Ouch. I'm done. Closing comments:
1) I have no idea what Jon Carnes knows. He's smart. Good enough for me. 2) I have no idea what Mark Freeze knows, but he's evidently got a lifetime of experience to draw upon. Good for you. The world needs folks that can make wise and informed decisions. 3) We have plenty of over-achievers on the list. Good. The world needs over-achievers. 4) Evidently, greatness is driven predominantly by the decision to be great. 5) Alan Porter doesn't like OT threads. Point well taken. 6) I really, really thought I'd been arguing in support of Jon's closing statement (set goals and achieve them), but evidently not. I've done a poor job communicating my points (evidently), so I'll shut up and leave world domination to someone else. You guys win. Take me out, coach -- I'm hurt... Shane O. On 26 Sep 2005 20:29:34 -0400, Jon Carnes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Shane Cassandra O'Donnell, > > You have no idea what I know... and you've also taken much out of > context. > > I'm sure the top five folks on the list got there by *not* being > satisfied - they probably still feel restless. That's why they are where > they are. You won't be there - unless you marry one of Sam Walton's > kids, but you're happy with that and that's okay. > > ... About planning. There was a great article on XO corp that I read > last week. The article talked about their ability to innovate and rise > again to profitability. One of the key components to their success: Not > over analyzing. They said it was paralyzing to plan too much. The key > thing was to have a fixed goal and then to be flexible enough to > overcome problems as they arose. > > That is the key to success in business: setting goals that move you > forward, and overcoming those obstacles that get in the way of those > goals... not listening to the Cassandra's of the world and paralyzing > yourself with mediocrity. > > Jon > > On Mon, 2005-09-26 at 09:01, Shane O'Donnell wrote: > > So we're not satisfied unless we make the Top 10 richest people in America > > list? > > > > How about Quality of Life issues? How about personal happiness? How > > about the enjoyment in doing an honest day's work for an honest day's > > pay, coming home and kissing your significant other, hugging your > > kids, and having a beer on the porch with the neighbors? > > > > Prediction: No one on this mailing list is going to become one of the > > Top 10 richest people in America. I'll even extend that to say Top > > 1000. Big deal. > > > > Now, on various other topics: > > > > - "You must have money to make money". Not true, although the > > prospect is much easier if you do, given interest income, investment > > opportunities, etc. > > - "I earned the equivalent of an MBA in a weekend/two weeks". Also > > not true (sorry Jon), although the specific tactical knowledge you may > > have derived might have scratched a particular itch. MBA schools are > > still somewhat more about abstract processes and having the ability to > > apply principles to a broad array of situations, sectors, businesses, > > etc. And to the previous point, in many ways, they are about the > > networks you can build--and it costs more to go to Duke than UNC or NC > > State in part because of the network you'll build (and the likelihood > > that that network will have money in it somewhere) > > - "Most new business startups fail". True, and usually it's not > > because they have a bad idea, but because of execution. Over a short > > period, the market can be very forgiving to a bad idea executed well. > > Over the long term, bad ideas are bad ideas. Ask the guy that came up > > with "New Coke". > > - "Charter schools shouldn't be measured by the same guidelines as > > public schools." What?!?!? If they are funded by our tax dollars > > (which they are) and the DPI is funded by our tax dollars (which it > > is), there seems to be a pretty tragic disconnect here. My experience > > with charter schools is basically nil, aside from researching them as > > an option when we were deciding where to send our kids. The turning > > point in our decision was when the principal from the magnet school > > told us that the charter school we were looking at had a pattern of > > hiring the teachers that he interviewed and passed on. Take that for > > what it's worth -- a single data point from a potentially biased > > source. > > - "Innovative scientiest don't innovate when they join a team." I > > have no idea what the truth-factor on this statement is, but I highly > > doubt it. Personally, I'm much more innovative when working with > > talented folks. Left to my own devices, the means and the end are > > decidedly less fulfilling. > > - "You don't need a college education to be successful." True, if > > you have low standards/goals, would rather learn from your own > > mistakes over a longer period of time, or are a genius. Otherwise, > > shut up and go to school. > > > > Okay kids, if I haven't offended you all by now, here's my > > earth-shattering statement that you'll all hate: > > > > The genius of Genius is in its simplicity. > > > > We rush to call our "big winners" in business "Geniuses", but almost > > across the board, especially compared to today's climate, these ideas > > were all pretty simple. Sam Walton started a department store (Retail > > is not rocket science, although it approaches rocket science when you > > do it on the scale that Wal-Mart does it). Bill Gates (and co.) > > created DOS. Note: DOS wasn't the first operating system, it was > > simply another operating system that achieved mass-market distribution > > status very quickly, thanks to a deal with the soon-to-be-huge IBM PC. > > Where would Microsoft be without that original IBM deal? (Note: You > > were expected to bring two blue books and you'll have 45 minutes to > > complete your answer.) Michael Dell sold commodity computer > > parts/assembled boxes out of his dorm room. So did a lot of us. He > > just did it well, focusing on growth during a rapdily growing market, > > taking investment capital at the right time, and then shifting his > > focus to cost-competitiveness through optimized processing and bulk > > purchasing. > > > > The point here is that these businesses were not beyond the