THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: fried chicken
Business is … fun
Success is … fulfillment of your goals in life
Life motto: “Never give up.”
Would like to meet in person: Richard Branson
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “Do unto others as you hope they do unto you. Treat people fairly.”
Passion: work
Skills he doesn’t have: “Probably patience. As you get older, patience runs down, and you get less tolerant of people’s mistakes.”
The best book on business: Driven to Succeed by Rod McQueen, a biography of Frank Hasenfratz and Little Black Stretchy Pants by Chip Wilson
Still wants to achieve: “I think that we can have a New York Stock Exchange listed company eventually, if we continue to do the things we’re doing. Which means big league.”
Avoids in business: “Dumb ideas, I guess. Unnecessary risk. Risk is necessary, but don’t do things which are superfluous to what the endgame is.”
Most admired thought leaders: Nelson Mandela, Pierre Trudeau
Cai Dongqing
The Persistent Dream Catcher
Citizenship/Residence: China/Guangzhou
A 49-year-old, Chinese self-made billionaire, founder and chairman of Alpha Group, one of the most powerful and innovative animation corporations in China. It is the only Chinese group managing a complete industrial chain from animation production, brand licensing, media operation, to product design and marketing in toys, games, baby products, and cartoons. Alpha Group has also branched into movies, operas, theme parks, and other interactive activities involving entertainment, consumer products, Internet networks, culture, and education. With over 100 animation toy patents every year, it ranks No.1 in the industry. Cai has been dubbed the Walt Disney of China.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: selling little toy trumpets
Business is … cooperation
Success is … learning
Life motto: “Without experiencing the storm, how could you see the rainbow?”
Would like to meet in person: Masayoshi Son
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “from those who can give me a different opinion on my idea and point out its problems. Such advice is helpful and influential.”
Passion: his business
Skills he doesn’t have: swimming freely in the ocean, flying an airplane
The best book on business: The Art of War by Sun Tzu and biographies of Li Ka-Shing, Jack Ma, Bill Gates
Still wants to achieve: “We want to build the Chinese Disney.”
Avoids in business: “We cannot do a business just for doing business. We do business with principles.”
Most admired thought leaders: Laozi, Confucius
Tim Draper
Riskmaster
Citizenship/Residence: USA/Silicon Valley, California
A 60-year-old venture capitalist legend listed on Forbes Midas List and considered the number one most connected investor in Silicon Valley. He is the founder of the VC firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Draper Associates, as well as Draper University. Tim is largely credited as the inventor of viral marketing. As founding investor, he contributed significantly to the success of such tech giants as Hotmail, Skype, Tesla, SolarCity, and Baidu. He is also a major investor in SpaceX, Indiegogo, Tumblr, Foursquare, and over 1,000 other companies. In 2015, he received the Entrepreneur for the World Award from the World Entrepreneurship Forum. Tim is a vocal Bitcoin enthusiast.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: VC investment in Parametric
Business is … fun
Success is … continuing to be willing to fail
Life motto: “Anything is possible.”
Would like to meet in person: Steve Jobs
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “It doesn’t matter who’s buying and who’s selling. What matters is the personal connection.”
Passion: “To spread entrepreneurship and venture capital around the world”
Skills he doesn’t have: playing guitar
The best book on business: The Startup Game by William H. Draper
Still wants to achieve: transform real estate, health, insurance, banking, investment banking, and government
Avoids in business: “I avoid backing the trendy. I look for the trend, not the trendy.”
Most admired thought leaders: George Washington, Deng Xiaoping, Gorbachev
Sergey Galitskiy
What the F--k Is Happening
Citizenship/Residence: Russia/Krasnodar
A 51-year-old self-made billionaire, founder and longtime CEO of Magnit, the largest food retailer in Russia with over 17,000 convenience stores, cosmetics stores, hypermarkets, and supermarkets. With 290,000 employees, Magnit is also Russia’s largest non-state employer with the country’s largest network of 6,000 trucks. The company grew to this size organically without acquisitions. Sergey is the owner and chairman of the soccer club FC Krasnodar. He is the internationally most respected Russian businessman, listed by BRICs magazine as the most admired Russian entrepreneur.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: distribution business
Business is … game of minds
Success is … enjoying every moment in life
Life motto: “Honesty is the best policy.”
Would like to meet in person: “Albert Einstein. Not because he created the theory of relativity, because he never accepted anybody’s authority.”
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “That I have to give people a second chance. I got it from my partner.”
Passion: competing
Skills he doesn’t have: math and physics
The best book on business: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Still wants to achieve: “I would like to achieve in football what I have achieved in business. Not get the trophy, but create a properly working mechanism.”
