Michael 8 years old Michael makes a serious attempt to get an early high school diploma and invites a representative of the testing company to his house.
Michael is 12 years old Michael successfully implements his first business project. Passionate about old stamps and moonlighting as a water peddler at a Chinese restaurant to buy them, Michael sees the stamp trade as a commercial opportunity for himself and creates his own stamp auction. He does this in order to bypass the intermediaries - traditional auctioneers - to learn more about stamps and earn commissions himself as a result. Michael convinces several people in the area to trust him with their stamps, advertises "Stamps Della" in a magazine Linn's Stamp Journal , prints a 12-page catalog with one finger and sends it out. As a result, Michael earns $2,000 and learns the benefits of action directly, not through an intermediary, at an early age He also learns that if you have good idea, the efforts to put it into practice are very well paid as a result.
Michael is 16 Michael takes a summer job at The Houston Post. He sells newspaper subscriptions on a commission basis and learns the power of market segmentation. The newspaper gave him a list of all new phone owners from the telephone company and told him to call everyone. Michael, considering this method ineffective, soon notices some pattern, analyzing responses of potential buyers with whom he talks. Two groups of people who almost always subscribe to post, - newlyweds and newcomers. Michael hires two of his classmates to look for such people. He also writes personal letters to high potential buyers. As a result of these efforts, Michael earned $18,000 that year, more than his school teacher. After graduating from school, Michael went to study at the University of Texas at Austin in a new bmw bought with his own money.
Michael is 18 Michael, a freshman at the University of Texas, gets a sales license and starts selling high-end computers he makes by upgrading standard computers. He explains to his father that he ultimately wants to compete with IBM and register a company PC's Limited.
Michael is 19 Michael founds a firm"Dell Computer Corporation" with start-up capital$1,000. He is completing his freshman year and leaving the university to be able to devote himself entirely to a new venture..
Michael is 26 years old Michael becomes the youngest in US historyCEO company included in Fortune 500.
Now known as the founder of the personal computer company Dell, Michael Dell was born on February 23, 1965 in Houston, Texas. From childhood, he showed considerable interest in everything related to technology and gadgets. When he was 15, he bought one of the first Apple computers. However main goal This purchase was to disassemble the invention, innovative for that time, to the very last screw in order to fully study the principles of operation. It seems that Michael Dell's success story began at that moment. In college, he began building and selling computers on his own, focusing on Special attention technical support customers and affordable prices. Dell was able to become the largest company in the personal computer market.
Some facts for those who are always in a hurry
Full name: Michael Saul Dell.
Occupation: founder of Dell and youngest CEO big company throughout history.
Nationality: American.
Education: University of Texas at Austin.
Status as of 2017: US$20.4 billion.
How it all began
Even short biography Michael Dell abounds from the start interesting facts.
Already in the 1980s, he revolutionized the computer business by creating one of the largest corporations at the moment, Dell Computer Corporation (now known as Dell Inc.). From a small business in a dorm room at the University of Texas, it quickly grew into a huge computer company. Just 8 years after its founding, in 1992, Michael Dell's photo spread around all popular publications. And not just like that. After all, he became the youngest CEO of a company included in the Fortune Global 500 - a ranking that includes the largest (based on revenue) corporations around the world.
However, this success is not unexpected. From childhood, Dell ignored the attempts of his parents (his mother worked as a stockbroker, and his father worked as an orthodontist) to bring his son into the world of medicine. He was attracted by technology and business.
At the age of 12, Michael Dell got a job as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant in order to replenish his stamp collection with the money he received. A couple of years later, he successfully used his ability to "find mutual language with data in order to increase the number of subscribers of the Houston Post newspaper.
Intrigued by a rising, growing world computer technology, at the age of 15 he bought his first computer. They became a device from Apple. From this moment begins the biography of businessman Michael Dell.
Dell
In college, Dell found the very niche that would bring him incredible success. The world of personal computers was just in its infancy, there was more than enough free space on the computer market. But in order to become successful, you need to stand out with something. After carefully analyzing all the available information, Michael Dell realized that no computer company has yet sold its products directly. Cutting out the middleman and the associated price increase, he used his $1,000 savings to start selling computers to his college friends. However, Dell's main emphasis was not so much on the quality of the equipment, but on related services: constant technical support and lower price compared to competitors. Very soon, the business expanded beyond college, and Dell focused on building his own company.
