Safety First

Paul Henry O'Neill (born December 4, 1935) is both a well-known politician and businessman in the United States. He served as the Secretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush until 2002. Before he joined the government, he was chairman and CEO of Pittsburgh-based industrial giant Aluminum Company of America — or Alcoa, as it was known — where he had a very memorable experience which people pass on as a valuable lesson for business leaders (Duhigg, 2012).

Lucky Becky

When it comes to being lucky, many people have had the experience of gaining something for nothing in their lives. It could be winning a little lottery in the company’s annual dinner, making a staggering sum in a casino, or just picking up money on the street. While most of them attribute these kinds of things to sheer coincidence, there was a woman who proved that luck is more than just random chance.

The Right Moment

The Second Punic War (218 BC – 201 BC) was a major conflict in Europe from 218 to 201 BC. It was fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic, the two superpowers of that time. At the beginning of the war, Carthage had the advantage because their general, Hannibal, was a military genius. It began when Hannibal surprised the enemy by crossing of the Alps and attacked the Romans where he was the least expected. He crushed the Roman armies in the Battle of the Trebia and the ambush at Trasimene. 

Meditate for Profit

Vishen Lakhiani is a successful businessman, philanthropist and expert in meditation. He owes much of his success to his ability to communicate with his subconscious mind and tap into his unknown potential. His new book shares a very interesting story about his early career when he was working in telesales (Lakhiani, 2015). With the use of meditation, he tripled his productivity by just changing one simple thing in his habit.

Pick Up the Gauntlet

American steel magnate Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939) was renowned for his brilliant skills of management. He was in charge of Bethlehem Shipbuilding and Steel Company, which became one of the most important heavy manufacturers in the world under his leadership. One of Schwab’s greatest stories involved a steel mill of his which was always seriously under-producing. Although Schwab had already switched a couple of managers of the mill, there wasn’t any sign of improvement. Therefore, Schwab decided to visit the plant personally to see what could be done to turn the situation around. According to How to Win Friends and Influence People (Carnegie, 1936), the episode went like this:

Profit First

Mike Michalowicz is one of the most colourful businessmen in the world. By his thirty-fifth birthday, he had sold two companies and became a multi-millionaire. Confident to continue his success, he became an angel investor, but only proceeded to lose his entire fortune. Then he started all over again, not only managed to get back on his feet, but also became a best-selling business writer. His latest book, Profit First: A Simple System to Transform Any Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine (Michalowicz, 2014), aims to help small businesses to generate reliable and consistent profits, and get out of the depressing cycle of living from payment to payment.