Avoids in business: “spending time with stupid and cynical people”
Most admired thought leaders: The German philosopher Hegel
Peter Hargreaves
Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
Citizenship/Residence: United Kingdom/Bristol
A 72-year-old self-made billionaire and industry leader in the United Kingdom’s financial services sector. He is probably the only person who managed to build an FTSE 100 company from scratch without borrowing or acquisition. His Hargreaves Lansdown manages assets as high as $120 billion, which compares to a yearly budget of a medium-size country. In 2014, he was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: financial services
Life motto: If anything seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Would like to meet in person: anyone that’s successful
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “I suppose the guy that said to me ‘make investment easy.’”
Passion: the business
Skills he doesn’t have: another language
The best book on business: Up the Organization by Robert Townsend and One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch
Still wants to achieve: to give the people in the financial services industry the social recognition they deserve
Avoids in business: meetings
Most admired thought leaders: Margaret Thatcher
Frank Hasenfratz
I Did It My Way
Citizenship/Residence: Canada/Guelph, Ontario
An 85-year-old, Hungary-born self-made billionaire. He is founder and chairman of Linamar, specializing in production of automotive powertrain systems and wind turbines. Linamar’s subsidiary Skyjack is the world’s leading manufacturer of aerial work platforms. With 30,000 employees, Linamar operates over 90 fabrication facilities and other branches in 17 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia. Linamar is recogn
ized as one of the most innovative, tech-savvy, and profitable enterprises in the industry, receiving awards for its superior quality on a regular basis, like the Canada Award for Business Excellence. Mr. Hasenfratz is a member of the Order of Canada, the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, as well as the Hungarian Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: defense work
Business is … pleasure, challenging
Success is … when you are satisfied
Life motto: “Measure everything you do.”
Would like to meet in person: “I can’t think of anybody right now.”
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “Work hard; my father gave me that advice.”
Passion: work
Skills he doesn’t have: more education
The best book on business: Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch
Still wants to achieve: “steady growth for the company. Not for myself. For myself, I am happy. But I’d like for the business to succeed.”
Avoids in business: overextending
Most admired thought leaders: Ronald Reagan
Naveen Jain
Man Who Knew No Limits
Citizenship/Residence: USA/Bellevue, Washington
A 59-year-old, India-born founder of Infospace, Intelius, TalentWise, Moon Express, Bluedot, Viome, vice chairman of Singularity University, and trustee of the XPrize Foundation. He became a billionaire with his first enterprise, Infospace, providing content and tools for mobile Internet. With Moon Express he works on making the dream of private space exploration a reality. Among other accolades he was awarded the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur Award, the Albert Einstein Technology Medal, and was named the Most Admired Serial Entrepreneur by Silicon India. As a philanthropist and entrepreneur, he wants to touch as many lives as possible.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: working for Bill Gates
Business is … about helping people
Success is … about having a positive impact on society
Life motto: “Live with integrity and always remember that it takes generations to build credibility and it only takes one action to kill it.”
Would like to meet in person: Albert Einstein
Most valuable piece of advice for him: from his mother: “Always spend less than what you earn.”
Passion: his children and helping people
Skills he doesn’t have: better command of the English language
The best book on business: Games People Play by Eric Berne and I’m OK, You’re OK by Thomas Harris
Still wants to achieve: “I’m going after every one of the major industries. I started with space and I’m going into health care. Next thing I’ll probably attack will be education. I’ll probably attack food, and I’m going to continue to attack these biggest problems because I know the biggest problems are the biggest opportunity for an entrepreneur.”
Avoids in business: “At the end of the day, debt and loss, because that ultimately will kill you.”
Most admired thought leaders: Bill Gates
Kim Beom-Su
The Venture
Citizenship/Residence: South Korea / Seoul
A 52-year-old, Korean self-made billionaire, founder and chairman of Kakao, one of the largest companies on Kosdaq. Kakao operates KakaoTalk, a mobile messenger used by 95% of Korean smartphone owners and more than 220 million registered users worldwide. Kakao Taxi disrupted the taxi industry in Korea, winning almost 9 million users in the first 12 months. Kakao operates Daum, the second-largest search engine on the domestic market, and Melon, the country’s largest music streaming service. Kim was named the Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 by Ernst & Young. With his K-CUBE Ventures, the 100 CEOs Project, and the C Program, he is deeply involved in fostering a risk-friendly start-up environment in Korea.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: Hangame (computer games)
Business is … setting a hypothesis and then proving it
Success is … “making the world a better place than when I was born and making at least one person happy”
Life motto: “Enjoy everyday adventures and maintain balance in your life.”
