Bob Parsons
Recipe for Becoming a Billionaire
Owner of Goddady.com
Bob Parsons,
the man behind GoDaddy.com, the largest ICANN-accredited domain registrar in
the world, has got a very clear recipe for success, summarized in 16 simple
steps. How do you know if his advice is any good? By seeing what it did for
Parsons himself.
The 60 years
old entrepreneur is now very likely to become the newest dot-com billionaire in
the world. Private-equity firms SilverLake Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
are currently thinking of buying Parson’s company for a whopping $2 billion,
thus changing the man’s life forever. We guess this is a pretty good reason to
start learning his 16 steps to success. Who knows how wealthy you’ll end up in
a couple of years?
1. Get and stay out of your
comfort zone.
I believe
that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone. I
hear people say, “But I’m concerned about security.” My response to that is
simple: “Security is for cadavers.”
2. Never give up.
Almost nothing
works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing does not
seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not
work the way you’re doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and
you wouldn’t have an opportunity.
3. When you’re ready to quit,
you’re closer than you think
There’s an
old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like
this: “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to
succeed.”
4. With
regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could
happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
Very seldom
will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined
consequences.” My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and
losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, “Well, Robert, if it
doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.”
5. Focus on what you want to
have happen.
Remember that
old saying, “As you think, so shall you be.”
6. Take things a day at a
time.
No matter how
difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far
into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything
one day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward.
Never stop
investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you
stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be
better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of
Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8. Be quick to decide.
Remember what
General George S. Patton said: “A good plan violently executed today is far and
away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
9. Measure everything of
significance.
I swear this
is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
10. Anything that is not
managed will deteriorate.
If you want
to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely
at the areas you haven’t examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be
there.
11. Pay attention to your
competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing.
When you look
at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even
the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful
place.
12. Never let anybody push you
around.
In our
society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to
what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.
13. Never expect life to be
fair.
Life isn’t
fair. You make your own breaks. You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair
has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14. Solve your own problems.
You’ll find
that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge.
Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: “You never succeed in
technology, business, or anything by following the others.” There’s also an old
Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: “A wise man
keeps his own counsel.”
15. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Lighten up.
Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in
control as much as we like to think we are.
16. There’s always a reason to
smile.
Find it.
After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more,
I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a
long time, we’re here for a good time!”
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