technology.

25.          It mystified me. But when the stocks kept going up and up, I began to not believe in myself. I thought I was from a bygone era that wasn’t useful anymore. The things I believed in, like value, just didn’t seem to make sense anymore.

26.          I’m still a long distance from smart. But I’m also a long distance from dumb.

27.          There is no such thing as high returns without risk.

28.          I want to grow. I don’t want to get stuck doing the same thing over and over and think I’m the best at it. It would hurt. But we’ll dust ourselves off and we’ll come back.

29.          I’m a nationalist who believes huge opportunities are lost with every head office departure. We need to make things easier for Canadian-based companies. And I’m not talking about a lower dollar. That just sells our labour cheap.

30.          I went to school in the United States, and I lived in the U.S. for seven years after that. I wanted to come back to Canada. I would say that at least half of the professional staff here have all been educated in the U.S. and worked in the U.S. but wanted to come back to Canada.

                Gerry Schwartz Quotes: How to Build a Conglomerate from Scratch

 

31.          We are a very Canadian company. Our head office is here. All our senior people live here and want to live here. We have a group in New York of quite senior people as well, but the bulk of the management team are Canadians who want to live in Canada.

32.          We need an environment that fosters entrepreneurship and encourages young people in the new economy. If those people are there and want to stay in Canada, there would be lots of venture capital money for them. Money will follow the people and the ideas, not the other way around.

33.          We’re a global business for sure. Our revenues last year were $15 billion and my guess would be that maybe $1 billion of that was in Canada. The rest of it was around the world. Does that make us a Canadian company or does that make us a company which is headquartered in Canada? I think we’re a Canadian company.

34.          We would like to make a major Canadian acquisition. We would like to have a business that operates in Canada and provides either goods or services to Canadians. More people, more transactions; larger amounts of capital and identical philosophy.

35.          Everybody is a real partner. And it makes a big difference.

36.          Investments are like trains, and if you miss one, don’t worry because another one will come down the line.

37.          We’ve got customers. We’ve got suppliers. We’ve got employees. We’ve got unions. We’ve got communities. We’ve got all of these things that go into making up whether a business succeeds or fails.

38.          I've got a long time. I've got a long time. I've got 25 to 30 years of this; maybe longer. As long as I am healthy, I’m not going to retire.

39.          Dying rich has always struck me as dumb…There is still lots I want to accomplish, and I have a number of philanthropic interests to support.

Eleven Business and Life Lessons from Carlos Slim Helu

As an entrepreneur and investor, I have other successful business mentors and investment gurus I look up to for guidance and inspiration. And one of such successful entrepreneurs is Carlos Slim Helu; the richest man in the world 2010 and one of the richest people in the world.

Over the years, I have quietly been understudying the life and business strategy of Carlos Slim Helu; and just when I was about to wrap up my findings and share with you the lessons I learned from this telecom billionaire, he appeared live on an interview with Larry King of CNN.

On Friday 3rd December 2010, as I watched the Carlos Slim Helu being interviewed by Larry King; my respect for him increased. Now based on the interview and personal findings from my research carried out; I will be sharing with you eleven business and life lessons I learned from Carlos Slim Helu, including a brief excerpt of his interview with Larry King.

So if you are ready to learn from the Mexican tycoon and billionaire; then sit back and read on as I share with you an excerpt of Carlos Slim Helu’s interview with Larry King and eleven business lessons I learned from it.

                Interview with Larry King: Eleven Business and Life Lessons I Learned from Carlos Slim Helu

 

Larry King: It’s an honor to welcome you to LARRY KING LIVE, Carlos Slim Helu. How did it feel when you were ranked number one?

Carlos Slim Helu: Thank you very much for your invitation Larry. Any kind of difference before, after, during, is not important; I think. What is important is what you are doing and how you are operating the company that you are managing and when you have many parts of the public investing in this company.

Larry King: So, it’s not a particular honor?

Carlos Slim Helu: No, no, no. it’s not championship. It’s the competence; the competence in your sector with other companies not looking to have some kind of records in this issue.

Larry King: When you topped the annual richest list back in March, they listed your net worth at $53.5 billion. Is that about right?

Carlos Slim Helu: I really don’t care about my ration. What they do is know how much share of the companies that we have investments and we are managing, and has the market price. The market price changes everyday, every time with a lot of volatility and you cannot make balance sheets of what is happening. What you are taking care is about the operation of the business, the investments of the companies; the technology you are using, the segment you are in and how you are managing the business.

Business lesson one:         Building a successful business is all about competence

 

Larry King: How do you stay on top of all that?

Carlos Slim Helu: Well, how can you be on top of the things you do? I think when you are involved in a business first of all; you need to know the business. After you know the business, you can let the numbers tell you what is happening. You can read with the numbers to know if things are going well or if things are not going well. You make co-operation with your competitors; you look at the international references to try to achieve the best reference nationally. The numbers talk to you.

Larry King: Were you also good with numbers?

Carlos Slim Helu: Yes, yes I think so. Some people are very good with letters and others have a good grasp of numbers. You can manage numbers in different ways; you read the numbers and you understand what is happening in the companies.

Business Lesson Two:       Understand your line of business and its numbers

 

Larry King: it’s estimated that you and your family control more than 200 companies. You are one of Mexico’s largest private employers. You are in control of so many things. Do you feel, Carlos; as I have gotten to know you? Do you feel enormous responsibility?

Carlos Slim Helu: Yes. I think that anything that has privileges has responsibility. All this is responsibility and compromise. Compromise and responsibility are not only for me and my family, but also the management team to have the responsibility to know the importance of what we are doing and that at the end of temporarily managing this; we don’t take anything when we pass away. And we do need to do business with a sense of responsibility.

Larry King: How many people currently work for you?

Carlos Slim Helu: well, I think we are around 250,000

Business Lesson Three:   Becoming a successful entrepreneur is all about responsibility

 

Larry King: Was your goal to make money? Is that your goal?

Carlos Slim Helu: I think it’s not a goal. Money is not a goal. The goal is to make companies grow, develop, be competitive, be in different areas, be efficient to have a great human team inside the company. Look for human development of the people of the companies because you cannot do anything without human capital, without your human team.

We are talking about how many people are with us but there are managers that are critical that began working in the company and grew with the company and develop to achieve success being in high level management position. And now the goal is well by one side, I think the wealth should be reinvested to create more wealth. The fruit of wealth is income and it is important to develop the distribution of income. The distribution of income comes mainly by employment and second, by the money that goes to the government.

Business Lesson Four:      Be driven by passion; not money

 

Larry King: Carlos Slim Helu owns one of the oldest hotels in Mexico, Hotel Genève but the empire is in the telecommunications company; Telmex, which he acquired in 1990 when Mexico began privatizing its national industries. A decade later, he spun off the cell phone business, American mobile and it’s one of the largest companies in all of Latin America. He also owns Sunborn, Mexico’s major retail outlet and biggest restaurant chain. His interest includes one of Mexico’s most important banks, airline, a mining company, hotels, construction, insurance companies, a bottling company, cigarette manufacturer, much real estate and on and on and on.

Larry King: Are you always looking to acquire?

Carlos Slim Helu: In 1965 when I began, I had a soft drink bottling company. We are not in the bottling business anymore. We sold the tobacco business also to our partners. We are concentrating because during these 45 years and depending on the circumstances we were involved; we have the possibilities to buy some business. With time, we thought we were focusing a little more on what we thought had more important potential and development and needed more investments and management.

