Welcome

What if you could sit down to dine with some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and have a conversation with them? What would you ask them? What business ideas and life lessons would they give to you? Of course, it was not possible to deliver any one of these rock star entrepreneurs to your dinner table – no matter who was doing the cooking or what you were serving.

But I could be your ambassador, and I will present you in my book – nine of the world’s greatest living visionaries of our time, people who have truly changed the way we live and think, the way we work and play, the way we now see the world itself. Some might even be controversial and present us with some bad examples. The book includes a collection of 9 books. Each book has 50 Life and Business lessons from a very famous and successful person.One thing I’ve learned over the years of being an entrepreneur is that if you don’t have passion for the business you are doing, thenthe probability of not making it is very high. I’m here to fuel that passion by giving you some great ideas you can depend on. The goal is to get the reader motivated and inspired to take action and succeed in life. I was really inspired to start working for myself and be my own boss when I read Richard Branson’s biography, and the one on Steve Jobs really made me want to be the best at what I do, but reading these long books more than 500 pages each, is really time consuming, so I put the most important information about each person into a short and digestible form so that you can get the most value from the book in the shortest period of time. In summary, you will learn the most important things about each person; they will get you motivated, and they will save your time!

How were these nine people chosen? To a large extent by their impact. How original was their idea? How influential had it become? Did it transfer our personal lives in any significant way? Did it alter our professional lives to allow us to become more productive, more thoughtful, and better equipped to accomplish things to make our own mark in this world? Admittedly, the answers to these questions are entirely subjective. As are the choices of the people in this book, all of them are world changers whose product and services have found their way – big and small into our lives.

As important as the products and services these visionaries have brought to the world, they also have deserved reputations for creating places of work that encourage creativity, innovation, and meaning.

The goal is to bring that person’s experience and wisdom to these pages for your benefit, to inspire you so you can learn and achieve. I want this book to be both a meditation on entrepreneurship and an inspiration for those who want to create something meaningful on their own. Speaking of the entrepreneurs, there is much more similarity than difference in how they think. They all start not thinking about themselves; they start to think externally, and how they can help their country (or even the world).

There are three main attributes every entrepreneur shares: opportunistic mindset, acceptance of risk and potential failure, independence, and control.

Opportunistic Mindset

Where others see disruption and chaos, entrepreneurs see opportunity. It is a simple, even romantic notion of entrepreneurship, perhaps. Still, many great businesses have been created by people who were able to clearly spot an opportunity in the chaos of a crowded marketplace.

Acceptance of Risk and Potential Failure

While entrepreneurs are far more willing to assume the necessary risk that comes with creating something new, they are just ready to allow for the possibility that they could be wrong. Dead wrong at times. Among venture capitalists, in fact, failure is viewed as something like a badge of honor, since you learn way more from your failures, rather than from your successes. As Arnold Schwarzenegger said: “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. ”

Independence and Control

Almost everyone wants to have a sense of independence and control over their life. But with entrepreneurs, having independence and control is as much a need as it is a want. Steve Jobs is a great example of this by controlling the full user experience for his customers from the buying through the packaging to the hardware and software. Make no mistake about it: The need for control is fundamental to an entrepreneur’s vision. Individuals with an external focus of control typically believe that events happen as a result of circumstances that are beyond their control. By contrast, people who possess internal focus of control believe that the events in their life result directly from their own actions or behavior.

To these three core stands, entrepreneurs bring drive, tenacity, and persistence. They live what they believe, building success by a strong culture and values. They seek out niches and market gaps. They are architects of their own passionate and focused vision. An often common thought little-noticed trait among many of the most successful entrepreneurs is personal tragedy. For example, Oprah Winfrey was sexually abused from the age of nine to thirteen and Steve Jobs was unwanted by his parents and given up for adoption at birth. But they had the will to overcome every obstacle. It comes from their trust in themselves, so many of these entrepreneurs share this fundamental adversity. If there is turmoil in their lives, there seems to be a vision to move far beyond it.

All of those traits and challenges are highly evident in the following conversations with some of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs. These exceptional institution builders offer a treasure chest of insights: how to seize new opportunities, build valuable and lasting companies, lead people, think more creatively, and overcome obstacles. All of them know how to win. All of them are winners.

This book will stimulate your thinking and make the necessary adjustments needed to ensure success in your situation. I hope that these ideas will provide you with the inspiration to find out more or develop your thinking along new, creative lines and generating brilliant ideas for your life and your business.