Who's Your Business Idol?

**Dale King** · 07-03-2007 10:05 PM

Many of us have business idols whom we look up to and aspire to be like. So who's your business idol?

Dale King

**akula** · 07-03-2007 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by Dale King

Many of us have business idols whom we look up to and aspire to be like. So who's your business idol?

Dale King

I'm partial to morten lund and Stephen Jennings

**webbie** · 07-03-2007 10:37 PM

James Hong!
He makes about two million a year of hotornot.com, and its all completely turnkey. Plus, he gives 10% of everything he makes over 100k to charity. PLUS he traded his porsche in for a hybrid prius.

Yep. James Hong is my business idol. I'm trying to learn a thing or two from him.

**Diamondman** · 07-03-2007 10:43 PM

Steve Jobs and Michael Hill

**webbie** · 07-03-2007 10:53 PM

Forget Steve Jobs he's an idiot.

I can't believe he signed ATT to be the EXCLUSIVE carrier of the iPhone. At&t is fighting net neutrality. If they have their way, forums like Young Entrepreneur won't even exist in the future. And Apple's loyal customers know it.

The scandal is all over the net. Steve Jobs betrayed Apple's customers for a yacht, or whatever ATT gave him to sweeten the deal.

Just thinking about it makes me mad.

**webbie** · 07-03-2007 10:57 PM

Dale who's your business idol?

**Diamondman** · 07-04-2007 12:12 AM

Webbie sorry to say but thats business!

**Dale King** · 07-04-2007 06:05 AM

webbie wrote:

Dale who's your business idol?

I don't really idolize anyone, but I greatly admire the accomplishments of John H. Johnson, the founder of Ebony and Jet magazines. He had the necessary charisma, tenacity and passion to convince corporate America that there was such a thing as a black consumer market

In 1942, he took out a $500 loan that he used to send charter subscription offers to Supreme Liberty customers. Within a year, sales soared from 5,000 to 50,000.

Based on that success, in 1945 Johnson launched Ebony, modeled after Life magazine. In 1951, he added Jet, a more news-oriented magazine that chronicled the growth of the civil-rights movement.

I highly recommend reading his autobiography, Succeeding Against The Odds. That book is as good as it gets for providing inspiration.

I also have a great deal of admiration for BET founder, Robert Johnson who is also the owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball franchise.

Johnson borrowed money to start his own cable brand, BET. Launched in 1980, it was profitable within five years. In the early '90s BET became the first African-American-controlled company to be traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1998 Johnson bought it back and then sold it to Viacom, pocketing a reported $1.5 billion himself and retaining his position as chairman and CEO.

Dale King

**crackah** · 07-04-2007 06:07 AM

Buffet

Hes my hero, and btw, hobs? he is lame, gates is better

**Ian** · 07-04-2007 06:10 AM

Alan Sugar, Konosuke Matsushita.

**Chilibean** · 07-04-2007 06:38 AM

In my line of business it has to be Randy Gage!

**Ian** · 07-04-2007 09:45 AM

The name alone makes me respect him, Chilibean.

:P

**thehappysecret** · 07-04-2007 11:23 AM

Brad sugars - do your research - this guy sells a book on amazon every 3 minutes and empowers other business owners to build profits through the worlds most succesful business coaching franchise - quite a story!