Business Lesson Five:       Concentrate; be focused

 

Carlos Slim Helu: In ’82, there was a big crisis in Mexico and that meant that nobody was investing. And we invested in paper; we invested in tyres for cars, we invested in auto parts and aluminum and copper combustion. Actually we were focusing. We sold a corporation, we sold a tile business we bought in ’82 also; both of them. We were focusing in telecommunication, financing and mining, retail.

Business Lesson Six:           Get in when others are getting out

Business Lesson Seven:  Always be prepared to make your big move

 

Larry King: You are very involved in the education of the people, I know because I spoke to all those students. You give scholarships every year, right?

Carlos Slim Helu: Yes.

Larry King: How much do you devote to charity?

Carlos Slim Helu: well we make it, not talking about a budget and say well; this year we will invest $100 or $100 million. We try to find which are the problems that we need to attack and then we put all the money that is necessary. We also have programmes and we put in these programmes and all that are necessary. Let’s say in the surgery, we do surgery around the country. We began with 2000 a few years ago, now we are doing 120,000.

Business Lesson Eight:     Give back to the society

 

Larry King: Was there early in life, a big event that happened to you that turned you from a millionaire to billionaire? Was there a major occurrence?

Carlos Slim Helu: I think work, investments and reinvestments. My father used to say that the money that gets out of a company evaporates. That means he was thinking in terms of investments and reinvestment and reinvestment. That is one of the things we do. Other things that we do are in good times, we maintain our winning streak. When we do profitable business, we don’t get crazy; putting expenses all around or making fancy things. Then, we didn’t have corporate offices until now. We used to have them in the factories. The offices of the company were in the factories, not in another corporate building. I think it’s the way it happened.

Business Lesson Nine:      Watch your expenses

Business Lesson Ten:         Reinvest, Reinvest, Reinvest

 

Larry King: Is it hard for you to see all the poverty in Mexico?

Carlos Slim Helu: It’s hard but I am convinced that all this poverty in Mexico and in Latin America, like it’s happening in China is the opportunity to grow. It’s an opportunity for investment; it’s an economic activity and to take out poverty is the best investment any person or a person can do in any place because poverty used to be an ethical issue, used to be a social justice but now it’s an economic need. You need to integrate these people that are marginal and are in poverty; you need to integrate them into modernity.

Business Lesson Eleven:                 See opportunities, not problems

As a final note, I hereby end my excerpt on the interview between Larry King and Carlos Slim Helu. I believe you have learned something from the life of this billionaire and I also hope that the business lessons I extracted will prove useful to you. Before I drop my pen, below is a quick recap of the eleven business lessons I learned from the Mexican telecom billionaire; Carlos Slim Helu.

1.            Building a business is all about competence

2.            Understand your line of business and its numbers

3.            Becoming a successful entrepreneur is all about responsibility

4.            Be driven by passion; not money

5.            Concentrate; be focused

6.            Get in when others are getting out

7.            Always be prepared to make your big move

8.            Give back to the society

9.            Watch your expenses

10.          Reinvest, reinvest, reinvest

11.          See opportunities; not problems

The Richest People in Nigeria and Secret to their Success

Have you ever wondered how Aliko Dangote emerged the richest black man in the world? Have you ever wondered how the richest people in Nigeria became rich? Have you ever tried to find out the exact success secret of Nigeria’s billionaire entrepreneurs? Well, this article is going to put all your answers to rest.

In this article, I am going to spill the untold success secrets of the richest people in Nigeria and how they became billionaires. If you are prepared to replicate these success secrets, then below are the untold success secrets of the richest people in Nigeria.

                How to Become a Billionaire

                40 Wealth Attraction Secrets from the Richest People in the World

                The Richest People in Nigeria and Secret to their Success

1.            They are Strong Willed

The richest people in Nigeria are strong willed in spirit. They are dogged and persistent. To these set of individuals, success is not an option; it’s a must. These successful Nigerian entrepreneurs refuse to be held down by their circumstance; instead, they reached out for their inner strength and went for success. Above all, these entrepreneurs don’t take no for an answer; they simply refuse to give up and that was why they succeed.

When Raymond Dokpesi was on the verge of losing A.I.T; he refused to give up. Mike Adenuga had his telecom license revoked twice and lost over 20million dollars but he refused to give up. Orji Uzor Kalu had his oil bloc license and his aviation license revoked; his airline business was grounded and the business accounts of his publishing firm (The Sun) were frozen, yet he refused to give up.

Chief Cletus Ibeto’s cement company was shut down by the government but he persisted and refused to give up. So if you are ever going to have your name listed as one of the richest people in Nigeria; then you must be prepared to stick it through to the end. You must never give up.

2.            They thoroughly understand their line of business

Take a close look at the Nigerian billionaires listed above and you will see the names of entrepreneurs that thoroughly understand their line of business like the palm of their hands. They know the in-depth intricacies of the various businesses they are involved in.

Cosmos Maduka, the billionaire founder of Coscharis group even liken himself to a first class degree holder from the University of Automobile Spare Parts. This goes a long way to prove to you that knowing your line of business is essential to success not only in business but life in general.

3.            They are focused

The richest people in Nigeria are focused; they chose a specific business of their strength and stuck to it. If you are ever going to make it in Nigeria, then you must obey the first law of business success of Andrew Carnegie; the steel mogul.

                “And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret. Concentrate your energy, thoughts and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged in. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line; to lead in it. Adopt every improvement, have the best machinery and know the most about it.” – Andrew Carnegie

If you think this statement is a mere fad, then think again because it’s the truth in its entirety. Aliko Dangote focused on commodities and basic needs while Femi Otedola concentrated on oil and gas. Cosmos Maduka and Ade Ojo focused on automobiles; Fola Adeola focused on banking, Leo Stan Ekeh concentrated on computers and Raymond Dokpesi focused on broadcasting and entertainment. This should tell you that concentration is a key factor to succeeding in business.

4.            They have a strong business mission and vision

The Nigerian billionaires have a strong business mission and vision; and these two factors propel them to greatness. Take away their business mission and they are no more; this is because their entrepreneurial spirit is in the mission of their businesses.

Take for instance Aliko Dangote, he is on a mission to provide the basic needs of over 150 million Nigerians; Femi Otedola is out to provide Oil and gas at a uniform price with faster delivery.

Fola Adeola is on a mission to provide innovative banking services to Nigerians; Leo Stan Ekeh wants to put a computer in every home and Raymond Dokpesi is out to give Nigerians uncompromised news and information on happenings. A strong business mission and vision is the reason these men emerged successful.

5.            They are excellent networkers

The richest people in Nigeria became rich because they are good networkers. They network among themselves and even patronize each other’s services; and when a big deal is on board, they pool their resources together, form a consortium, execute the deal and split the profits. This is why they emerged the richest people in Nigeria.

6.            They are Competitive

The Nigerians billionaires listed above are very good at networking with each other; yet, they still compete against each other when the need arises. You can see an example of this when Aliko Dangote used MRS Group to compete against Femi Otedola for the shares of Chevron Nigeria. The richest people in Nigeria know that nothing comes easy and life is not fair; so they fight with all they’ve got to stay in business. Competitiveness and the ability to stay afloat are essential to survival in business.

7.            They think big

One attribute I love about Nigerian billionaire entrepreneurs is that they are big thinkers. They think big and love to do big things. Despite the fact that they started small; they dreamed big. Aliko Dangote is the largest cement manufacturer in Africa, Femi Otedola is the largest diesel importer in Nigeria; Jimoh Ibrahim runs Nicon (the biggest insurance company in Nigeria) and Raymond Dokpesi owns the first indigenous cable network television in Nigeria. So if you are going to leave a legacy in life, then you must think big and act big.