Would like to meet in person: Bill Gates, Friedrich Nietzsche
Passion: “Giving a positive energy to Korean society, or making the quality of life better for the poor”
Skills he doesn’t have: language skills, for example, in Chinese
The best book on business: Profit from the Core by Chris Zook and James Allen
Still wants to achieve: “The online-to-offline business is spreading throughout the world, and I want to make a successful business model for that in Korea.”
Avoids in business: “A business that takes away somebody’s livelihood”
Most admired thought leaders: Korean admiral Yi Sun-shin
N. R. Narayana Murthy
Act Like There Is No Tomorrow
Citizenship/Residence: India/Bangalore
A 72-year-old cofounder and longtime CEO of Infosys, the first Indian company to be listed on the NASDAQ and one of the world’s software giants with 200,000 employees. Narayana is a self-made billionaire. With Infosys he has created six other billionaires and over 4,000 millionaires. He has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine. In 2013, he was named Philanthropist of the Year in The Asian Awards. The Economist ranked him among the most admired global leaders, and the Financial Times as one of the most respected business leaders. He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India, Officer of the Legion of Honor by the Government of France, and Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the Government of the United Kingdom. An important philanthropist, in 2003 he was chosen the World Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: software
Business is … “about making this a more comfortable world”
Life motto: “The softest pillow is a clear conscience.”
Would like to meet in person: Richard Feynman, the physicist
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “Put the interest of the institution and the community ahead of your personal interest.”
Passion: speed of action
Skills he doesn’t have: “I would like to be more intelligent than I am.”
The best book on business: Winners Never Cheat by Jon M. Huntsman and Glenn Beck
Still wants to achieve: Create a million jobs for people all over the world.
Avoids in business: “Doing anything that will not enhance respect for me”
Most admired thought leaders: Mahatma Gandhi
Hüsnü Özyegin
Just a Good Man
Citizenship/Residence: Turkey/Istanbul
A 74-year-old self-made billionaire, the third wealthiest man in Turkey, and one of the biggest Turkish philanthropists. He created 75 companies in 12 countries and is founder of the Özyegin University in Istanbul. He started in the banking sector by founding Finansbank and then spread his business activities to a broader range of finance, retail, real estate, energy, health, hotels, and ports in his Fiba and Fina Holding. His vast philanthropic activities focus on different stages of education. In 2011, he was awarded the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million: working as bank president for 13 years.
Life motto: hard work
Would like to meet in person: Warren Buffett, or historical persons: Fatih the Conqueror, Michelangelo, architect Sinan
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “My father always said, ‘I know you have good grades, but make sure you have good friends.’ That was my father’s advice. I think it’s really important who you make friends with. That’s also very important in business.”
Passion: his work and his family
Skills he doesn’t have: �
�I would like to use technology better. I would love to have played a musical instrument.”
The best book on business: Titan by Ron Chernow about John D. Rockefeller Sr. and Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Still wants to achieve: “To grow our university, and make it one of the best research and teaching universities in Turkey, where students, with their professors, invent things that add value to Turkish exports. This is what my goal is from now on.”
Avoids in business: “To be overconfident. To be too sure that something will happen without really assessing the pitfalls and the probabilities that it may not.”
Lirio Albino Parisotto
Curiosity Is His Best Company
Citizenship/Residence: Brazil/Manaus
A 65-year-old self-made billionaire and the largest individual investor on the Brazilian stock market. He is the founder, president, and main shareholder of Videolar (today Videolar-Innova S.A.), earlier manufacturer of audio and videotapes, floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, now a petrochemical company, a major manufacturer of plastic materials in Brazil. With his Geração L Par Fund, Lirio invests in banking, electricity, mining, and steel companies, as well as in real estate. In 2002, he was awarded the title Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. He is deeply engaged in the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
THE BUSINESS CARD
Made his first million with: electronic retail
Business is … a challenge
Success is … to do what you like
Life motto: “Never accept a no.”
Would like to meet in person: Warren Buffett, Mahatma Gandhi
Most valuable piece of advice for him: “You won’t go anywhere with an angry face.”
Passion: “My passion is to do something well.”
The best book on business: Made in America by Sam Walton and Made in Japan by Akio Morita
Still wants to achieve: “I need now to [be thankful] for everything.”
Avoids in business: “staying in businesses that completed their cycles and are no longer useful or desired. In business, you´ve got to know the timing.”
Most admired thought leaders: Winston Churchill, Henry Ford, Akio Morita, and Steve Jobs
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