10 Most Successful Businessmen

A list of the ten most successful businessmen of all time includes some of history's most industrious workers and innovative entrepreneurs. In most cases, these men invented entire industries and changed the course of history.

    John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller is the richest man of all time when adjusted for inflation and is certainly one of the ten most successful businessmen. He created Standard Oil and completely monopolized the oil industry, controlling every level of production from start to finish.
    Henry Ford. Ford created the Ford Motor Company and essentially, the automobile industry. His developments changed the way factories ran, the way society operated and the face of the country. His company remains a major world force today.
    Bill Gates. Gates became one of the ten most successful businessmen of all time in the 1980’s when the software he developed—Microsoft—took over the computing world. Nearly all computers run Microsoft, and Gates is a major player in world economics.
    Thomas Edison. Edison not only invented an item nearly every person in the world uses everyday, the light bulb, he also was the holder of over 1,000 patents at the time of his death. A symbol of innovation, persistence and entrepreneurship, he is definitely one of the ten most successful businessmen in history.
    Soichiro Honda. Honda is certainly one of the ten most successful businessmen in world history. He began making small motorcycles in Japan in the mid 20th century and then moved into the auto industry. His eponymous car company grew and gained a significant foothold in the United States, opening the way for Japanese exports and establishing a reputation for quality and reliability.
    Steven Jobs. Jobs was co-founder of Apple, the company that introduced a practical personal computer to the world, and is one of the ten most successful businessmen in the country. He has stayed at the helm of Apple, a company that continues to release incredibly popular products.
    Carlos Slim. Slim moved into the spot of “world’s richest man” and obviously, one of the ten most successful businessmen in the world. He has made his money in the telecom industry and is the CEO of three companies.
    Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie was an immigrant bobbin boy in a factory as a child, and decades later, he became the biggest steel magnate the world had ever seen. In his later years, he gave away a large part of his vast fortune.
    JP Morgan. Morgan, one of the ten most successful businessmen ever, was one of a handful of corporate titans on the American scene at the turn of the 20th century. He was a banker and oversaw industrial consolidations in major industries, such as steel and electronics. He stepped in during a financial crisis and saved many New York banks in 1907.
    Michael Dell. Dell was an engineering whiz as a youngster and started a computer building business while in college. His company, today, is one of the biggest tech firms in the world, and most Americans spend their time online using a Dell computer.
Source: http://www.mademan.com/mm/10-most-successful-businessmen.html

Michael Dell’s Success Story

Here is a very inspiring success story about a billionaire who became a very successful entrepreneur at a very young age. Just like every other success people, he started with almost nothing but the ideas in his head.
Michael Dell is a very committed guy, when he created a plan, he’ll pursue it with full strength. And this explains that how he made his $1,000 by just selling stamps at the age of 12! Can you imagine that? Selling stamps at such a young age and make $1,000 from that. Many of us can’t even save $1,000 from our salary. But he made his first $1,000 by just selling stamps.
He later sold the newspaper subscription for Houston Post, which developed his confidence making him even more money. It is told that he made enough money to buy a BMW by the age of 16. Most people can’t earn enough money to buy a BMW even with their entire life saving. But this guy, Michael Dell, made enough money to purchase a BMW at the age of 16.
Michael then planned his life well at the age of 19. He knew exactly what he wanted to achieve in his life and eventually, he achieved it. Knowing what you want in your life is one of the most important success strategies that you must adopt. If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your life, you’ll never achieve it. First set your target, then keep on pursuing it. Just like what Michael Dell did at the age of 19, he planned his life and set his goals to achieve higher success.
Michael later went to college to study biology as his parents want him to be a doctor. However, a year later, he quit his studies and continue to pursue his dreams. He wanted to be a successful entrepreneur. This is what you have to do as well if you know exactly what you want. You need to have the courage to pursue your dreams.
Michael developed his intense passion in computers when he was 15. When his parents got him an Apple computer when he was 15, instead of using it, he dissembled the computer into parts to find out how it worked. After that, he bought an IBM computer and studied more about assembling computers. Which he finally mastered the technique that made him a billionaire at a very young age (Millionaire Habit #7 – Be 100% committed).
In 1984, Michael started his dream venture with $1,000. He followed through his business plan and keep on working on it. In his room in the university, he assembled computers for customers according to their requirements and sell them directly to his customers.
His business idea was new because he assembled all the computers according to his customer’s preferences and sell directly at a low price. He was the first to introduce the direct sales method in the IT industry. The direct sales clicked and there was huge demand for computers. Dell knew that he could beat computer dealers by selling a lower price with good technical service (Millionaire Habit #1 – Always Exceed Expectations).
Just like every other successful people, Dell started small. Most of his orders were placed through friends and acquaintances who spread the word around. And by steadily developing his business, he moved to a small office and hired a few people to take orders and upgrade machines. Avoiding a third party to sell computers turned out to be profitable and the company grew at a seriously fast clip.
Later in May 1983, Dell incorporated the company as Dell Computer Corporation. In 1985, Dell started to design and make computers with components sourced from outside. His focus, right from the beginning, was on customers and good service. He kept his vision and move toward his dreams step-by-step.
All his hard work paid off handsomely. By 1992, Dell Computer Corporation entered the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies in the world. At the age of 27, he became the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company. And the rest is history.
Another one of the success strategies that Dell used is that the company was one of the very first to sell computers on the Internet. This too became a huge hit. In 1999, Dell launched Gigabuys.com, an online store featuring computer-related products.
Not only that, his business kept on growing and become the No. 1 player in the American market. Can you see it now? How Michael Dell started from $1,000 and built his giant IT business worth more than $100 billion. It has been a very successful journey for Dell.
In 1999, with his wife, he formed the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which has an endowment of more than $1 billion and focuses on children’s issues. This shows that Dell knows the miracle of tithing. If you want to be a successful i your life, you must first make other people successful. If you want to be a millionaire, donate and help more people to become richer. This is the law of the universe.
Source: http://www.themillionairesecrets.net/michael-dells-success-story/

