Inspirational stories of well-known entrepreneurs: Mobak and? Coin star?
? Mobak's entrepreneurial story
1989, Maubacq was an ordinary student at Stanford University. His academic performance is very good and he gets a scholarship every year. His parents are both small clerks, with many children and a particularly poor life. In order to relieve parents' pressure, Maubacq used his spare time to contract the work of cleaning students' apartments.
When cleaning the student apartment for the first time, Mobak swept out a lot of dusty coins under the walls, between the sofas and under the students' beds. These coins, including 65,438+0 cents, 2 cents and 5 cents, can be found in every student apartment. When Maubacq returned these coins to his classmates, no one showed the slightest enthusiasm: a handful of coins in his wallet can't buy much. We threw them away on purpose. ?
Did you throw the money away on purpose? After this incident, Maubacq wrote to the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, reflecting that small coins were thrown away in vain. The Ministry of Finance quickly wrote back to Mobak and said:? Every year, 3 1 100 million dollars of coins circulate in the national market, but among them, 654,380+0.5 billion dollars, as you have reflected, are thrown into the gap between the wall and the sofa to sleep.
65.438+005 billion dollars! Maubacq was shocked. These coins are often scattered in the cracks of the sofa, under the carpet, in the corners of drawers, etc. If these coins can be circulated, how considerable the profit will be!
199 1 year, Mobak, who just graduated from Stanford University, set up his own? Coin star? The company introduced an automatic money changer. As long as the customer puts the coins in his hand into the machine, the machine will automatically count them, and then print out a receipt and write down the total face value of the coins. Customers take receipts to the supermarket service desk to collect cash. The automatic money changer charges a handling fee of about 9%, and the profits are divided by the company and the supermarket in proportion.
Mobak's? Coin star? It soon became famous. Supermarkets all over the United States contacted Moback's company and asked for cooperation. Five years later? Coin star? The company set up 10800 automatic coin changer in 8900 major supermarket chains in the United States, and became a NASDAQ listed company. Mobak, a penniless poor boy, became rich overnight and became a great billionaire. People call him? Billionaires built on a penny? !
Inspirational stories of famous entrepreneurs: Michael? Dell went from scratch to a millionaire.
While other computer manufacturers around the world are experiencing the pain of sluggish sales, Dell computers continue to prosper. When its global shipments increased by 18% in the second quarter of 2002, the shipments of other manufacturers decreased by 4%. 37-year-old Michael. Dell has been the CEO of Dell Computer Company for nearly 20 years. 1984 When Dell Computer was founded, its registered capital was only 1000 USD. By 200 1 year, its sales reached $3 10 billion, with 36,000 employees worldwide. In the Fortune Global 500 in 2002, Dell ranked 13 1.
Why can Dell maintain such rapid development? Selling directly to customers? Direct mode? And customer classification? Market segmentation? Mode is its two magic weapons. But in fact, it all came from its founder? Michael. Dell's accidental inspiration as a teenager.
Michael, when? When Dell was a child in the 1970s, his parents talked about inflation and the oil crisis at the dinner table, which made him interested in business since he was a child. /kloc-at the age of 0/2, he took his first business adventure? In order to save money, he didn't want to buy stamps from the auction, but persuaded his neighbors to entrust him to buy stamps and then published advertisements selling stamps in professional journals. Unexpectedly, he earned 2000 dollars. This made Michael Dell feel it for the first time? Direct contact? Strength and gain, that is, the benefits of no middleman. At the same time, he realized that if there is a good idea, it is definitely worth taking some actions. After tasting the sweetness of direct selling as a teenager, michael dell put this in his later entrepreneurial attempt. Direct mode? Play to the extreme.
In junior high school, Michael? Dell owns an Apple computer and soon turned his interest to the business opportunities behind it. Soon, he noticed that IBM personal computers had more commercial uses. He eagerly learned all the knowledge of computers, used the money earned from selling newspapers to buy computer parts, modified the computer and sold it for profit, and then modified another one. During this period, he found that the price and profit margin of computers were very irregular. An IBM personal computer costs $3,000, and parts can be bought for $600 to $700. Moreover, most people who leave computer stores don't know much about computers and can't provide technical support for customers. At that time, he had bought exactly the same computer parts, upgraded the computer and sold it to people he knew. So michael dell came up with an idea: as long as he sells more, he can compete with those stores. Because there is no middleman, his modified computer has not only the price advantage, but also the quality and service advantage, that is, it can provide computers with different functions according to the direct requirements of customers.
Shortly after he became an unusual freshman at the University of Texas, he drove a white BMW with three computers in the back seat. He realized that computers would become the most important tool in the 20th century, and he faced a huge opportunity. At that time, major manufacturers in the computer industry, including Apple Computer and IBM, chose to sell computers through distributors, but michael dell hoped to provide customers with better value and service through direct sales, and hoped to become a leader in this field. 1984, Michael? Dell dropped out of school and started his own company in an office of about 93 square meters in Austin. Dell computer company? .
Michael who supported his school days? Dell's money for playing with computers came from his part-time job selling newspapers when he was 16 years old. That summer, he was responsible for winning subscribers for the Houston Post. The newspaper gave him a thick phone book and asked him to call to sell it to customers. But michael dell soon discovered in his sales promotion that there are two kinds of people who will almost certainly be willing to subscribe to newspapers: those who just got married and those who just moved into a new house. Then after investigation, he found that couples will definitely register their addresses in the court when they get married, and some companies will sort out the list of loan applicants according to the amount of housing loans. So, he managed to get the information of these two kinds of people around him, and sent them letters directly, providing information about subscribing to newspapers. In this way, michael dell earned $6.5438+$8,000 that year, which not only made him buy more computers, but also inspired his creative inspiration? Know the customer better than the customer? Market segmentation strategy.