8.            They are flexible

Flexibility is one of the strengths of the richest people in Nigeria. They understand the terrain very well; they know that the government is the most inconsistent body so far, so they prepare themselves forehand.

They keep an eye on the ever changing pattern of the government and swiftly adjust their businesses to align with such change. They are also quick to adapt to current situation and trend while their competitors are still grappling with the reality on ground.

9.            They are opportunist

The richest people in Nigeria are opportunists; they know how to take advantage of situations. Where others see problems, these set of individuals see opportunities and start a business around such opportunity. While other Nigerians shy away from adversity; these men embrace adversity because they know that behind every adversity is opportunity.

                “Behind every adversity is an opportunity. If you lament over the adversity, you will miss the opportunity.” – Ajaero Tony Martins

They know that wealth lies in their ability to convert problems into opportunities and value; just like the ancient alchemists that tried to turn lead into gold.

                “A good businessman must have nose for business the same way a journalist has nose for news. Once your eyes, ears, nose, heart and brain are trained on business, you sniff business opportunities everywhere. In places where people see a lot of obstacles, I see a lot of opportunities. At times, there is something instinctive in me that tell me a business opportunity exist even at a place where others see nothing. That is what makes me different, maybe unique. A good businessman sees where others don’t see. What I see, you may not see. You cannot see because that is the secret of the business… the entire world is a big market waiting for anybody who knows the rules of the game.” – Orji Uzor Kalu

10           They have a strong business management team

It is often said that behind every successful man is a woman. In this case, I will say that behind every successful entrepreneur is a strong business management team. The presence of a business team is the reason why Nigerian billionaire entrepreneurs and richest people can swiftly take advantage of opportunities; raise capital and run multiple businesses while minding their family affairs. A business team is vital in your transition from a small business to a big business.

11.          They love Nigeria

Above all the success secrets of the richest people in Nigeria, this is the greatest. Love for Nigeria made the Nigerian billionaire entrepreneurs invest heavily in the country. They have all it takes to move their investment elsewhere but they chose to invest in Nigeria because they believe in Nigeria.

This factor is so prevalent that even Aliko Dangote advocated the need for entrepreneurs to firmly believe in Nigeria; instead of going abroad in search of greener pasture. This is to say that if you must strike it rich in your country; then you must believe in your country.

As a final note, these are the eleven secrets that are responsible for the success of the richest people in Nigeria. If you want to join this list of Nigerian billionaires; if you want to imprint your name on the sands of time, then replicate these strategies and I will see you at the top.

12 Characteristics of Successful Business Management Teams

What are the success secrets of the world’s most successful business teams? What characteristics or traits do they possess that other business management teams don’t? What characteristics must I be on the look out for when building a business team? If any of these questions ignites your interest, then please read on as I explain in detail the characteristics that make a great business management team.

I have listened to series of successful entrepreneurs and drop out billionaires being interviewed but despite their different lines of business, strategies employed and marketing terrain; they all seem to have a common business success secret. And that business success secret is their “Business management team.”

Now if the richest people in the world such as Bill Gates, Ingvar Kamprad, Mukesh Ambani, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Li Ka Shing and Aliko Dangote; the richest black man in the world all credit their success to their business team, then there must be something significant about having a business team.

The sustained growth of companies such as Oracle, Apple, Dangote Group, Berkshire Hathaway, Reliance Group, Arcelor Mittal and General Electric is primarily hinged on the expertise of the business management teams behind these companies.

Now instead of telling you the importance of having your own business management team or how to build a business team (which I have explained in details in previous articles), I will be using this medium to highlight the specific characteristics possessed by the successful business teams all around the world. So if you are ready to learn, then sit back and read on.

                12 Characteristics of Successful Business Management Teams

 

1.            Definiteness of Purpose

Definiteness of purpose is one of the success secrets of the world’s most successful business management teams. Successful business management teams know the company’s goals, objectives and vision at their finger tips; and they are focused in the pursuit of the company’s objectives. They know their specific role in the company and they concentrate on this role to make sure that the business objectives are met.

2.            Knowledge of the Business

Successful business teams have adequate knowledge of the business of the company. The general rules of business are the same throughout the world but market intricacies are different from industry to industry; so also are the environmental factors. That’s why I said that successful business management teams have adequate knowledge of the business.

A competent corporate manager in the food industry may not perform excellently when assigned to a business operating in the oil and gas sector. Why? The reason is because the industrial intricacies and the market are entirely different. Take a look at what happened to Apple when John Sculley took over leadership; Apple lost market share and profits declined rapidly.

What really happen? I can’t really tell; after all, John Sculley was successful during his time at Pepsi. But all the same, I can attribute his failure to sustain Apple’s market share to lack of understanding of the business and market intricacies associated with the technology sector.

John Sculley was experienced in the food and beverage industry; however, he wasn’t able to transfer that experience to the technology industry because the rules of the game are different. So if you are going to build a successful business management team; be sure to make “knowledge of the business” a top priority for the members of your team.

3.            Commitment

Take a closer look at the characteristics that make up successful teams and you will see commitment at the core. Successful business management teams are committed to the success of the company in which they serve. You may not really understand how commitment affects the performance of a team until you study the management structure of companies such as Berkshire Hathaway and Google.

4.            They are Goal and Result Oriented

Successful business teams are result oriented. They know that their competence and credibility will be adjudged based on their accomplishment; so they press forward for positive results because results keep them in the game. If they fail to produce results; they will get kicked out of the company by the business owner or investors.

5.            They are Individual Thinkers and Critical Problem Solvers

Members of a successful business management team are individual thinkers and critical problem solvers. Though they are a team, the members still think individually and solve intricate problems associated with their own area of expertise. For instance, the Chief Operational Officer individually tackles problems associated with the firm’s daily operations while the Chief Financial Officer strives to keep to keep the company’s finance in good position; yet they are all working towards a common goal, “Sustained Business Growth.”

6.            They are Team Players

Successful business teams are team players. Though members of the team are individual thinkers; they all act with same definiteness of purpose towards actualizing a common goal.

7.            They are bonded by the Business Mission Statement

At the core of every successful business management team is something very important. This single factor is the reason why successful business teams are successful and this factor is the “business mission.” Successful business management teams know that the entrepreneur’s spirit is in the business mission and that’s why they strive to stay focused on the business mission. It’s this same mission that keeps them together as a team; take the mission away and the centre will not hold any longer for the entire business.

8.            They are Strategic in their Approach

Successful business management teams are strategic in their approach. All members of the team are individual master strategists with respect to their own field or calling. Successful teams strategize, plan and make in-depth calculation or analysis before arriving at a decision. And once a decision is reached; they execute it without delay and monitor the feedback.

9.            They are Competitive

Just as soldiers are tested on the battle field; so also is the competence of a business management team tested in the marketplace. Competitiveness is the reason why successful business management teams emerge successful; they are always on the watch to swiftly counter the moves of competitors. Price wars and media attacks are product of business teams testing their wits against each other.

10.          They are Responsible and Accountable

Successful business management teams are responsible and accountable for their actions. They know that the company’s success or failure is dependent on the decisions they make; so they take charge and execute their plans without fear of the consequences. If their move backfires; they take responsibility, learn from the mistake and move on.

11.          They are Opportunistic

Successful business management teams are opportunistic in their approach and strategy. They are always on the lookout for trends, problems and opportunities they can exploit. They are always quick to take advantage of a miscalculation or false move from the competitor.