grasp of > > anyone on this list. But many of the concepts, including sales and > > marketing, ARE beyond the grasp of many on this list--despite our > > collective efforts to belittle the importance of these parts of a > > company (or company strategy). Advanced technologies and years of > > research usually don't take the market by storm until they've been > > dumbed down so that Joe Blow and his wife can use them cheaply and > > easily. Michael Dell didn't invent the ISA bus--he just sold it. Ask > > someone in bio-tech when they make money...it's not when they invent a > > drug that reduces hair-loss in chemo patients--it's when they build a > > better "erectile disfunction" mousetrap. > > > > I'll shut up. And sorry about that final painful mental image... > > > > Shane O. > > > > On 9/26/05, Ben Pitzer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Don't get me wrong. I know that there are hard working people out there, > > > the > > > ones who put together a business model and bust their asses through hard > > > work, scrimping every cent in order to make things work. Paul Allen went > > > to > > > a private high school where he met Bill Gates, and his father was an > > > associate director of libraries for the University of Washington ( > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Allen). So I'd say there was a little > > > money there. > > > > > > Michael Dell, however, did it on his own, as I understand things. He > > > busted > > > his ass, and simply had a great idea at a great time. He had the other > > > thing > > > that can make money: a great idea, one that comes along once every 100 > > > years. Sam Walton had that, too. He started with some money. Not a ton, > > > but > > > enough to start up a discount department store in Arkansas, which is still > > > more than I probably have. Nevertheless, he had a great idea, busted his > > > ass, and made it work. > > > > > > No, money isn't all it takes. But it sure as hell helps, as most of the > > > top > > > 10 will tell you. > > > > > > -Ben Pitzer > > > > > > > > > On 9/26/05, Mark Freeze <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Bill Gates was going to Harvard when he dropped out so I think he must > > > > have > > > > had some family cash behind him. I don't think that Paul Allen or > > > > Michael > > > > Dell had any big family money backing them. I don't know for Ellison or > > > > the > > > > other guy. The bottom of the top ten are all Waltons. They all inherited > > > > the > > > > money, but the person they inherited it from was (I think) the > > > > proverbial > > > > rags-to-riches story. > > > > Regards, > > > > Mark. > > > > > > > > > > > > On 9/25/05, Ben Pitzer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I'm going to jump on this dead horse and start a'whippin, just because > > > > > it's > > > > > Sunday night, I'm bored, and y'all need to know that I still listen > > > > around > > > > > here so you don't start gettin' all mouthy about me. > > > > > > > > > > Anyone ever heard the old adage 'you have to have money to make > > > > > money'? > > > > I > > > > > think that there's an imporant correlary to be drawn here, and that is > > > > > that > > > > > having money to start with is the best way to make money. > > > > > > > > > > My question about each of these on the top 5 (haven't seen the list > > > > > myself) > > > > > is whether or not they came from wealthy families to begin with. Going > > > > > from > > > > > big bucks to mega bucks doesn't impress me. Going from my salary to > > > > > big > > > > > bucks does. When you have money, you have connections and/or the > > > > > ability > > > > > to > > > > > make connections. That means that you are invited into situations that > > > > > allow > > > > > you to make money, and which are much more reliable than those that > > > > people > > > > > such as myself will find. The last time that somebody offered me an > > > > > opportunity to invest my money and make (potentially) millions, it > > > > > involved > > > > > purchasing cleaning products from his online store that he didn't own, > > > > and > > > > > was the marketing brain child of the family that brought us Amway. > > > > > > > > > > So frankly I don't think that having a college education always helps > > > > when > > > > > you already have all the tools you need to be successful, and that is > > > > > a > > > > > head > > > > > start. > > > > > > > > > > Flame on, > > > > > Ben Pitzer > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 9/23/05, Mark Freeze <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Remember the posts we had a couple of weeks ago regarding education > > > > > > & > > > > > > certifications? I was just reading the list of the 10 richest people > > > > in > > > > > > the > > > > > > US and I saw an interesting fact: Out of the top 5, 4 were college > > > > > > dropouts. > > > > > > (The bottom 5 were all from the Wal-Mart family.) > > > > > > I hope everyone has a good weekend, > > > > > > Mark. > > > > > > -- > > > > > > TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug > > > > > > TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ > > > > > > TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ > > > > > > TriLUG PGP Keyring : http://trilug.org/~chrish/trilug.asc > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug > > > > > TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ > > > > > TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug > > > > TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ > > > > TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ > > > > > > > -- > > > TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug > > > TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ > > > TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ > > > > > > > > > -- > > Shane O. > > ======== > > Shane O'Donnell > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ==================== > > -- > TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug > TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ > TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ > -- Shane O. ======== Shane O'Donnell [EMAIL PROTECTED] ==================== -- TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/