Starting a business from scratch

Ntuthuko Shezi's journey as an entrepreneur started when, as a schoolboy in rural Ndwedwe in KwaZulu-Natal, he sold vetkoek and fried fish. After that he mowed lawns in Bedfordview. He now runs a multimillion-rand vehicle repair business out of two of the country's busiest airports.

It is not any old vehicle repair business -- Scratch Mobile is one of a kind in Africa, if not the world. Shezi's company will fix the dents, scratches and chipped windscreens on your vehicle while you fly. On your return to the airport parking bay, your vehicle looks as good as new.

"Fix a scratch, collect the cash," Shezi said with a broad smile. It sounds simple, but his journey shows that great entrepreneurial ideas often take considerable time in the business school of hard knocks.

But behind Shezi (30) stands a global entrepreneurship incubator, Endeavor, which has two mentorship programmes to help emerging entrepreneurs to develop their innovations and to build them up regionally -- or even globally.

Endeavor was founded in South America in 1999 -- its roots are firmly embedded in the developing world -- and has offices in 11 countries in South America, the Middle East and Africa.

It opened an office in South Africa in 2004 and since then has incubated 43 start-up businesses that between them have generated more than R1-billion in turnover, created more than 12 000 jobs and grown at a combined average of 30% a year. In the 2009-2010 financial year alone, amid a global economic recession, these companies generated R300-million in turnover, up 67% on the previous year, and created 588 new jobs.

Difficulties
Entrepreneurs in developing economies face unique difficulties, according to Malik Fal, Endeavor South Africa's managing director and a former head of Microsoft's operations division in Africa.

A relaxed Fal, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, said that entrepreneurs like Shezi were "the missing middle" of the economic pyramid in developing countries who had "traditionally been given the short end of the stick".

Sandwiched between the large, self-sufficient corporations operating worldwide and the "poorest of the poor", who were the focus of most government attention, entrepreneurs were often left to muddle along on their own.
Endeavor's South Africa office has a network of more than 120 business leaders who mentor entrepreneurs on a voluntary basis. Partnerships with local and international business schools allow entrepreneurs to study locally and abroad.

Their businesses provide case studies for MBA students who in turn provide feedback. Other partner organisations such as Deloitte and Ernst & Young donate free accounting and consultancy services to entrepreneurs that they could not otherwise afford.

"We do almost everything a private equity fund would do, but without providing capital," Fal said.

He said that, although access to funding was a hurdle for entrepreneurs in developing economies, that was easier to overcome than a lack of access to networks and knowledge. "The natural networks of friends and relatives in business, which exist everywhere in developed economies, do not exist in economies where business in its current form has been conducted only between people for two or three generations," Fal said.

