“Time is Free, But it's Priceless. You Can't Own it, But You Can Use it. You Can't Keep it, But You Can Spend it. Once You've Lost it You Can Never Get it Back.” Harvey Mackay.

Fortune magazine probably summed him up appropriately. They called Harvey Mackay “Mr. Make Things Happen,” and this accurately describes this powerhouse of a man. Mackay has been at the helm of a highly successful self-made corporation for some 50 years now and he relates to his experience within many of the media engagements and products that have made him famous.

Harvey Mackay was born in his beloved state of Minnesota in 1932, to newspaper correspondent and schoolteacher parents. He enjoyed a public education and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1954. Right out of college, Harvey went to work in the shipping department of an envelope company, gradually rising to the role of salesman. His entrepreneurial spirit came to the fore and he left to develop his own envelope manufacturing company, the Mackay Envelope Company, which thrives to this day.

Mackay is most famous as a columnist, motivational speaker and best-selling author. His unique style has endeared him to many and has inspired countless numbers of people to succeed. He has the ability to tone every subject with a human touch, as witnessed by the titles of his New York Times number one bestsellers – Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive: Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate, and Outnegotiate Your Competition (Collins Business Essentials), Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt: Do What You Love, Love What You Do, and Deliver More Than You Promiseand Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty : The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need. Each title reflects a vital business anecdote and gives you an idea how colorful and inspirational he can be.

Mackay’s bestsellers have been translated into 35 languages and distributed to 80 countries through more than 10 million copies. His philanthropy extends to over 20 nonprofit boards dedicated to the assistance of others and his motivational speaking talents are in great demand.

Harvey dedicates a lot of his success to his experiences with the envelope company. Today the business employs over 600 people and is worth over $100 million. His philosophy is ingrained – “do what you love, love what you do and deliver more than you promise.”

The master of networking, Harvey Mackay believes in a regular interactive relationship with his network and is convinced that it should be a lifelong practice. He believes in gathering as much information as he can about anyone that he comes into contact with for social networking reasons. He reasons that the more he knows about you, the better able he will be to treat you as you would want to be treated. “If you wish others to believe in you, you must first convince them that you believe in them.”

Harvey has managed to stay competitive in the cutthroat world of business whilst maintaining a high degree of personal integrity. His skill at relationship building has served him well, as has his ability to relate to the aspiring business person & entrepreneur.

Adam Toren

Adam Toren

Adam Toren is a serial entrepreneur, mentor, investor and co-founder of YoungEntrepreneur.com. He is co-author, with his brother Matthew, of Kidpreneurs and Small Business, BIG Vision: Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right (Wiley). He’s based in Phoenix, Ariz.