The Best Business of Your Life
Windows 1.0 actually wasn’t much of a success.
Microsoft released Windows 2.0 two years later, in 1987, but it didn’t fare much better. It found moderate success thanks to software – in particular, Excel, Word, and Aldus Pagemaker.
It wasn’t until 1990, when Microsoft launched Windows 3.0, that they found significant success with a graphical operating system. It was a big moneymaker for the company and it sold over 10 million units in just two years. [Read more…]
Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard in 1974.
In I975, he co-founded Microsoft – a computer software company that would eventually make Gates the world’s wealthiest man. He earned the money by masterfully guiding the world into the era of networked personal computers.
Today, Gates is no longer the world’s wealthiest, but he’s still worth a healthy US$ 59 billion.
He’s retired from his role as Microsoft’s CEO and instead devotes himself full-time to philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Below, you’ll find 10 business lessons from the life of Bill Gates.
Gates is a very smart man, but he’s benefitted from more than his fair share of dumb luck.
In 1968, Gates was an eighth grader, attending a private middle school in Seattle called Lakeside. That year, the school invested $3,000 in a state-of-the-art computer.
13-year-old Bill joined computer club and was instantly hooked. He and a handful of other enthusiastic students racked up hours and hours on the machine, learning how to program through trial and error. It was the beginning of a journey that would propel Gates to astronomical success.
Here’s where the dumb luck comes in: in the 1960s, very few colleges had computer labs and a middle school with a computer was unheard of. The chances of a 13-year-old having access to a computer were pretty much one-in-a-million.
If Lakeside hadn’t purchased a computer, then young Bill might never have discovered his love for computer programming and he never would have started Microsoft.
Bill may have been ridiculously lucky, but all the computer time in the world wouldn’t have meant anything if he hadn’t dedicated himself so fully to master it.
Ultimately, it was the thousands of hours of focused labor that made Gates into the type of computer genius who could start a successful software company.
We don’t always recognize it, but each of us is uniquely lucky. Whether through our natural talents, our circumstances, or our relationships with others, we’re all fortunate to have many paths to success in front of us.
Take in your luck for a moment – and then capitalize on it.
Microsoft’s big break came from Bill Gates telling a fib.
Gates called up a computer company called MITS and told them that they had developed a BASIC interpreter for their microcomputer, the Altair 8800.In 1975, Gates and his childhood programming buddy, Paul Allen, were looking for a way to turn their shared computer hobby into a career.
MITS was interested in seeing a demonstration of the software. This presented a problem, since the software Bill had promised didn’t actually exist.
Gates and Allen developed it in a hurry, presented it to MITS, and made the sale. They officially founded Microsoft one month later, in April 1975.
As Microsoft grew, it began hiring more and more programmers.
Gates had taken on the role of CEO and his job didn’t call for any programming. But that didn’t stop him from reviewing – and often rewriting – every single line of code that the company released.
Bill’s keen eye for detail ensured that Microsoft always shipped quality software. It also made sure that he never lost track of his team and that he was always intimately familiar with Microsoft’s products.
As your business grows, you’ll likely have to hire a team of employees. It may be tempting to just let them work and trust that they’re doing a good job. But your company has a reputation to protect, so take a page from Gates’ book and keep a close watch on your team’s output.
Computer screens once displayed just text.
In the early 80’s, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer would travel around the country delivering seminars about how graphic interfaces were the operating systems of the future – but nobody believed them.
Computer companies told the Microsoft boys that graphic interfaces would be too slow and that it would be difficult to write the software for them. They were less than enthusiastic when Microsoft announced in 1983 that it was developing Windows
Attitudes changed quickly in 1984, when Apple launched the Macintosh. It became the first commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface (GUI).
All of a sudden, it was obvious to everyone that the wave of the future involved windows, icons, menus, and a pointing device. Within a few years, the market was flooded with graphical OS software. Notable examples include Deskmate, Workbench, and – of course – Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft was able to release Windows 1.0 in 1985, just a year after the Mac’s success, because they had actually started developing the software two years earlier.
If you’ve got a revolutionary idea, don’t worry if other people don’t get it. Start developing it now so that you’ll be prepared when the time is right.
I read this article about two sisters who took what seemed like a crazy idea that occurred to them one day back in college, and years later, turned it into a multimillion-dollar business. What is remarkable about this story is it proves once again that anyone can have the next million-dollar idea.
People Problem = Success
These sisters readily admit they didn’t come from an entrepreneurial household. In fact, they both went the “traditional” route in their careers after college. But one day, they decided to take their idea and see what they could do with it. And that, my friends, is where you and they differ. [Read more…]
1. Ask yourself how badly you want it.
Starting a business will be difficult, will strain your relationships, and will continually force you to make tough decisions.