The results were stunning. In its first year (1984), sales revenue was $6 million. By 2000, Michael Dell had become a billionaire, his company had branches in 34 countries, the total number of employees in which was more than 35,000 people. In subsequent years, Dell was able to bypass Compaq, which at that time was the largest manufacturer of personal computers.
In the first 20 years, Dell has been able to achieve such incredible success, becoming one of the most successful enterprises on the planet, hitting even such giants as Wal-Mart and General Electric with its pace. In 1999, Michael Dell even released the book “From Dell Without Intermediaries. Strategies That Revolutionized the Computer Industry,” which became a bestseller.
In 2004, Michael left the post CEO handing over the reins to Kevin Rollins. However, he continues to zealously follow the life of the company and increase his fortune, being the chairman of the board of directors.
Awards and achievements
Of course, the founder of such a large-scale and amazing company could not be left without attention. Of particular note are the following achievements:
Already in 1991, the company received an award given to enterprises with the highest rating among buyers.
Michael Dell has been named CEO of the Year three times by various American publications: in 1993, 1998 and 2001. Being the head of a large company is no small achievement in itself, but becoming the “best of the best” is worth a lot.
In 2005, he was ranked 18th (among world figures) in the Forbes list.
And in 2013, Dell, which by that time had already significantly expanded its product range, received the Bower Award, awarded for business leadership and significant contribution to science.
In addition to awards for achievement in the professional field, Dell has repeatedly received awards for his human qualities, being a well-known philanthropist.
Personal life
There are many white spots in the biography of Michael Dell, and they are mainly related to his family. Being a modest and rather closed person, Dell does not consider it necessary to devote the press to his family affairs.
In 1989, Michael married Texas native and former athlete Susan Lynn Lieberman. The couple is happy to this day. They have four children: three daughters (Alexa, Kira and Jeliet) and a son (Zachary).
It is also known that the wife of Michael Della also manages fashion brand under the name Phi, and represents him in Vogue and other organizations associated with the fashion industry.
Michael has younger brother Adam Dell, who is involved in venture capital investments. Adam actually started his career as a corporate lawyer, working for a private firm in Texas before getting into venture capital. Adam is also a visiting professor at the University of Texas School of Law.
In addition to his children, Michael Dell spends a lot of time with his famous niece Krishna Tela Lakshmi-Dell, the daughter of Adam Dell and famous Indian model Padma Lakshmi.
Charity
According to acquaintances, the incredibly shy and secretive Michael Dell was able to crawl out of his shell thanks to his wife Susan, whom he married in 1989.
In 1999, the couple founded the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, a large private charitable organization that makes millions of donations to people like the South Asian tsunami victims. In 2006, the foundation donated $50 million to the University of Texas.
Leaving the post of CEO in 2004, Michael Dell did not go underground. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum and the Executive Board of the International Business Council. He was also a member of the US Presidential Council, responsible for Scientific research and technology development. He also served on the board of directors of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.
Few scandals
However, these years have not been without negatives. Poor computer design cost Michael Dell's company $300 million in troubleshooting. This unfortunate nuisance dethroned Dell from its leading position in the industry. In an attempt to rectify the situation in 2007, Dell returned to the post of CEO, but the results were mixed.
In July 2010, Michael Dell made headlines by agreeing to pay more than $100 million in fines to settle a company allegation of financial reporting fraud, substantially inflating his real earnings, thereby misleading investors about the company's real position.
The current position of the brainchild of Michael Dell
In his quest to help rebuild the company he founded, Michael Dell announced in February 2013 that he would once again take matters into his own hands. He reached an agreement with Silver Lake Partners, a private joint stock company, specializing in technology, and software giant Microsoft to buy back all of Dell's shares. The deal was valued at between $23 billion and over $24 billion, making it one of the largest share buybacks in recent history.