'Accentuating the positive'
An entrepreneur has to raise his or her own capital, which eliminates many chancers, even before the arduous 12-month Endeavor selection process begins. Endeavor's philosophy is to replace the idea of poverty reduction with that of wealth creation.

"We aim to accentuate the positive, not the negative, and to undo the deep psychological impact implicit in such negativity," Fal said.

What support does Endeavor get from government? Fal's relaxed demeanour slips: "None, man! Don't get me started! In Brazil, the government contributes 30% of Endeavor's budget and has created its own agency to incubate entrepreneurs on a massive scale. In South Africa? Nothing!"

That was despite South Africa being awash with entrepreneurs whose skills could be developed, with a huge impact on job and wealth creation.

Shezi spoke fondly of his mother, a teacher, and his maternal grandparents in Ndwedwe, whose business acumen had seen them prosper beyond the limitations of their paltry government salaries and grants. Shezi said he learned how to "grow money" from their example.

When he bought a new car, which acquired scratches and dents over several months, it cost him thousands of rands in repairs. He sensed his opportunity. He bought a van and the registration number 083 SCRATCH, which he daubed on the side, and set out to undercut the competition.

Although working full-time at Accenture, Shezi would receive phone calls requesting his services during the week. He would rustle the pages of a magazine near the phone speaker and say, "We're fully booked this week, ma'am … let me see … oh, wait, someone's cancelled on Saturday morning".

Shezi, with no panel beating or painting experience, would collect another company's off-duty panel beater, give him a pair of Scratch Mobile overalls and get the job done.

In the first month -- November 2006 -- he turned over R30 000. Shezi quit his job, sold his flat and was soon living the life of an entrepreneur -- quarter the salary, four times the excitement.

"If I could make 30 gees sitting in the office working for the boss, I knew I could triple my revenue working full-time," he said.

"When you work at a company, you get a performance assessment once a year. Here, I do one every morning in the shower … what's the bank balance? … when are wages due? … oh no!" he said, rubbing the back of his head in mock anguish.

The airport idea came to Shezi while he was using the valet parking service during an Accenture business trip. "I noticed that customers spent a few minutes filling out paperwork to park there and, in that time, a Scratch Mobile agent on site could assess a vehicle's condition and provide that customer with a quotation for repairs on the vehicle that was being left behind."

But Scratch Mobile only grew into the medium-size business it is today -- with a turnover of R6-million, a staff of 26 and branches at OR Tambo International Airport in Jo'burg and King Shaka International Airport in Durban -- thanks to the input provided by Endeavor.

Shezi has received free financial audits by Ernst & Young, which have enabled him to approach other companies for loans, and a marketing strategy created by Draftfcb, which has helped put Scratch Mobile on the map.

His advice to other entrepreneurs is to "find the one thing that's unique about your business -- a selling point -- and exploit it as much as you can". He calls it "the magnet pulling customers your way", which, in the case of Scratch Mobile, is that "anyone can panel beat, but we can do it while you fly".

Shezi's location -- at airports -- is symbolic. It is unlikely that anything short of the sky will stop his rise as an entrepreneur.

Source: http://mg.co.za/article/2011-01-07-starting-a-business-from-scratch

How to Get Lazy People to Work

"How can I get lazy people to work?"

As a coach and consultant, I've also been asked, so I know it isn't an isolated or fleeting question.

Will all due respect to those who have asked me and to those of you reading and nodding your head in agreement, you are asking the wrong question.
What is wrong with the question you ask? At least three things:

• You can't "get" or "make" people do anything (at least not for very long or without unintended consequences).


• "Lazy" is a relative term - one person's lazy might be another person's normal (or even motivated).


• "Lazy" also is a word full of judgment and baggage. Including it in your question reduces the likelihood that you will have success anyway.

So let's see if we can explore what you can do, and in the process see if we can help answer this all-too-prevalent question. OK?

The real question

I'm pretty confident the real question, regardless of how I'm asked, is:
"How can I get people to do more, or do what I think is important?"
Or, stated in a more accurate way, based on what is actually within your control and influence:
"How can I influence others to do more or to do the things that are most important to me (or the team or the organization)?"
Hopefully this accurately re-describes what you or anyone really means when asking the question.