12.          They are Excellent Communicators

And lastly, successful business teams are excellent communicators. They know how to motivate their workforce, raise capital from investors, promote the company’s products and increase brand loyalty through their spoken words.

As a final note, these are the 12 characteristics and success secrets of the world’s most successful business management teams. So if building a business management team that will serve in high capacity and keep your business metrics strong is your topmost priority; then make the characteristics listed above a priority while forging the values on which your team will be built and your business will end up having a strong management team.

Walt Disney Quotes on Dreams, Imagination and Life

Today, I will be sharing with you some of Walt Disney’s quotes on dreams, imagination and life. But before I share Walt Disney’s quotes with you, let’s take a glance at his bio.

Walt Elias Disney was an American film producer; animator, director, entertainer, entrepreneur, screen writer and voice actor. He is the co-founder of The Walt Disney Company; a billion dollar company. Walt Disney is well known for his creative imagination; which saw the creation of one of the most popular character “Mickey Mouse.”

Walt Disney is on our list of school dropped billionaires; as he dropped out of school at the age of 16. Before his death, Walt Disney left behind some quotes on dreams, imagination and life. 

                Walt Disney Quotes on Dreams, Imagination and Life

 

1.            “I am interested in entertaining people, in bringing pleasure, particularly laughter, to others, rather than being concerned with 'expressing' myself with obscure creative impressions.”

2.            “We are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the public.”

3.            “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

4.            “When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. And one thing it takes to accomplish something is courage.”

5.            “I don't like formal gardens. I like wild nature. It's just the wilderness instinct in me, I guess.”

6.            “Somehow I can't believe there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C's. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

7.            “I never called my work an 'art.' It's part of show business, the business of building entertainment.”

8.            “I am not influenced by the techniques or fashions of any other motion picture company.”

9.            “Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved.”

10.          “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

                Walt Disney Quotes on Dreams, Imagination and Life

 

11.          “The era we are living in today is a dream of coming true.”

12.          “Tomorrow can be a wonderful age.”

13.          “You are dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.”

14.          “I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it.”

15.          “You reach a point where you don't work for money.”

16.          “I have no use for people who throw there weight around as celebrities, or for those who fawn over you just because you are famous.”

17.          “Adults are interested if you don't play down to the little 2 or 3 year olds or talk down. I don't believe in talking down to children. I don't believe in talking down to any certain segment. I like to kind of just talk in a general way to the audience. Children are always reaching.”

18.          “A man should never neglect his family for business.”

19.          “When we consider a project, we really study it–not just the surface idea, but everything about it. And when we go into that new project, we believe in it all the way. We have confidence in our ability to do it right. And we work hard to do the best possible job.”

20.          “Biggest problem? Well, I'd say it's been my biggest problem all my life; ‘money.’ It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true. From the very start it was a problem; getting the money to open Disneyland. About seventeen million it took. And we had everything mortgaged including my personal insurance.”

                Walt Disney Quotes on Dreams, Imagination and Life

 

21.          “It's no secret that we were sticking just about every nickel we had on the chance that people would really be interested in something totally new and unique in the field of entertainment.”

22.          “When we opened Disneyland, a lot of people got the impressions that it was a get-rich-quick thing, but they didn't realize that behind Disneyland was this great organization that I built here at the Studio, and they all got into it and we were doing it because we loved to do it.”

23.          “We did it (Disneyland), in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to thought it would be a financial disaster – closed and forgotten within the first year.”

24.          “I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953, In those days it was all flat land – no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships – just orange groves, and a few acres of walnut trees.”

25.          “It's something that will never be finished; something that I can keep developing and adding to.”

26.          “Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money.”

27.          “I'm doing this because I want to do it better.”

28.          “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

29.          “I don't have depressed moods. I'm happy, just very, very happy.”

75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

Are you an entrepreneur or a small business owner? Are you seeking business advice that will help you start a business? Do you want to become a billionaire in your lifetime? Do you want to build a successful business and become a successful entrepreneur? Do you want to learn what it takes to make a million dollars and become a millionaire in less than a year? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then read on.

Today, I will be sharing with you some business advice from the billionaires. Some of these billionaires are drop out billionaires but they have one thing in common, they all built successful businesses. So if you are ready to learn, then sit back and read on as I share with you 75 impeccable advice from 39 billionaires.

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

Richard Branson               – Virgin Group

1.            “As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you also must understand the art of delegation. I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses, and I have to be willing to step back. The company must be set up so it can continue without me.” – Richard Branson

2.            “To be successful, you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running, and if you have a good team around you and more than a fair share of luck, you might make something happen. But you certainly can't guarantee it just by following someone else's formula.” – Richard Branson

Ingvar Kamprad                – IKEA

3.            “Waste of resources is a mortal sin at IKEA.” – Ingvar Kamprad

4.            “Ten minutes are not just one-sixth of your hourly pay; ten minutes is a piece of yourself. Divide yourself into ten units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activities. Most things still remain to be done.” – Ingvar Kamprad

Carlos Slim Helu                – Telmex Corporation

5.            “When there is a crisis, that’s when some are interested in getting out and that’s when we are interested in getting in.” – Carlos Slim Helu

Aliko Dangote    – Dangote Group

6.            "To succeed in business, you must build a brand and never destroy it. One competitive advantage I had when I ventured into manufacturing was my brand "Dangote," which I diligently built in the course of my trading commodities." – Aliko Dangote

7.            "Manufacture, don't just trade. There is money in manufacturing even though it is capital intensive. To achieve a big breakthrough, I had to start manufacturing the same product I was trading on; which is commodities.” – Aliko Dangote

Oprah Winfrey – Harpo Studios Production

8.            "Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness." – Oprah Winfrey

9.            "Follow your instincts, that's where true wisdom manifest itself." – Oprah Winfrey

Orji Uzor Kalu    – Slok Group

10.          "A good businessman must have nose for business the same way a journalist has nose for news. Once your eyes, ears, nose, heart and brain are trained on business, you sniff business opportunities everywhere” – Orji Uzor Kalu

11.          “A good businessman sees where others don’t see. What I see, you may not see. You cannot see because that is the secret of the business… the entire world is a big market waiting for anybody who knows the rules of the game.” – Orji Uzor Kalu

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

John D. Rockefeller         – Standard Oil

12.          “There’s no mystery in business success. If you do each day’s task successfully and stay faithfully within these natural operations of commercial laws which I talk so much about and keep your head clear, you will come out all right.” – John D. Rockefeller

13.          "The ability to deal with people is as purchasable as a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other thing under the sun." – John D. Rockefeller

                Bill Gates             – Microsoft

14.          "The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competitors, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage and use information will determine whether you win or lose." – Bill Gates

15.          You’ve got to give great tools to small teams. Pick good people, use small teams and give them great tools so that they are very productive in terms of what they are doing.” – Bill Gates

Larry Ellison        – Oracle

16.          “If your cash is about to run out, you have to cut your cash flow. CEOs have to make those decisions and live with them however painful they may be. You have to act and act now; and act in the best interest of the company as a whole, even if it means that some people in the company who are your best friends have to work somewhere else.” – Larry Ellison

17.          "When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for people telling you that you are nuts." – Larry Ellison

                J. Paul Getty       – Getty Oil

18.          "The man who comes up with a means of doing or producing almost anything better, faster or more economically has his future and his fortune at his finger tips." – J. Paul Getty

19.          "In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy." – J. Paul Getty

Warren Buffett                 – Berkshire Hathaway

20.          "In the business world, the rear view is always clearer than the wind shield." – Warren Buffett