According to news outlets, Michael Dell believes the operation will start a new chapter for the company, customers and employees. Many analysts share Dell's enthusiasm, but believe that the company is still not all right. However, in recent years, Dell has again demonstrated its talents by releasing quite competitive models in the tablet and smartphone market.
Among the richest entrepreneurs on the planet is the founder famous brand in the IT industry Michael Dell. The quotes of this talented businessman have become the favorite theses of many of those who have embarked on the path of free activity. Therefore, it makes sense to study the success story of such an outstanding personality.
A brand known to everyone
Michael Dell - this name should be known to everyone who at least once set out to buy a good laptop or, in extreme cases, a monitor. Dell Computer is one of the leading manufacturers of computer equipment. But she was not always famous. Back in 1984, when everything was just beginning, the company's capital was only $1,000. In other words, everything began more than modestly.
For 20 years of persistent and competent development of his offspring, Michael Dells was able to bring the company's assets to a level significantly exceeding the mark of several billion. Definitely - such a result deserves attention.
How it all began
Michael Dell, whose biography is replete with interesting facts, was born in 1965 in the picturesque city of Houston. The parents of the future billionaire did not experience financial difficulties, since his father worked as a stock broker, and his mother had a practice as a dentist. Thanks to this, the boy's childhood was secure.
Nevertheless, the growing Michael was not spoiled with toys, which he, of course, wanted to have. This fact prompted him to independently raise funds for organizing entertainment. At the age of 12, the boy opened up to the hobby of philately and active trade and exchange of stamps at special auctions. At this stage, Michael had the first idea for a business. It's about about creating your own auction for the sale of stamps. Young Dell was able to convince several philatelist acquaintances to trust him with their resources and put them up for auction. As a result, with the help of the placed advertisement, the novice entrepreneur was able to earn $2,000.
Later, Dell showed himself again, but already on a fishing trip. While everyone was fishing with regular tackle, Michael decided to connect several hooks with a special weave and thereby increase the likelihood of a catch. According to the results of fishing, his catch was the largest. This approach formed the following position in the future owner of a multi-billion dollar company: if you think that some idea is good, be sure to try it out in practice.
Formation of an Entrepreneur
Michael Dell, sensing the opportunities that open up competent sales, while studying in high school, decided to continue earning. In this he was helped by the city newspaper, which allowed him to sell subscriptions. This is exactly what young Dell did.
However, he did not use the classic method of walking from door to door. Instead, he decided to step aside team play. It looked like this: Michael identified as his target audience newlyweds and hired acquaintances whose duties included delivering the addresses of representatives of the Central Asia. Further, the aspiring entrepreneur formed a database of contacts and began to send registered letters to the newlyweds with an offer to receive a two-week subscription to the newspaper as a wedding gift. The result of this was earned $ 18,000.
With these funds, Michael Dell, whose success story was close to a breakthrough, bought himself a BMW and was able to enjoy driving the legendary car at the age of 17.
But Michael's parents did not appreciate such a bright entrepreneurial gift and continued to hope that their son would go to medical university. The influence of his father and mother paid off, and Dell became a student at Texas State University after graduation.
Getting on the path of a large-scale business
Studying could not become a worthy alternative to entrepreneurship, and soon Michael began to upgrade computers, increasing their performance for his own needs. Soon there were customers who also wanted to improve their PCs.
For that time, the fashion for personal computers was characteristic, as a result of which all students wanted to get such equipment. But because of the high cost, they could not afford such a luxury. And here came Michael Dell with his ability to see the needs and fill them in the most optimal way.
The essence of Dell's idea was to buy extra components from IBM dealers and then use them to assemble full-fledged computers. What he did in his student dorm room.
As one would expect, Michael did not limit himself to student clientele and placed ads in the newspaper. This advertisement suggested that potential customers purchase computers optimized for the user, and besides, they were cheaper by 15% compared to the prices of official dealers. The result was predictable: doctors, law firms and businessmen began to order computers from Michael Dell. The result of such activities was the founding of PC's Limited. Soon things went so well that Michael left the path of the student and devoted himself entirely to business. As a result, in 1984 the company was renamed Dell Computer, a brand known throughout the world.
