simplicity

Michael Saul Dell was not even a teenager when he began first venture, Dell Stamps. When it earned him $2,000, he was hooked. He knew being an entrepreneur was what he wanted to do.

When he was 16, he began selling newspaper subscriptions. He sifted potential customers through the city’s mortgage and marriage licence lists. The idea was spectacularly successful. Within a year, he had earned over $18,000; it was more than what his teachers at school were paid. By the time he finished school, he had bought his own BMW.

He launched PC’s Limited, a company that would custom build computers and sell them directly to users, while he was still in college. As the company grew more and more successful, and Dell grew more and more disinterested in his studies, he struck a deal with his parents — he dropped out of college and had three months to prove that the business was doing well.

Dell never looked back. Today, he is the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world. He is worth $17.3 billion and is ranked No 11 on Forbes’ richest Americans list.

via rediff.com: Must-read entrepreneurial tips.

I don’t know if these are ‘Must-read entrepreneurial tips’, some of them are straight from ‘Direct from Dell‘

A few of the other tips such as

I learned very early to surround myself with talented people who challenge convention, offer new ideas and relentlessly drive for improvement. And to let those people thrive. Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people… or find a different room.

Are things that you come across in reading about successful businesses and successful entrepreneurs. Even though, I think it is still a good refresher.