21.          “Somebody once said that in looking to hire people, look for three qualities; Integrity, intelligence and energy. If they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without the first, you really want them to be dumb and lazy.” – Warren Buffett

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

Henry Ford         – Ford Motor Company

22.          "The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all but goes on making his own business better all the time." – Henry Ford

23.          "A business absolutely devoted to service will have one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large." – Henry Ford

Henry Ross Perot             – EDS

24.          "Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationship." – Henry Ross Perot

25.          "If you see a snake, just kill it. Don't appoint a committee on snakes." – Henry Ross Perot

Ted Turner          – CNN

26.          “Do something. Either lead, follow or get out of the way.” – Ted Turner

27.          “Managing isn't that difficult, you just have to score more runs than the other guy.” – Ted Turner

Michael Dell       – Dell Inc

28.          “Don’t spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity, that you miss the right opportunity.” – Michael Dell

29.          “Recognize that there will be failures, and acknowledge that there will be obstacles. But you will learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others, for there is very little learning in success.” – Michael Dell

Steve Jobs          – Apple Inc

30.          “Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.” – Steve Jobs

31.          "To turn really interesting ideas and fledging ideas into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines." – Steve Jobs

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

Donald Trump   – Trump Organization

32.          "Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you are generally better off sticking with what you know and the third is that sometimes, your best investments are the ones you don't make." – Donald Trump

33.          “It pays to trust your instinct.” – Donald Trump

Jeff Bezos           - Amazon

34.          “If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve.” – Jeff Bezos

35.          “Things never go smoothly.” – Jeff Bezos

Sam Walton        – Wal-Mart

36.          “The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really, if you think about it from the point of view of the customer, you want everything: a wide assortment of good quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly, knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free parking; a pleasant shopping experience.” – Sam Walton

37.          “Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton

J. K. Rowling       – Harry Potter Series

38.          "Never be ashamed! There's some who will hold it against you, but they are not worth bothering with." – J. K. Rowling

39.          "Anything is possible if you've got enough nerve." – J. K. Rowling

Ray Kroc               – McDonals’s

40.          “If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.” – Ray Kroc

41.          “When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot. Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?” – Ray Kroc

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

Mark Cuban       – Broadcast.com

42.          “Do your homework and know your business better than anyone. Otherwise, someone who knows more and works harder will kick your ass.” – Mark Cuban

43.          “Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you.” – Mark Cuban

Larry Page           – Google

44.          “But you don't need a huge company, just a computer and a part-time person. So you don't need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea. You can do it in your spare time, you can really work on ideas and see if they take off — rather than trying to raise tons of money, millions of dollars for an idea that may or may not work. And once you have the product and people are using it, it's very easy to raise investment.” – Larry Page

John Johnson    – Johnson Publishing

45.          “My management style is based on the art of communication. For communication is an art, not a science. It is an emotion, not a statistic. And the best communicators know instinctively that to communicate effectively you must bypass intellectual centers and tap into the deepest fears, hopes and emotions of your audience.” – John Johnson

46.          “I'm convinced that the only way to get ahead in this world is to live and sell dangerously. You've got to live beyond your means. You've got to commit yourself to an act or vision that pulls you further than you want to go and forces you to use your hidden strengths.” – John Johnson

Li Ka Shing           – Hutchison Whampoa

47.          “Broaden your vision, and maintain stability while advancing forward. That is my philosophy.” – Li Ka Shing

48.          “Businessmen must move with the times…the correlation between knowledge and business as the key to success is closer than ever.” – Li Ka Shing

Mukesh Ambani               – Reliance Group

49.          “I think that our fundamental belief is that for us, growth is a way of life and we have to grow at all times.” – Mukesh Ambani

50.          “The organizational architecture is really that a centipede walks on a hundred legs and one or two don’t count. So if I lose one or two legs, the process will go on and the growth will go on.” – Mukesh Ambani

Philip Knight       – Nike

51.          “Good campaigns define who you are. We have to get consumers’ attention. We don’t have six months to check with focus groups.” – Philip Knight

52           “Our job is to wake up the consumers. If we become predictable, that’s not waking them up.” – Philip Knight

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

Pierre Omidyar                 – E-Bay

53.          “Build a platform – prepare for the unexpected…you’ll know you’re successful when the platform you’ve built serves you in unexpected ways.” – Pierre Omidyar

54.          “Be an enzyme – a catalyst for change. As a slogan, I don't know if that's ever going to be right up there with Ich Bin Ein Berliner, or "I Have A Dream," but there's a lot of truth to it.” – Pierre Omidyar

Ralph Lauren      – Polo

55.          “Your vision is very important. You should know whom you’re selling to, what your marketing and advertising says about you, and whom it’s speaking to. Me personally, I don’t try to please everyone. I understand who I am selling to and I work towards that vision all the time.” – Ralph Lauren

56.          “It’s about broadening your scope through history and living your life. Tune in and pay attention.” – Ralph Lauren

Rupert Murdoch              – Fox Broadcasting Corporation

57.          “In motivating people, you've got to engage their minds and their hearts. I motivate people, I hope, by example – and perhaps by excitement, by having productive ideas to make others feel involved.” – Rupert Murdoch

58.          “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore; it will be the fast beating the slow.” – Rupert Murdoch

Craig Newmark                 – Craiglist

59.          “Sometimes you gotta be fast so you don't waste the time of others.” – Craig Newmark

60.          “Follow through with basic values, and remember to provide good customer service.” – Craig Newmark

Dave Thomas     – Wendy’s

61.          “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone. Know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.” – Dave Thomas

62.          “Take care of your business and your business will take care of you.” – Dave Thomas

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

Gerry Schwartz                 – Onex Corporation

63.          “We’ve got customers. We’ve got suppliers. We’ve got employees. We’ve got unions. We’ve got communities. We’ve got all of these things that go into making up whether a business succeeds or fails.” – Gerry Schwartz

64.          “Investments are like trains, and if you miss one, don’t worry because another one will come down the line.” – Gerry Schwartz

Walt Disney        - Disney

65.          “You are dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” – Walt Disney

66.          “Tomorrow can be a wonderful age.” – Walt Disney

Barry Diller          – Expedia

67.          “The world is changing. Networks without a specific branding strategy will be killed. I envision a world of highly run companies without room for all the overhead the establishment networks carry.” – Barry Diller

Giorgio Armani – Armani

68.          “Remember that, in the end, the customer doesn't know, or care, if you are small or large as an organization – she or he only focuses on the garment hanging on the rail in the store.” – Giorgio Armani

69.          “In this business you can’t have a destination, an arrival point. Otherwise your competitors will overtake you, or you become complacent.” – Giorgio Armani

                Craig McCaw      – McCaw Cellular

70.          “Changes occur because there’s a gap between what is and what should be.” – Craig McCaw

71.          “Filling a need that others aren’t addressing has always been a focus of the companies that I have been involved with.” – Craig McCaw

                75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

 

                Leslie Wexner   – Limited Brands

72.          “We are poised for accelerated future growth and we need the depth and breadth of leadership to achieve it.” – Leslie Wexner

73.          “Express is well into the process of substantial transformation and is providing itself as a significant dual gender, high quality apparel brand. While much work needs to be done, we believe the opportunities for growth across our brand are significant.” – Leslie Wexner

Carl Icahn            – Billionaire Investor

74.          “In life and business, there are two cardinal sins. The first is to act without thought and the second is not to act at all.” – Carl Icahn

75.          “You learn in this business; if you want a friend, get a dog.” – Carl Icahn

50 Famous Life Quotes about Success in Business

Today, I will be sharing with you 50 famous quotes about life; specifically tailored for entrepreneurs. Do you want to know the hard core truth about achieving success in business and life? Do you want to know what it takes to go through the entrepreneurial process of starting a business? Do you need inspiration to face your business challenges squarely?