Activity scaling
Michael Dell, whose photos are familiar to anyone who was interested in business giants, developed his company with rather modest resources. At first, he hired only one employee. His responsibilities included financial control and administration. The founder himself was busy modernizing and preparing them for sale.
Thanks to an individual approach to the needs of the client and affordable prices for the final product, the company's turnover reached $ 180 thousand in the first month of active operation, and in two months it exceeded this level by more than one and a half times.
Soon Michael realized that the real financial heights lay behind the creation of the production of products under his own brand. It was just released at this time. new technology which greatly simplifies the production process. By hiring one of the IBM engineers for $2,000 for a week and a half, Michael received the first powerful computer that was released under the Dell brand. Already in 1992, the company's sales amounted to $ 2 billion.
Personal life
Dell made a step towards the family in 1989 by marrying Susan, who helped him get rid of excessive modesty. Michael Dell received four children as a gift from his wife.
She also participated in the decision-making regarding the founding of a charitable organization that began its activities in 1999. This initiative has resulted in tens of millions of dollars being donated to disaster relief efforts.
Conclusion
As a result, it is worth quoting Michael Dell: “The client cannot simply be satisfied. The client must be satisfied."
The example of this outstanding entrepreneur proves that if you guess the needs of the client and correctly fill them, then the financial success of the business will not be long in coming.
Michael Dell is considered one of the legendary heroes of the computer industry, "the paragon of the American entrepreneur" and "the main innovator of the decade in the computer trade." In 1992, at the age of 27, Michael Dell became the youngest president of a Fortune 500 company, and by the age of 31, a billionaire. From a chubby, bespectacled teenager at 35, Michael Dell has grown into a physically fit, attractive, contact lens-wearing, healthy-eating man living in a three-story, nearly 300-square-foot mansion. meters in his own estate of 24 hectares near Austin, Texas. In early 2000, Michael Dell owned 14% of the common stock of Dell Computer worth $12 billion. Company office - modern building made of glass and concrete - located in the suburbs of Austin, in the Round Rock area. Inside, you could see unpretentious modest furniture, abstract paintings, Michael Dell's diplomas, stands with magazines dedicated to the company and Dell personally, company awards for his contribution to the development of the computer industry, copies of the company's patents made in bronze, as well as a copy of the first hand-assembled Delt computer .
In the early days of the company, Michael spent a lot of time with his engineers. He was said to be very shy, and colleagues who knew him closely described him as a pleasant young man who easily got along with people. This is how Michael himself describes the beginning of his activities.
At school and university, we were not taught how to start and run a business, so I had to learn a lot on my own. I went by trial and error. The first thing I realized was the relationship between the number of misses and experience - the more I made mistakes, the faster I learned.
I tried to surround myself with smart advisers and not repeat the mistakes. ... Since we developed very quickly, the situation changed constantly. We've been asking the question all the time, "What's the best way to do this or that?" and definitely found the answer. For a while, the solution we found gave an effect, then it became obsolete and required adjustments or the search for new approaches .... All our work was one big experiment.
Table 6.2. Summary of financial condition Dell Computer, 1995-2000 ($m, excluding per share data)
| | 28.01.2000 | 29.01.1999 | 01.02.1998 | 02.02.1997 | 28.01.1996 | 29.01.1995 |
| Financial Performance | | | | | | |
| Revenue (net) from product sales | 25265 | 18243 | 12327 | 7759 | 5296 | 3475 |
| Gross profit | 5218 | 4106 | 2722 | 1666 | 1067 | 738 |
| Operating profit | 2263 | 2046 | 1316 | 714 | 377 | 249 |
| Net income excluding special | 1666 | 1460 | 0644 | 0531 | 0272 | 0149 |
| expenses | | | | | | |
| Net profit | 1666 | 1460 | 0644 | 0531 | 0272 | 0149 |
| Earnings per share* excluding special items" | | | | | |
|
| ordinary | 0,66 | 0,58 | 0,36 | 0,19 | 0,09 | 0,06 |
| additional | 0,61 | 0,53 | 0,32 | 0,17 | 0,08 | 0,05 |
| Weighted average number of shares outstanding* | | | | | |
|
| ordinary | 2536 | 2531 | 2631 | 2838 | 2263 | 2473 |
| additional | 2728 | 2772 | 2952 | 3126 | 3158 | 3000 |
| Balance data | | | | | | |
| Working capital | - | 2644 | 1215 | 1089 | 1018 | 718 |
| Total Asset Value | 11471 | 6877 | 4268 | 2993 | 2148 | 1594 |
| Amount of long-term debt | 508 | 512 | 17 | 18 | 113 | 113 |
| General share capital | 5308 | 2321 | 1293 | 806 | 973 | 652 |
* All share data and data per share are based on the exchange of old shares for new shares at a cost ratio of 2:1. ** Excluding special charges of 0.01 per ordinary share at the end of fiscal year 1997.