Inspirational stories of famous entrepreneurs: the inspirational stories of Niu Gensheng, founder of Mengniu Group.
Niu Gensheng, engaged in dairy industry for 27 years. At the end of 2004, Niu Gensheng donated all his shares to establish? Old cow special fund? , become? China is the first person to donate shares? 、? The first Chinese in the world to donate shares? . Niu Gensheng founded Mengniu Dairy on 1999. No factory, no milk source, no market? The development under the predicament, so that Mengniu now? First, there are global model factories, second, there are international demonstration pastures, and third, the sales volume of liquid milk ranks first in the country? .
1978 became a dairy worker in Dahehe Milk Factory in Hohhot 1983 served as the director of Inner Mongolia Yili Group (formerly Hohhot Huimin Milk Food Factory) 1992 served as the vice president of production and operation of Inner Mongolia Yili Group 1998 was removed from the post of vice president of production and operation by Inner Mongolia Yili Group at the end of 1998.
Starting from 1999, Niu Gensheng founded Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd. and served as the chairman and president. His honors include: Top Ten Entrepreneurs in China in 2002 (I)? ; ? China's most valuable economic cover in 2002? ; ? China private industrial industry leader? ; ? China's new business leaders in 2003? ; 2003CCTV？ China Economic Person of the Year? ; In 2004? China planning highest award? Wait a minute.
Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd. was established in August 1999 with the contribution of natural persons. At present, the company is a Sino-foreign joint venture. In just a few years after its establishment, Mengniu's business income has risen from 1 1 16 to the second in the country.
Interview with China Business News.
Although there may be secrets unknown to outsiders, Niu Gensheng and Zheng Junhuai, who have worked together for many years, have fought side by side for many years? A ring? Tell the judge that he has a completely different attitude towards wealth: Zheng Junhuai seems to want to take away what doesn't belong to him, while Niu Gensheng takes out the wealth that belongs to him.
Recently launched in Niu Gensheng? Old Bull Foundation? Niu Gensheng revealed that the foundation has been registered in Hohhot. In addition to him, there are milk association, government officials and middle-level leaders of Mengniu, but within three years, other institutions and individuals can only provide 1 yuan to the foundation at most. At present, the main fund is 565,438+0% of Niu Gensheng's dividend in 2003, which is about 3 million yuan.
On the afternoon of 20 15 12 18, the reporter of China Business News had an exclusive conversation with Niu Gensheng at the headquarters of Mengniu Group for more than two hours. Its office is relatively simple. What is the most prominent feature? Cattle? A lot, three ox-shaped handicrafts, three? Cattle? This picture is in the room.
It is difficult to make a decision.
Q: Is it easy to decide to set up a foundation?
Niu Gensheng: At the end of 2002, I was thinking about this. This is a very difficult process and has been repeated several times. At that time, I also settled down to read books for a while, and the most I read was the Tao Te Ching. It started operation at the end of 2003. But in the year after I made this decision, I experienced the happiness I had never experienced in my life, a kind of transcendental happiness (at this time, Niu quickly loosened her tie). I am also very practical now, I am not worried about the intimidation of others, and I have no misunderstanding about my crazy pursuit of wealth, so it will be true for children to find someone.
Q: Does your family agree?
Niu Gensheng: Now my wife and two children have signed an agreement, but when I told them this idea at the end of 2003, my family and relatives were very contradictory. In our family, everyone agrees, just the depth of understanding.
Q: You have been on the rich list, but I heard that you don't consider yourself rich. Why?
Niu Gensheng: Before I founded Mengniu, I thought I was rich. At that time, I had more than 6.5438+0 million yuan realized from Yili shares. I can live comfortably in Inner Mongolia. But now, I owe more than 2 million foreign debts. As for the shares I own, it's just a number, and I may never spend them all, because in the extremely sensitive Hong Kong stock market, I may never dare to realize the shares all my life, because it will have a very bad impact on the stock price of enterprises. Why should I let that number bind me for life?
Q: Do you want your entrepreneurs, friends and colleagues to follow your example? What do they think of your practice?
Niu Gensheng: No, but to be honest, it's really hard to do. Even my colleagues and subordinates have different opinions.
Are all above average? Successor?
Q: What do you think is good for the long-term healthy operation of your enterprise?
Niu Gensheng: I understood this truth when I was young. My money is spent by everyone, so my friends will listen to me and do something. Bad things? Listen to me, too
The food industry itself is a high-risk industry. As an enterprise less than seven years old, we must make a new breakthrough in the way and means of competition and the management system. I should have what foreign countries should have, and what he doesn't have, so should we. The establishment of Lao Niu Foundation is such a breakthrough for the long-term healthy development of enterprises.
For the new chairman and CEO, he not only got the benefits he deserved, but also won the highest award in business. According to the foundation's articles of association: after I no longer serve as the chairman, less than 10% of my voting rights will be inherited and exercised by the next chairman, and the chairman will also have the control right of the fund and the maximum share reward given by the foundation. Not only have the right to speak, but also the right to distribute, which will certainly attract excellent management talents. Who can give you so much?
Q: Do you think this is the only way to build a century-old Mengniu?
Niu Gensheng: Of course not, but I really can't think of a better way.
Q: Can you sit back and relax after building Mengniu for a hundred years? Do you have any other ideas?
Niu Gensheng: It's not enough to rely on yourself. If everything else is done, doing more will probably make Mengniu healthier.
Q: The biggest purpose of your foundation is to make Mengniu develop healthily. Have you considered the issue of successors?