Consider the other person

This question is about two things - someone else's behavior and your perspective on it. Let's start with the other person - I'll get to you in a minute.
Over time, people tend to do what is in alignment with their goals and their view of the world. In other words, people do (or don't do) what makes sense to them. If you want to understand better why other people are doing something, you must first understand their perspective. This isn't a novel concept, and while you probably aren't (and this article won't make you) a psychologist, most people forget this basic premise.
If you would like someone to exhibit different behaviors and make different choices (i.e. work harder, you lazy bum!), consider why they are doing what they are doing. Ask yourself questions like:

• What is important to them?
• What do they see that I don't?
• What does success look like to them?

Consider your perspective

Your perspective is likely different than that of those you are leading, or you might not be asking this question or reading this article. You see the world differently; you understand the purpose and needs of their work differently. Your perspective makes complete sense to you - as much as theirs doesn't!
However, your values and ethics also impact your perspective. What you define as lazy, how you define a work ethic, what you believe is the right work/life balance for you - all of these and more play into your perspective - and judgment - about whether someone is "lazy" or not.
Not having ‘your' work ethic doesn't in and of itself make the other person ‘lazy.'

Influence strategies

Consider this a starter set of influence strategies for the situation we're discussing. While these alone may not "solve the problem," they likely will make a big difference, and help you determine what the next steps might be.

Let go of your preconceived notions and labels

Understanding your values and beliefs about work is a good starting point. Recognize that however firmly you believe in these values they are not absolute truths. Recognize too that everyone is willing to work hard for things that truly matter to them. Lose the judgment and focus on influencing based on the other person's perspective.

Talk to the other person - and understand his or her perspective

This step is more about asking non-judgmental questions. Questions like the ones asked above are a good starting point. Ask for understanding, not proof or as the starting point of a debate or argument. Remember you can't change the behavior; only help the person make a new choice. Ask the questions to help both of you understand his/her motivations.

Connect to their 'why'

When people have a big enough why they make choices to accomplish just about anything. In order to influence others, you must understand and tap into their deepest motivations. When you can help them connect their work to their why, everyone wins.

Set clearer expectations

Often the gap in behavior, and therefore your frustration and judgment, stems from a difference in expectations. Most people feel like they are doing a good job and accomplishing what is expected of them. Sometimes that is a deluded or distorted view. More often, in my experience, there is a gap between what you expect and what others think is expected of them.

Focus on results, not activity

Often I have found (and I work on it myself) that we look at how many hours people work or how diligent they appear to be as a sign of their "laziness factor." I mean, if people are busy that's good, right? Likely, the better measure is results, not time spent. Perhaps one of the reasons we don't use that measure for others is that we don't want to hold ourselves to it.

Source: http://hodu.com/lazy.shtml

Are Funny People More Successful In Business?

Steve Cody, 57, is co-founder and managing partner of Peppercom, a mid-size communications agency based in New York. He’s also an amateur stand-up comedian, performing frequently at the New York Comedy Club.
“About five years ago I was suffering through an endless business dinner, when the guy next to me said he performed stand-up when not doing IT,” recalls Cody. Intrigued, he decided to take a course and start performing himself. Soon he noticed a happy crossover to his professional life, where he was employing humor more often, listening more intently to clients and becoming better at holding audiences’ attention during presentations.