Source. Dell Computer Annual Report 2000.
| table (G; G "summary ^
28.01.2000 29.01.1399
Assets
working capital
| Cash and their equivalents | 3809 | 1726 |
| Short term financial investments | 323 | 923 |
| Net accounts receivable | 2608 | 2094 |
| Stocks | 391 | 273 |
| Other current assets | 550 | 791 |
| Total current assets | 7681 | 5807 |
| Net worth of non-current assets (fixed assets) | 765 | 523 |
| Other non-current assets | 3205 | 547 |
| Total assets Liabilities and share capital Current responsibility | 11471 | 6877 |
| Accounts payable | 3538 | 2397 |
| Accumulated and other liabilities | 1654 | 1298 |
| Total current liabilities | 5192 | 3695 |
| long term duties | 508 | 512 |
| Other liabilities | 463 | 349 |
| Securing future expenses and payments | - | - |
| Total liabilities Share capital | 6163 | 4556 |
| Preferred share capital with par value greater than $0.01; shares issued and in circulation: no | - | |
| Capital on ordinary shares with par value greater than $0.01; shares issued and in circulation: 2543 and 2575 respectively | | 1781 |
| retained earnings | | 606 |
| Other borrowed funds | | -66 |
| Total share capital | 5308 | 2321 |
| Total liabilities and share capital | 11471 | 6877 |
Source. Dell Computer Corporation Annual Report 2000
From the very beginning, we tried to approach everything from a purely practical point of view. I kept asking, “How can I do this or that as efficiently as possible?” As a result, we eradicated the beginnings of bureaucracy in the bud, and this also helped to gain experience.
Constant rethinking of habitual stereotypes has become part of the corporate thinking of our company, and the rapid pace of its development has instilled in our employees a spirit of camaraderie and the ability to overcome difficulties.
We constantly set ourselves difficult tasks, tried to surpass ourselves and satisfy the needs of our customers even better; whenever there was a front new goal we had no doubt that we would achieve it. victory gave brief moment respite and celebration, we congratulated each other and again rushed into battle - this time for new goals.
In 1986, as the company began to lack managerial and financial experience, Michael Dell brought in 51-year-old Lee Walker, who has a wealth of experience in risky capital investments, as president. Lee Walker was a father figure to all of the company's employees, knew everyone by name, and provided brilliant internal support for Michael Dell's ideas for the development of the company. Mr. Walker mentored Michael, nurtured his self-confidence and management skills, taught him to transform his intuitive entrepreneurial sense into effective business plans and actions, and finally, he made Dell a strong and capable manager. Under the guidance of Lee Walker, Michael Dell successfully learned all the intricacies of business, overcame natural timidity, perfectly comprehended the science of managing a rapidly growing enterprise and turned into a charismatic leader who can persuade, inspire and lead, achieve recognition and respect. After the transformation of the company in 1988 into an open Joint-Stock Company the same Lee Walker helped Michael Dell to select outstanding and experienced specialists for the Board of Directors. However, in 1990, Mr. Walker had to leave the company due to deteriorating health, and Michael Dell turned to Morton Meyerson, a former corporate executive and head of Electronic Data Systems, for help. M. Meyerson's sound advice helped Michael turn Dell Computer, a fast-growing midsize company, into a powerful multi-billion dollar enterprise.