Write down a list of all the activities and commitments you have in your life, with the amounts of time you devote to each during a week. Take note of the ones you can afford to lessen your involvement with, and let people know you are stepping back a bit to focus on a new project that means a lot to you. Think of the easy stuff first: time spent watching TV, playing video games, or surfing Facebook and Instagram. [Read more…]
We are bringing you this piece today to realise how much health is vital in the world of business. If you are not in good health, you will so weak to even press the button of your keyboard, not to talk of making money online. And we want to belive that one of the best form of good health is MENTAL HEALTH. If your mental health is sound, then you can be able to think and develop a lot of great ideas that will take your life to a higher level.
These are the 7 foods that can boost your mental health
1. Turmeric
Turmeric is a yellow spice often used in curry that contains the anti-inflammatory antioxidant curcumin. Curcumin is capable of crossing your blood-brain barrier, which is one reason why it holds promise as a neuroprotective agent in a wide range of neurological disorders.
2. Wild Alaskan Salmon
The omega-3 fats found in wild Alaskan salmon help fight inflammation throughout your body, including in your brain, and offer numerous protections to your brain cells.
3. Broccoli and Cauliflower
Broccoli and cauliflower are good sources of choline, a B vitamin known for its role in brain development.
Choline intake during pregnancy “super-charged” the brain activity of animals in utero, indicating that it may boost cognitive function, improve learning and memory, and even diminish age-related memory decline and the brain’s vulnerability to toxins during childhood, as well as conferring protection later in life. Eggs and meat are other food sources of choline.
4. Walnuts
Walnuts are good sources of plant-based omega-3 fats, natural phytosterols, and antioxidants, and have been shown to reverse brain aging in older rats. DHA, in particular, is a type of omega-3 fat that’s been found to boost brain function and even promote brain healing, although it’s more plentiful in animal-based omega-3 sources, like krill and wild Alaskan salmon, as opposed to walnuts.
5. Celery
Celery is a rich source of luteolin, a plant compound that may calm inflammation in your brain, which is a primary cause of neurodegeneration. In addition to celery, peppers and carrots are also good sources of luteolin.
6. Coconut Oil
The primary fuel your brain needs for energy is glucose. However, your brain is able to run on more than a single type of fuel, one being ketones (ketone bodies), or ketoacids. Ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy.
The medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) found in coconut oil are GREAT source of ketone bodies, because coconut oil is about 66 percent MCTs. Medium-chain triglycerides go directly to your liver, which naturally converts the oil into ketones.
7. Blueberries
The antioxidants and other phytochemicals in blueberries have been linked to improvements in learning, thinking and memory, along with reductions in neurodegenerative oxidative stress. They’re also relatively low in fructose compared to other fruits, making them one of the healthier fruits available. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
Wild blueberries have even been shown to reduce some of the effects of a poor diet (such as high blood pressure systemic inflammation). In one recent animal study, wild blueberries reduced the pro-inflammatory effects of a poor diet as well as prevented high blood pressure, which would be beneficial for your brain health as well
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When you work for yourself every penny counts, from the money coming in, to the money going out. Keeping a check on it all is a job in itself, yet it’s easy to see an accountant as just another expense. But there are many good reasons why spending that little bit extra to get a good accountant can actually help grow your business. Here are my top five benefits an accountant can bring to your business. [Read more…]
By using these 10 strategies you can get the mental edge you need to reach your potential.
Although clothes don’t make the man, they certainly affect the way he feels about himself. No one is more conscious of your physical appearance than you are. When you don’t look good, it changes the way you carry yourself and interact with other people. Use this to your advantage by taking care of your personal appearance. In most cases, significant improvements can be made by bathing and shaving frequently, wearing clean clothes, and being cognizant of the latest styles. [Read more…]
6. Money management
It takes time to get to profitability for any entrepreneurial venture. Till then, capital is limited and needs to be utilized wisely. Successful entrepreneurs realize this mandatory money management requirement and plan for present and future financial obligations (with some additional buffer). Even after securing funding or going fully operational, a successful businessman keeps a complete handle on cash flows, as it is the most important aspect of any business. [Read more…]
6. Compliment other people
When we think negatively about ourselves, we often project that feeling on to others in the form of insults and gossip. To break this cycle of negativity, get in the habit of praising other people. Refuse to engage in backstabbing gossip and make an effort to compliment those around you. In the process, you’ll become well liked and build self confidence. By looking for the best in others, you indirectly bring out the best in yourself. [Read more…]
Do you have the qualities of a successful entrepreneur?
Although there is no “one size, fits all” theory for entrepreneurship, a few guidelines may help those with a good idea become successful entrepreneurs. The following insights can help you embark on your next entrepreneurial venture with due diligence. [Read more…]