Cody wanted his employees to reap the business benefits of comedy too, so he launched a 90-minute comedy workshop for his new recruits and staffers to attend every two months. He says it infuses them with confidence, bonds them with coworkers, teaches the nuances of reading an audience and environment, and livens up their presentations. The new refreshed and fun culture is also helping him secure business. “It’s a point of differentiation,” he says. “When all things are equal, clients will pick the firm they want to work with.”
Are funny people more successful in business? Old-school HR people are quick to say that humor is dangerous in the office: It too easily offends or falls flat. However, researchers and companies alike are beginning to tout the individual and company-wide benefits of a well-placed punch line. Those looking for an edge may want to think more critically about their funny bones.
“Humor has three primary impacts: cognitive, emotional and physiological,” says psychologist Steven Sultanoff, Ph.D., former president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. He explains that workplace humor may offer some perspective on a situation, which helps people process it. After a company leader sent a memo saying they needed to “shrink” a difficult problem, Sultanoff recalls, one employee posted a tiny copy of the memo on a community bulletin board. Also, because we can only feel one emotion at a time, humor creates an emotional lift by displacing frustration with the joy of the joke and a physiological reduction of stress hormones.
Sultanoff says that people who are funny likely will be perceived as more enjoyable and as better employees because they are in fact more successful. “If someone is using humor then they are connecting with people and building relationships, which creates opportunities that other people may not have.”
Research shows that successful humor boosts both personal productivity and group effectiveness. According to Michelle Gielan, an expert in positive psychology and cofounder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research, when something makes us smile or laugh, the feel-good chemical dopamine is dropped into our systems, which turns on all the learning centers in the brain and heightens creativity, productivity and engagement. In a meta-analysis of 225 academic studies, happy employees were found to have 31% higher productivity and 37% higher sales. Doctors who were primed to be positive came to the correct diagnosis 19% faster and more accurately, while business teams solved problems more quickly, were deemed better by bosses and got higher customer satisfaction ratings.
“Humor can serve to facilitate trust, ease tension and establish a sense of group cohesion,” says Anthony Pescosolido, a management and organizational behavior professor at the University of New Hampshire. In his research, he found that effective humor provides a sense of “psychological safety” that helps manage emotions and makes group members more willing to accept challenging goals. Using humor also increases attentiveness and persuasiveness. For a leader, it helps you relate by breaking down power structures and equalizing people in the organization.
Of course, all of this is true for humor that works. Sultanoff says it’s the “empathic humor,” which has a positive intent and arises out of your compassion for a person or situation, that serves people well. Conversely, “hostile humor” undermines productivity and wellbeing. It negatively targets an individual for a misdeed or character flaw. Someone may use it to show their superiority, as a form of passive aggressiveness or as punishment. It’s when you’re late to a meeting, and the boss says, “He’d be late to his own birth,” notes Sultanoff. It causes people to withdraw, feel more irritated and less motivated, and actively avoid others.

Are You Investing In The Happiness Advantage? 

Moreover, Sultanoff says potentially offensive humor—anything that may be construed as racist, sexist, ageist or hits upon another cultural sensitivity—could damage your reputation and professional relationships. “Even if someone isn’t offended by it themselves, they might be offended that it’s against the rules,” he says.
At Cody’s Peppercom, employees are quick to police attempts at humor that cross the line. Not long ago, a new male receptionist sent a company-wide email responding to their rained-out softball game. “I was looking forward to seeing the ladies in wet T-shirts,” he wrote. Immediately, both male and female coworkers told him that such comments were inappropriate and unwelcome, says Cody.
But even those skilled at “low-risk” humor should be wary of overkill. “Over-reliance on humor often leads to a sense that this individual is not a ‘serious’ worker, particularly if one tends to use self-deprecating humor,” says Pescosolido. The proverbial “class clown” may be considered a distraction and a barrier to group performance.
Despite the avenues for failure, some companies are betting on humor’s benefits. “Humor and play are in the corporate mission statements of Southwest Airlines, Google and Ben & Jerry’s,” Sultanoff says. “At most places, you won’t read it in the manual, but I think companies should be thinking about it.” He notes that only 15% of people are fired for incompetence—the other 85% are fired for not getting along with others. Used effectively, humor helps people get along, decreases turnover and increases productivity. And that’s no joke.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/02/21/funny-people-more-successful-in-business-humor-workplace/2/

How To Motivate Yourself To Be A Successful Entrepreneur

Do you wake up each day excited to work on your business?
Do you spend time thinking about your business even when you’re not at work?
For many, motivation is difficult to sustain. Some days are better than other. However, when you’re truly excited about your business, and it becomes an active and positive part of your life, everything changes.
When you wake up each day and you feel motivated and excited about your business, it opens the door for the other aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset.
You look for opportunities, you seize challenges, find creative solutions for problems and you effectively share your vision with others.
When you’re not motivated it becomes difficult to do anything other than manage your business. And you’re not a manager – you’re an entrepreneur!
Let’s take a look at a few key steps you can take to find motivation for your business.
Note: If you can’t summon any motivation for your present business, consider finding an idea that does inspire and motivate you.

#1 Gratitude
Gratitude is the ability to recognize and appreciate what you have. It’s also a practice. How often do you feel gratitude? Do you feel appreciative of:

• The things you have?
• The people in your life?
• Your daily experiences?