Michael Dell, although he sometimes gave the impression of being impatient, always spoke in a low, thoughtful voice and appeared to be a seasoned and mature leader beyond his years. His strong point was not a brilliant technical education, but a successful combination of entrepreneurial instinct, good technical knowledge and marketing flair. By the end of the 1990s, he had become the most coveted speaker at industry and corporate conferences. (In 1997 he received 100 invitations to such events, in 1998 - 800, and in 1999 - over 1200.) Michael Dell is considered an experienced speaker, and the captains of the computer business listened to his opinion on the future of the computer industry, the development of the Internet and e-commerce. , and CEOs around the world. Usually his performances contain a lot useful information about the Dell Computer business and the benefits of using electronic technology to run your business. In a USA Today article, Dell was even dubbed an "e-business guru" as business leaders around the world breathlessly watch him leverage the power of the Internet and improve the efficiency of Dell Computer by bringing e-commerce to the company's day-to-day operations.
Michael Dell is considered a very successful leader and a great role model for aspiring managers, as he achieved everything that many of them aspire to. He willingly delegates authority to subordinates, believing that the best result is obtained when "talented people who can be relied upon have enough freedom in the performance of their duties." Business partners consider Michael an energetic leader who knows how to take risks and leads the game on the verge of a foul. In addition, Dell recruits people of approximately the same stock into its company, forming an active, committed spirit. competition, bright corporate culture Dell, imbued with an awareness of the company's mission and its goals. Employees especially appreciate Michael Dell for his constant and vigilant attention to all details - this quality the company's employees call the joking term "Michaelmanagement".
Business Philosophy by Michael Dell. In the years that have passed since the founding of the company, Michael Dell has fully developed an understanding of the principles of managing a company in a rapidly changing and rapidly developing market. Experience in Dell Computer, cooperation with customers and suppliers helped him develop his own leadership style. The statements below give an idea of his theory and business practice.
Believe in your cause. If you have really valuable ideas, do not listen to those who predict their downfall and surround yourself with people who support your views.
It is important to know what to do, but it is equally important to know what not to do.
We have introduced the practice of management based on profit and loss. By requiring each division to provide a detailed profit and loss account, we gain invaluable information needed to manage such a complex business. As a company grows, it becomes more and more dependent on the reliability of information, including profit and loss information. Information is the key to almost everything we do.
Growth for us means finding ways to combine our signature casual style and “do what you want” approach with a “do what we can” requirement; It is this combination, in our opinion, that ensures the growth and development of our company. This means putting into practice the lessons we learn from analyzing P&L data. This means that all our employees must accept the point of view of the shareholders. This means adhering to Dell's three core rules: don't stock, always listen to the customer, and don't sell through middlemen.
I have always strived to surround myself with talented people. The head of the company, regardless of its size, cannot do everything himself. But the more smart people you have at your disposal, the more productive you and your company are.
The success of a company is always determined by strategy and ideas, and it should not depend on the capabilities of the people who lead it. ... Developing new business, rely on the knowledge of people who already have experience in such matters: they know a lot of things that you do not even suspect.
The key to the success of any company is the correct distribution of forces. You need to focus not on achieving power - because your personal power has nothing to do with the interests of shareholders and consumers, but on achieving strategic goals. An atmosphere of mutual respect should reign in the company, and communication between employees should be close enough so that there is complete unity of views on the key issues of the company.
Twice I consciously reduced my field of activity. The first time was in 1993-1994, when I realized that there was too much work and too wide opportunities for me to handle everything alone .... This is one of the reasons why I invited Mort Toepfer to the position of vice president companies. ... The company was growing, and again I felt that it was time to redistribute responsibilities. In 1997, we nominated Kevin Rollins as chairman of the company, who had previously been one of our team's top managers for a year. The three of us run the company together.