Do you want to know what it takes to build a successful business and become a billionaire? Then read on as I share with you 50 famous life quotes about success in business for entrepreneurs and business owners.

                50 Famous Life Quotes about Success in Business

 

1.            “Share your success and help others succeed. Give everyone a chance to have a piece of the pie. If the pie's not big enough, make a bigger pie.” – Dave Thomas

2.            “The greatest failure is not to try. Had I listened to all the people during the course of my life who said, “You can’t. You’ll fail. It won’t work. You don’t have…,” I wouldn’t be here today.” – Debbi Fields

3.            “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” – Estee Lauder

4.            “Luck, naïveté, willingness to roll the dice to do something productive, were all individual parts of the puzzle.” – Fred Smith

5.            “There is no such thing as high returns without risk.” – Gerry Schwartz

6.            “From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.” – Robert Noyce

7.            “I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.” – Harland Sanders

8.            “You must be very patient, very persistent. The world isn't going to shower gold coins on you just because you have a good idea. You're going to have to work like crazy to bring that idea to the attention of people. They're not going to buy it unless they know about it.” – Herb Kelleher

9.            “I am an extreme optimist, while my husband likes to play the devil’s advocate. He wants to know the worst thing that can happen. I don’t even want to think about the worst case. I provide the discipline and stick-to-it-iveness.” – Jenny Craig

10.          “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” – Jim Rohn

                50 Famous Life Quotes about Success in Business

 

11.          “I'm convinced that the only way to get ahead in this world is to live and sell dangerously. You've got to live beyond your means. You've got to commit yourself to an act or vision that pulls you further than you want to go and forces you to use your hidden strengths.” – John Johnson

12.          “When my company started really growing, I didn’t have any help in my house at all. I had the upkeep of my daily life, I had a one year old and a three year old, and I had my house. So I had to prioritize.” – Julie Aigner Clark

13.          “That’s why I am always conservative. I never forget to maintain stability while advancing, and I never forget to advance while maintaining stability.” – Li Ka Shing

14.          “It was a risk. I had a husband and I was pregnant with my oldest son. But I don't look at risk the way other people do. When you're an entrepreneur, you have to go in feeling like you're going to be successful.” – Lilian Vernon

15.          “I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations….I have built my own factory on my own ground.” – Madame C. J. Walker

16.          “It’s called working your ass off. The difference is what you are willing to sacrifice. For every writer who wants balance in their life, there is a guy like me who gives up a lot to make their dreams come true. There is always going to be someone out there that knows they have to compensate for maybe having less talent with harder work and preparation.” – Mark Cuban

17.          “I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing.” – Martha Stewart

18.          “Don’t spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity, that you miss the right opportunity.” – Michael Dell

19.          “I think those challenges are really critical and really important. What you learn from them is, of course, kind of what they say, ‘If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger,’ and it’s true. And what you learn from those challenges and those failures are what will get you past the next ones.” – Pierre Omidyar

20.          “If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.” – Ray Kroc

                50 Famous Life Quotes about Success in Business

 

21.          “It was an extremely satisfying experience. Taking smart risks can be very gratifying.” – Reed Hastings

22.          “­Whenever I see an opportunity and a chance to change something, I go at it and I lay out all the facts to everybody…And when I come to this space, I'm going to come with talent, I'm going to come with focus. And I'm going to do the job as competitively as the next guy.” – Robert Johnson

23.          “Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.” – Sam Walton

24.          “Above all, you want to create something you are proud of. That’s always been my philosophy of business. I can honestly say that I have never gone into any business purely to make money. If that is the sole motive, then I believe you are better off doing nothing.” – Richard Branson

25.          “It is better to aim at perfection and miss it than to aim at imperfection and hit it.” – Thomas Watson

26.          “Do something. Either lead; follow or get out of the way.” – Ted Turner

27.          “And that's the secret. Timing, hard work and smart partners. Using that formula, I've either founded or funded over 80 companies, and none have gone bankrupt. Most have done very well.” – Terry Matthew

28.          “I never thought I'd be successful. It seems in my own mind that in everything I've undertaken I've never quite made the mark. But I've always been able to put disappointments aside. Success isn't about the end result; it's about what you learn along the way.” – Vera Wang

29.          “Overcoming hardships and working around and through their obstacles to achieve an education is what I call a true success.” – Wayne Huizenga

30.          “If you do things well, do them better. Be daring, be first, be different, be just.” – Anita Roddick

                50 Famous Life Quotes about Success in Business

 

31.          “For whatsoever thy hands find to do, do it with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave.”  – Ecclesiastes 9: 10

32.          “You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you towards success? Or are they holding you back?” – W. Clement Stone

33.          "Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you are generally better off sticking with what you know and the third is that sometimes, your best investments are the ones you don't make." – Donald Trump

34.          “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” – Bill Gates

35.          "Behind every adversity is an opportunity. If you lament over the adversity, you will miss the opportunity." – Ajaero Tony Martins

36.          "It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste." – Henry Ford

37.          "If you see a snake, just kill it. Don't appoint a committee on snakes." – Henry Ross Perot

38.          “Time is your most important resource. You can do so much in ten minutes. Ten minutes; once gone is gone for good.” – Ingvar Kamprad

39.          "Anything is possible if you've got enough nerve." – J. K. Rowling

40.          "Patience; this is the greatest business asset. Wait for the right time to make your moves." – J. Paul Getty

                50 Famous Life Quotes about Success in Business

 

41.          “I do not believe in excuses. I believe in hard work as the prime solvent of life’s problems.” – James Cash Penny

42.          “If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve.” – Jeff Bezos

43.          "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." – John D. Rockefeller

44.          "The most important aspect of my personality as far as determining my success goes; has been my questioning conventional wisdom, doubting experts and questioning authority. While that can be painful in your relationships with your parents and teachers, it's enormously useful in life." – Larry Ellison

45.          “You are nuts and you should be proud of it. Stick with what you believe in.” – Trip Hawkins

46.          "When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure." – Mary Kay Ash

47.          “You have to be open-minded when those early opportunities present themselves; take advantage of them whether they’re going to make you a lot of money or not.” – Rachael Ray

48.          "Start small and dream big." – Rich Dad

49.          “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice; and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

50.          “Let us do or die.” – Warren Buffett

Sam Walton Quotable Quotes on Team Building and Business

Today, I will be sharing with you some quotable quotes on team building and business from Sam Walton. Sam Walton is a famous entrepreneur and founder of the most capitalized company in the world; “Wal-Mart.” During his time, he was referred to as the master motivator; he also emerged the richest man in the world and owner of the largest retail chain. Below are some of his business success strategies and team building tips.

                Sam Walton Quotable Quotes on Team Building and Business

 

1.            “There’s a lot more businesses out there in small town America than I ever dreamed of.”

2.            “Individuals don’t win in business, teams do.”

3.            “Remain a corporation and retain control if you like, but behave as a servant leader in a partnership.”

4.            “Money and ownership alone aren’t enough. Set high goals, encourage competition, and then keep score.”

5.            “Keep everybody guessing as to what your next trick is going to be. Don’t become too predictable.”

6.            “The more they know, the more they’ll understand. The more they understand, the more they’ll care. Once they care, there’s no stopping them.”