Gratitude accomplishes amazing things. It helps you stay positive and it has a dramatic affect on your motivation. Why? Because gratitude is something you want to feel more of and you want others to feel. It permeates your spirit and becomes part of who you are.
In order to benefit from gratitude it’s important to make it a part of your life.
Consider creating a habit of gratitude.
Start saying, and feeling, “Thank you” when you experience something wonderful or receive something in your life.
Start acknowledging the things you are grateful for. You can journal or simply create a daily practice of mentally listing the things you’re grateful for.
#2 Focus On Your Strengths and Joyous and Fulfilling Activities
What do you love to do? What are you good at?
Don’t know? Make a list. Start with the activities you love to do and the topics you’re passionate about.
Then create a plan to integrate these joyous and fulfilling activities into your day. Make sure you do something you love each and every day. It is sure to get you out of bed in the morning and excited and motivated for your day.
#3 Celebrate
Celebrate your successes. Each day, whatever you accomplish it doesn’t matter if it is big or small, celebrate your successes. It’ll add a smile to your face, a bounce to your step, and it will help you stay motivated to achieve more success.

#4 Get Inspired
One great way to stay inspired and motivated is to surround yourself with inspiration. So what inspires you? Music? Art? Books?
Create a home office that you enjoy spending time in. Surround yourself with the things you love. And of course, take the time to surround yourself with inspiring people.
It’s hard to feel unmotivated with such greatness all around you.
#5 Take Breaks
An annual vacation isn’t enough. It’s very important to your mental health and wellbeing to take breaks.
Schedule daily breaks. Make sure to take time off weekly and monthly. And of course don’t forget those annual vacations if that’s part of your tradition.
How many scheduled breaks do you take?
Even a few hours or a day or two can really make a difference. It gives you time to recharge and find that original source of inspiration and motivation.
Motivation can wane from day to day and even from task to task. However, being able to sustain motivation for your business is important. You want to feel excited about you business.
It’s the only way to really make it grow. Speaking of growth, the next step is all about tapping into your creative side and generating great, not to mention profitable, business ideas.

How to Start a Business with NO Money

Are you wondering how to start a business or take advantage of a great business idea when you have very little capital to get it off the ground? You may be struggling to determine which business to start because you don't have the resources. The experts will tell you when you are starting a business to try to get money from the three F's -- friends, family, and fools -- but there's a much smarter (and less insulting) strategy to get money for your venture.

The truth is you don't need money. You need what money can purchase. If you had your own small business fairy godmother, money would be unnecessary because everything you'd need to buy you could get for free. Turns out you don't need investors or a fairy godmother. You can start a business with no money and get people to work for you for free. Impossible? It's not. I've received "free" help from world-class graphic designers, web programmers, PR pros, marketing gurus, consultants, and other service providers many times and you can too.

Free is such a wonderful word. Unfortunately, nobody in their right mind is going to do anything for free. They'll want something in return. But that's where there is an opportunity for you. I've found that most people are looking for that something that will take their finances to the next level. They may not have the ideas, time, or even the drive to start their own venture, but if they can get a piece of a promising company with very little risk, many jump at the chance.

Sounds simple, but there are a lot of steps and hurdles you have to overcome in order to make a partnership like this a success. Follow these five tips to make sure you attract and retain the best service providers for your start-up:

1. Think partnership. You have to think in terms of a partnership. It can't be, "Let's see how much free stuff I can take from others." That will never work. You want your partners to feel like they are true partners in the venture. If you pay someone by the hour, you'll get an hour of their time. If you pay someone based on a venture's potential future success, you'll get their time, ideas, life, sweat, blood, and tears. Go into it looking for a partner, instead of someone to give you free stuff.
2. Great idea. Nobody worth working with will partner on a half-baked idea. Don't even think about recruiting service partners unless you have a really good idea. How do you know it's a good idea? Talk to your friends, family, and business associates. If most people think it's a winner, then you can feel good about finding partners.
3. Build buzz. Ever been skinny dipping? The first person to jump in risks the chance that nobody will follow. But by the time four or five people jump in, all the risk is gone. Your mission? When talking to potential partners, sell them on the fact that you've got several other interested partners. Nobody wants to be first and nobody wants to be last.
4. Establish credibility and trust. The biggest hurdle you must overcome is trust. You are asking someone who may have never met you to give away their service and their time. You must establish trust and credibility immediately. If you've had prior business success, talk about it. If you haven't yet, discuss your professional achievements so they can see you as someone who's had other successes.
5. Make a compelling offer. Let's break this down. You are asking someone you may have just met over email to give you something with the hope that you've got the skills and connections to make it a success. Make them an offer they simply cannot refuse. When they read your offer, you want them to be as giddy as a school girl. Remember, these are your partners. If you do well, you want them to do well too. Don't be stingy.