Just attracting and satisfying the client is not enough, try to give the client more than he expects - and not once, but again and again. Approximately 40% of my time I spend in the society of consumers. ... Clients know that I don't expect them to falsely rave about our superiority. From the amount of time I spend with them and the questions I ask, they know that I only want to know the truth. They understand that my goal is to get new ideas from them that will make our cooperation with them even more meaningful.... If you constantly offer best goods and services and give your customers a deep sense of satisfaction, you gain their respect and loyalty. By doing more for your customers than they expect (constantly!), by improving the quality of products and services, you create a strong commitment to your brand. But you can go further and give the client an unforgettable overall experience, and then you will win him over forever. Our daily goal is for every customer to say, "Yes, you should only buy computers from DelP."
Today, life requires a quick decision and does not leave time for long reflections. And though we always try to make right choice, I believe that it is better to be the first, at the risk of being wrong, than to be completely sure that you are right a couple of years later. At the same time, it is impossible to quickly make the right decision without having information. Information is the basis of any competitive advantage, however, it does not appear by itself. You have to hunt for her. I do this all the time. I don't like scheduled responses, I prefer spontaneous reactions and remarks.... I like to be next to an employee who is stumped by a buyer's question and help with an answer (if I have one).... To communicate with people, I show up at the factory unannounced, I communicate with customers in trading floors I have to see everything with my own eyes. Two or three times a month I meet with employees at their workplaces during the lunch break, I communicate with all categories of employees of the company. Dell Michael Sol
Michael Saul Dell, also known as Michael Dell- American businessman, founder and permanent head of Dell Corporation. Born February 23, 1965 in Houston, Texas (USA).
Biography
Michael Dell was born into a Jewish Orthodox family on February 23, 1965. The family was prosperous, if not to call it prosperous. Michael's father, Alexander Dell, worked as an orthodontist, while his mother, Lorraine, was a good broker. The professionalism and some life skills of the parents allowed Michael's family to rise to the very upper boundary of the middle class. This gave the Dells every reason to believe that the model of their life path was win-win, and they strongly advised their son to go into the medical field. It is strange that Lorraine shared her husband's opinion, because Michael, as a child, showed independence of thought, perseverance and entrepreneurial acumen.
At 8, he decided to skip high school. high school- important things in life, they say, and so enough - and applied for a document on correspondence complete secondary education. An equally amazing story happened to 12-year-old Dell on a fishing trip. While the elders were fishing with might and main, Michael sat on the shore and patiently weaved intricate tackle from the forest, capable of carrying dozens of hooks at once. Wise adults laughed at him, saying: “What are you doing nonsense, we didn’t come to work, but to relax, and still nothing will work out.” Stubborn Michael believed that he knew better. He finished just before dinner. However, when it was time to leave, it turned out that he caught more fish than all the others combined. Since then, in any life circumstances, Dell has followed the rule: "If you think that some idea is good, by all means try it in practice."
A few years later, Michael visited another good idea - to sell stamps, placing advertisements in philatelic magazines. Very quickly, he made $2,000 and bought his first computer, which he immediately took apart to see how it worked.
Later, grown up Dell, a high school student, decided to earn extra money by selling a subscription to the city newspaper Houston Post. By that time, he, apparently, had already quite clearly formulated his life credo: "It's not so important what you sell, but how you do it." He didn't go door to door. It occurred to him that the newlyweds were the perfect target for his direct marketing. For his money, he hired friends who got him the names and addresses of the newly engaged. Michael entered them into his computer and sent each pair a personal, not model letter, offering a two-week free subscription as a wedding gift. This time, Dell has already earned $18,000 and bought a BMW. The car salesman was almost speechless when the 17-year-old boy pulled the entire amount of cash out of his pocket.