7.            “Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitor.”

8.            “Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free – and worth a fortune.”

9.            “The folks on the front lines – the ones who actually talk to the customer – are the only ones who really know what’s going on out there.”

10.          “There is only one boss; the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”

                Sam Walton Quotable Quotes on Team Building and Business

 

11.          “The two most important words I ever wrote were on that first Wal-Mart sign, ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’. They're still up there, and they have made all the difference.”

12.          “Each Wal-Mart store should reflect the values of its customers and support the vision they hold for their community.”

13.          “The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really, if you think about it from the point of view of the customer, you want everything: a wide assortment of good quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly, knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free parking; a pleasant shopping experience.”

14.          “If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you – like a fever.”

15.          “I probably have traveled and walked into more variety stores than anybody in America. I am just trying to get ideas, any kind of ideas that will help our company.”

16.          “I think I overcame every single one of my personal shortcomings by the sheer passion I brought to my work. I don’t know if you’re born with this kind of passion, or if you can learn it. But I do know you need it.”

17.          “Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.”

18.          “I guess in all my years, what I heard more often than anything was: A town of less than 50,000 population cannot support a discount store for very long.”

19.          “Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anybody else.”

20.          “I had to pick myself up and get on with it, do it all over again, only even better this time.”

                Sam Walton Quotable Quotes on Team Building and Business

 

21.          “I have always been driven to buck the system, to innovate, to take things beyond where they've been.”

22.          “Capital isn't scarce. Vision is.”

23.          “A computer can tell you down the dime what you’ve sold. But it can never tell you how much you could have sold.”

24.          “Don't take yourself so seriously. Loosen up, and everybody around you will loosen up. Have fun. Show enthusiasm – always.”

25.          “My feeling is that just because we work so hard, we don't have to go around with long faces all the time. While we're doing all of this work, we like to have a good time.”

26.          “Celebrate your successes. Find some humor in your failures.”

27.          “When all else fails, put on a costume and sing a silly song. Then make everybody else sing with you.”

28.          “Don't do a hula on Wall Street. It's been done. Think up your own stunt. All of this is more important, and more fun, than you think, and it really fools the competition. ‘Why should we take those cornballs at Wal-Mart seriously?

29.          We’re all working together; that’s the secret.”

30.          “Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”

Famous Life Quotes by Famous Women Entrepreneurs

I believe you are familiar with the popular saying that what a man can do, a woman can do better. I don’t know if that statement is true but what I do know is that there are women who have risen above their circumstance and taken the entrepreneurial bull by the horn.

What do you think is the secret to the success of famous women entrepreneurs such as Mary Kay Ash, Debbi Fields, Anita Roddick, Lillian Vernon, Jenny Craig and Oprah Winfrey; the richest black woman in the world? How were these successful women entrepreneurs able to balance their act between family obligations and business?

How did these famous women entrepreneurs achieve much in the fierce world of entrepreneurship and what advice do they have for aspiring women entrepreneurs? How did they surmount business challenges? How did these famous successful women entrepreneurs handle business failure? If any of the questions above matches your thinking, then please read on as I share with you the secret to the success of the famous successful business women.

In this article, I am going to share with you some famous life quotes of selected successful women entrepreneurs but this time, you will be learning directly from the horse mouth. None of the women entrepreneurs mentioned here became rich by inheritance; they all became rich and famous by starting a business from scratch. They became rich by successfully undergoing the entrepreneurial process.

Some of these famous successful women entrepreneurs inevitably became multi millionaires and others went on to become billionaires. So if you are ready to learn how to build a successful business; if you are ready to learn the secret to living a fulfilled life from multi millionaires and billionaires, then read on as the famous successful women entrepreneurs share their famous life quotes with you.

                Famous Life Quotes by Famous Women Entrepreneurs

 

                Mary Kay Ash –                 Mary Kay Inc

1.            “I was taught to put my best into anything I did and I can honestly say I’ve always done that. Still, there are many times when I failed, when I was disappointed.” – Mary Kay Ash

2.            I can say unequivocally that every decision we make at Mary Kay Cosmetics is based on the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” – Mary Kay Ash

3.            “I envisioned a company in which any woman could become as successful as she wanted to be. The doors were wide open to opportunity for women who were willing to pay the price and had the courage to dream.” – Mary Kay Ash

4.            "We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don't know where you are aiming, you don't have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, 'she cared." – Mary Kay Ash

5.            "We treat our people like royalty. If you honor and serve the people who work for you, they will honor and serve you." – Mary Kay Ash

 

                J. K. Rowling –   Billionaire author of Harry Potter series

6.            "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our friends, but as much to stand up to our enemies." – J. K. Rowling

7.            "Never be ashamed! There's some who will hold it against you, but they are not worth bothering with." – J. K. Rowling

8.            "I really don't believe in magic." – J. K. Rowling

9.            "What's the worst that could happen? Everyone turned me down; big deal." – J. K. Rowling

                Famous Life Quotes by Famous Women Entrepreneurs

 

                Madame C.J. Walker -    Walker Cosmetics line

10.          "I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them" – Madam C.J. Walker

11.          “I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations….I have built my own factory on my own ground.” – Madam C.J. Walker

12.          “I got my start by giving myself a start.” – Madam C.J. Walker

13.          “I am not satisfied in making money for myself. I endeavor to provide employment for hundreds of the women of my race.” – Madam C.J. Walker

14.          “There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.” – Madam C.J. Walker

15.          “Perseverance is my motto.” – Madam C.J. Walker

 

                Coco Chanel –   Chanel Inc

16.          “There is time for work, and time for love. That leaves no other time.´- Coco Chanel

17.          “I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like.” – Coco Chanel

18.          “When I can no longer create anything, I'll be done for.” – Coco Chanel

                Famous Life Quotes by Famous Women Entrepreneurs

 

                Jenny Craig –     Jenny Craig Inc

19.          “What really started me off in this business was my own research into what kinds of foods I should be eating.” – Jenny Craig

20.          “Whoever heard of cholesterol when I first started in this business in 1959? People didn’t pay any attention to what they ate. I noticed a need before it was a whole industry and in that sense, I was entrepreneurial.” – Jenny Craig

21.          “I always told people in Australia that I had a 24-hour job because we’d get up in the morning; talk business at breakfast and again at dinner. Our whole life was the business when we were developing the company.” – Jenny Craig

22.          “I am an extreme optimist, while my husband likes to play the devil’s advocate. He wants to know the worst thing that can happen. I don’t even want to think about the worst case. I provide the discipline and stick-to-it-iveness.” – Jenny Craig

23.          “I really love what I do. It’s extremely motivating to me.” – Jenny Craig

24.          “My husband always tells me that I'm the most unrelenting person he's ever met, and it's true. If I make a commitment to something I will stick to it no matter what.” – Jenny Craig



Anita Roddick – The Body Shop

25.          " I started The Body Shop in 1976 simply to create a livelihood for myself and my two daughters, while my husband, Gordon, was trekking across the Americas. I had no training or experience and my only business acumen was Gordon’s advice to take sales of £300 a week. Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not financial science; it's about trading: buying and selling." – Anita Roddick

26.          “It’s about creating a product or service so good that people will pay for it. Now 30 years on The Body Shop is a multi local business with over 2.045 stores serving over 77 million customers in 51 different markets in 25 different languages and across 12 time zones. And I haven’t a clue how we got here!” – Anita Roddick

27.          “There is no scientific answer for success. You can't define it. You've simply got to live it and do it.” – Anita Roddick

28.          “We were most creative when our back was against the wall.”