Whether you are starting a business or running an existing business, you don't need to get money from investors to make it a success. You can find potential partners everywhere. They're online and they're down the street. The same person who would laugh you out of their office if you asked them for a $2,500 investment may gladly trade $2,500 of their services to be part of a promising new venture. Why? Like you, most people are looking for an opportunity to get ahead without risking too much. If someone can invest a little of their time with the hopes of making a huge return, they may jump at the chance. Plus, it's much less painful than trying to get money from Uncle Richard.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-37441656/how-to-start-a-business-with-no-money/

Microsoft- Story of Success

According to reports from Washington, Microsoft Software Company is a multi-international American company. The company manufactures a large number of (software) and technical equipment. The company is composed of a group of companies for designing, developing, and manufacturing (software) systems for computers.

Its headquarter is located in (Redmond) city, Washington, far north-west of the United States, where its products and services are sold all over the world and its annual profit exceeds 44 billion dollars. According to a report by Forbes magazine "Bill Gates", the co-founder of Microsoft and its Chairman, is the richest man in the world, with a net worth estimated at 56 billion dollars. As for systems, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office are the most sold products of the Company, where both systems are used in most computers all over the world.

Microsoft Company was established by "Bill Gates" and "Paul Allen" in 1975. In the eighties, the Company dominated the market of home operating systems by launch MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System).

In the nineties, the Company has expanded its production to include computer networks and tools for navigating the internet. It created an MSN system as a new way to join the Online Services until it became a direct competitor of the AOL Company.

As for Microsoft operating systems that are based on servers, especially Windows (95, 98, XP), it is the main source of profit for the Company, giving it the ability for further expansion. The Company's expansion has been embodied in the system of "Internet Explorer" which has become a means for navigating and browsing the Internet, excelled (Netscape), and became the primarily explorer on the World Wide Web.

However, the dominance of Microsoft on the market has been accompanied by many argumentations. The American federal government and the European Union accused the Company of monopoly and exploitation, which resulted in shedding light on monopoly powers in the area of operating systems and web browsers sales, but the Company has defended itself saying: Both Windows operating system and Internet Explorer are intricately linked to each other, hence they are considered one single product. The Company also confirmed the benefits gained by consumers, but critics considered the explorer as separate product, and it is not necessary to be connected with the operating system.

Microsoft has tried to engage in many other markets, particularly the entertainment market, where it manufactures computer games. It has recently succeeded in entering into the games industry, estimated at billions of dollars, which was previously a solely for Sony and Nintendo. Although launching "Xbox" game in the market caused a great loss to Microsoft, the company overcame that problem after the success of the new version of the game.

On the other hand, Microsoft has one of the dominating projects regarding components. The task of this project is establishing and marketing Windows operating system for mobiles, such as personal digital assistants (PDAS), and cell phones. As for (Windows embedded), it is a set of operating systems, technology, and machines made for the market of internally developed installed machines. The most important of these products includes Windows (software) for mobiles, and (Windows embedded) operating system, and (Windows Automotive). Moreover, Microsoft owns a huge number of actions designed to help small, medium, and large businesses with financial management, customer relationship management, supply series management, and analytical systems.

In fact, the general trend in Microsoft focuses on products of personal usage or on the scope of actions and services. As a result of this strategy, (software) systems like Windows control about 93% of the operating system sales market all over the world.

With regard to server systems, the products of Windows Server represent 55% of the market. Hence, the fame and popularity of Microsoft is incomparable in the world of technology. As a result of that success that has been achieved over decades, Microsoft has become one of the most popular names in the world.

The strategy of Microsoft was described as a central developer. Every year new fresh graduates who have studied the development of (software), which made diverse media look to the company as it has a financial record, vision, excellent leadership, and good work environment.