Business concept
The first employee of the company, in addition to Dell himself, was a manager who dealt with finance and administration. Undoubtedly, the company needed advertising. Dell made the first sketch of the Dell Computer on an empty pizza box. A friend copied it onto paper and took it to the newspaper. Dell continued to specialize in direct marketing of IBM PCs, to which he added the "bells and whistles" that were fashionable among users on this moment. Dell's philosophy has already taken shape: "Sell the user not what is lying around in the warehouse, but what he needs. And cheaper than others." Thus, Dell, if not deleted from production process the concept of "warehouse", then translated it from a key position to a tertiary one. As orders came in, Dell looked for the right parts for each specific machine's equipment. As a result, sales reached $180,000 in the first month of operation, and $265,000 in the second month. None of the "whales" of the computer business paid attention to the revolutionary nature of the methods of the self-taught entrepreneur. Meanwhile, a year later, Dell is already selling a thousand PCs a month, hiring new employees, but components are still ordered as needed, and the profit margin is growing. Thus, a new model of efficient production building appeared on the American market. And it was not only a "light" warehouse and low price: it was not a task to think of it before. Dell Computer was a small company and, if only for this reason, should have loved users more than billion-dollar whales. Dell decided to "warm up" the love for the user to an unusually high degree for that time - and not to reduce it anymore.
First, unlike other manufacturers of the time, Dell gave its customers a money-back guarantee. Secondly, he understood that a computer is not a luxury, but a "means of transportation", so in the event of a breakdown, he guaranteed instant service the next day, and later introduced a 24-hour toll-free line for users so that they could talk directly to computer specialists (90 percent " breakdowns," according to Dell, are eliminated after a five-minute telephone consultation with a knowledgeable person). Thirdly, constant telephone contact did not allow Dell to break away from the aspirations of a simple user. "My competitors developed products, and then told users what they needed, instead of first understanding what the market needs and then producing" - this is how the head of Dell Computer Corporation, the third in the world ranking table of manufacturers, denounces bad "whales" computers (after IBM and Compaq). On the day that Michael Dell would have graduated from college, his company's worldwide sales rose to $70 million a year. Dell stopped selling computers from other manufacturers and began to "promote" its own brand. However, at some point, life proved to Michael Dell that an appropriate diploma is not a useful thing. He turned out to be overly talented as an entrepreneur and "grew up" so quickly that he "hit his head on the ceiling", and rather painfully, and the company he created, not cemented by experienced, certified managers, suddenly began to crumble before our eyes under its own weight. The stock price, which jumped from 23 cents in 1990 to $40 in 1992, has fallen several times over. For a while, Dell was just in a panic: "Every day, when I heard bad news, I expected that the next one would be even worse." However, the talented businessman quickly pulled himself together, remembering what he knew, and, firstly, immediately curtailed sales through stores: "Our business is to sell cheap and high-quality computers directly into the hands of the buyer," and secondly, he lured several leading managers of the "whales" of the global computer industry (Apple, Motorola, IBM, Tricord). Then he went out to the public and said: "We're not just going to survive the computer wars. We're going to prosper." And he turned out to be right.
Other activities
Dell, who chose his own independent path, was able to earn a fortune equal to 12.3 billion US dollars. This data is correct as of early 2009 and provided to readers of Forbes magazine. However, Dell's interests are not limited to just making money and distributing computer hardware around the world. In particular, in 2005, the Dell couple donated 250 thousand US dollars ( maximum amount grants) for the second inauguration of President George W. Bush. Like most rich people in the West, Dell donates a lot to charity. For example, the Dell couple donated $50 million to the University of Texas (the one that Michael Dell never graduated) in May 2006. This grant made it possible to organize and build three new faculties with additional buildings and outbuildings.
Family
Michael Dell still lives in Austin, Texas (USA), where he was born. This man is remarkably resilient. Dell is still married to one woman - Susan. They have four daughters: Kira, Alexa, Zachary and Juliet.
Michael Dell with wife Susan
- Being a "true American" brand, Dell tries to support the brand in the most radical ways. In particular, Michael Dell has an irreconcilable enmity with the famous Steve Jobs. Both CEOs, during serious interviews or events, try to inappropriately stick a needle in a competitor. Jobs was the first to start the war, who condemned Dell for the same type of boring cases that complete the solutions of the eminent brand. In response to this, M. Dell, when asked by journalists what he would do in the first place if Apple belonged to him, answered with characteristic sarcasm: "First of all, I would close it and distribute money to shareholders."
- At the age of 19, Michael Dell felt that college education interfered with his computer business, dropped out and concentrated on developing his company. By the time Michael Dell was due to graduate from college, his company's worldwide sales had risen to $70 million a year.
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