29.          “It is a critical job of any entrepreneur to maximize creativity, and to build the kind of atmosphere around you that encourages people to have ideas. That means open structures, so that accepted thinking can be challenged.”

30.          “Whatever you do, be different – that was the advice my mother gave me, and I can’t think of better advice for an entrepreneur. If you’re different, you will stand out.”

                Famous Life Quotes by Famous Women Entrepreneurs

 

Candice Carpenter – iVillage.com

31.          "Success is about creating value." – Candice Carpenter

32.          “My character was formed by mountaineering. Enduring rainy slopes and cold bivouacs to spend an hour at the top of the world shaped my ability to handle adversity.” – Candice Carpenter

33.          “If you are committed to creating value and if you aren’t afraid of hard times; obstacles become utterly unimportant. A nuisance perhaps; but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way.” – Candice Carpenter

 

                Martha Stewart – Martha Stewart Living OmniMedia

34.          "It is within everyone's grasp to be a CEO." – Martha Stewart

35.          “I'm a maniacal perfectionist. And if I weren't, I wouldn't have this company.” – Martha Stewart

 

                Julie Aigner Clark –          Baby Einstein

36.          “I believe the name of our company was incredibly important to our success. When I first created it, I didn’t think I was creating a company just the name of a video. However, the name Baby Einstein caught on very fast and became the generic name for baby videos.” – Julie Aigner Clark

37.          “When my company started really growing, I didn’t have any help in my house at all. I had the upkeep of my daily life, I had a one year old and a three year old, and I had my house. So I had to prioritize.” – Julie Aigner Clark

 

Lillian Vernon

38.          “It was a risk. I had a husband and I was pregnant with my oldest son. But I don't look at risk the way other people do. When you're an entrepreneur, you have to go in feeling like you're going to be successful.” – Lillian Vernon

39.          ”I don't know how you can learn instinct. If you figure it out, call me back. I have been more right than wrong about merchandise over the years.” – Lillian Vernon

40.          “How do you balance growing the business with raising a family? You just do. I had a business, a lot of orders, and a baby howling for supper. You balance it. You give your baby supper first and then get your orders in. I have worked on more holidays… but what are you going to do? – Lillian Vernon

41.          “I became successful due to several reasons. I never gave up and I never let anyone or anything get in my way. I use the power of positive thinking to tackle obstacles and challenges so they don't defeat me. Passion for my work and my business is another important reason. I really love my work and I get great satisfaction from it.” – Lillian Vernon

                Famous Life Quotes by Famous Women Entrepreneurs

 

                Rachael Ray

42.          “I did 30 Minute Meals for five years on local television, and I earned nothing the first two years. Then I earned $50 a segment. I spent more than that on gas and groceries, but I really enjoyed making the show and I loved going to a viewer’s house each week. I knew I enjoyed it, so I stuck with it even though it cost me.” – Rachael Ray

43.          “You have to be open-minded when those early opportunities present themselves; take advantage of them whether they’re going to make you a lot of money or not.” – Rachael Ray

44.          “Decide what it is that you are and then stay true to that thing. My brand is based very much on how I live my day-to-day life.” – Rachael Ray

 

                Estee Lauder

45.          “I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.” – Estee Lauder

46.          “I didn't get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Estee Lauder

47.          “I was a woman with a mission and single-minded in the pursuit of my dream.” – Estee Lauder

 

                Oprah Winfrey –              Harpo Production Studios

48.          "I am a woman in the process; I’m just trying to be like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience and learn from it. Life is never dull." – Oprah Winfrey

49.          "I don't believe in failure. It's not failure if you enjoyed the process." – Oprah Winfrey

50.          "My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." – Oprah Winfrey

Martha Stewart Quotes for Living and Achieving Success in Life and Business

Today, I will be sharing with you some Martha Stewart Quotes for living and achieving success in life and business. But before I proceed, let’s me do a brief rundown on her profile.

Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, publisher, television host and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Though Martha Stewart is not on our list of richest drop out billionaires, she’s a billionaire in the making. Below are Martha Stewart quotes for living and achieving success in life.

                Martha Stewart Quotes for Living and Achieving Success in Life and Business

 

1.            “I'm a maniacal perfectionist. And if I weren't, I wouldn't have this company.”

2.            “I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing.”

3.            “I catnap now and then, but I think while I nap, so it's not a waste of time.”

4.            “I'm not a sponge exactly, but I find that something I look at is a great opportunity for ideas.”

5.            “My dream now, in retrospect then, was to be an eclectic knowledge-gathering person – in order to be able to learn and then to teach. And I'm still doing that, so I think I am a teacher.”

6.            “My new motto is: When you're through changing, you're through.”

7.            “It's a how-to show with entertainment and a live audience. It's not a talk show? I don't see a couch anywhere.”

8.            “Is this the same old Martha or a new and improved Martha? You can say 'new and improved' if you want … But I don't think there was anything quite wrong with the old one.”

9.            “I invented 'It's a good thing' before you were even born.”

10.          “I don't even like firing people. I don't think I've ever said, 'You're fired' to anybody.”

                Martha Stewart Quotes for Living and Achieving Success in Life and Business

 

11.          “Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success.”

12.          “I am a hero worshiper. I love the number one tennis player. I love the number one baseball player. I want to see those records broken.”

13.          “I think it's very important that whatever you're trying to make or sell, or teach has to be basically good. A bad product and you know what? You won't be here in ten years.”

14.          “I always disagreed with the separation of the name and the brand and the person … To build on that name and brand is one thing. To divorce the name and the brand from the person was not an approach that I agreed with.”

15.          “You have to watch the clock constantly because you're only allowed out of your home for a limited period, and for a busy person, watching the clock and knowing other people are watching the clock is extremely difficult.”

16.          “Many of my executives have worked with me since the beginning. I can be fair and decisive and encouraging as well as demanding.”

17.          “I really do have rules for running and managing a business that have never been formalized before.”

18.          “I'm used to all kinds of hard work, as you know. I'm not afraid whatsoever.”

19.          “I know I have a very tough five months ahead of me, but I understand, too, that I will get through those months knowing that I have the ability to return to my productive and normal life, my interesting work and future business opportunities.”

20.          “I would like to be back as early in March as possible so I can plant my spring garden and get things growing again.”

Martha Stewart Quotes for Living and Achieving Success in Life and Business

 

21.          “This is what truly interests us, why we all come to work every day … our passion is and always should be to make life better.”

22.          “This will not only extend our brand but broaden our scope.”

23.          “There can be no doubt that the last three years have certainly been an adventure for me and for all of you. Though it was stressful — very stressful — I can say that I don't regret everything.”

24.          “I have sometimes, probably, forgotten — and I know I have — to pat the back of someone or said 'thank you' enough times or maybe even once sometimes … I wish I were perfect. I wish I were just the nicest, nicest, nicest person on Earth. But I am a business person….If I were a man no one would ever say that I was arrogant.”

25.          “We met financial expectations for the quarter in a difficult economic environment. We also signed a two-year programming agreement with Home & Garden Television to launch two new cable television series, and launched the Martha Stewart Kids magazine … These initiatives provide future revenue and earnings growth for the brand and build long-term value for shareholders.”

26.          “The company and the brand have shown strength and resilience in a difficult environment, … We are pleased to have generated increased revenue in a tough economy and continue to operate this business with a long-term outlook.”

27.          “I must reclaim my good life and I must return to my good works.”

28.          “My goal with this book is to help people turn their passions into successful businesses, as I did myself through many of the things I learned over the years.”