LegendaryLife Blog

The founder of GoDaddy has had tremendous success online as a domain registrar, he risked everything he earned from the sale of his company Parsons Technology, turning his 64 million dollar buyout to what will soon be a billion dollar company. Without further ado, here is his top 10 keys (suggestions) for success in 2008.

10: Never listen to advertising experts

The reason for GoDaddy’s success is doing everything that it was told not to do by agencies, the more people say you shouldn’t do something, the more you should do it. People generally fear change, they don’t want to make waves so becoming an agent of change is the only way to get any type of attention no matter your field.

9: Surround yourself with beautiful, intelligent and successful women

Half of the world’s population is female yet if you attend enough board meetings, you will quickly realize that these statistics don’t hold true in the executive world (sadly). I would easily argue that women are our smarter half and a company without at least 50% of the top management that isn’t one is missing out on huge opportunities.

8: Take care of your employees and give to charity

Employees leave a company because of stress but if you provide a good working environment that is fun, challenging and rewarding, even at lower pay then a competitor, they will stay with you. Charity is also always a great thing, once you can afford to do so.

7: It’s never too late to get a motorcycle but always wear your safety gear

I got my motorcycle license a few years back, the freedom that you experience driving on the road is tremendous, cars are so boxed that I got to the point where I actually hated being inside of one. Driving a motorcycle gives you instant feedback about the environment, the flexibility to move on a dime and just pure pleasure of the open road… something lost in cars and trucks.

6: Earn a Ph.D. in International Relations so you can become the head of ICANN

A degree is only worth as much as you do with it, ICANN is just about the most useless organization out there, they are experts at conducting meetings in exotic locations that produce absolutely nothing. Each time somebody registers a domain, they send a few cents to these guys who wine and dine on our efforts and provide anything but leadership or vision for the online industry.

5: Figure out what “Brad” does in GoDaddy

An inside joke but if you have an employee or somebody who really serves no value to your company, no matter your affiliation, time to let them go unless you can afford to do otherwise. Same goes with software and hardware, if it doesn’t have a use, then there is no purpose in supporting it any longer.

4: Figure out what “Yahoo” actually does

Yahoo use to be known as a search engine, now it’s morphed into a huge conglomerate but unlike General Electric, they are experts at buying up overpriced companies then shutting them down. They lack a vision, purpose and to be quite frank, are headed for the same fate as AOL… oblivion.

3: Let the devil within you come out every once in a while

Living life on the straight and narrow is nice but it’s good to get out of your shell or comfort zone every once in a while. When was the last time you did something crazy? If you can’t remember, time to do it again.

2: Never, ever, buy a Zune

Hmmm… let me see, Microsoft is an expert at creating loss leaders, they have the Xbox franchise which looses money hand over fist, more software packages then I can count which do little but offer pale imitations of other software products and are sitting on a huge pile of cash. Microsoft has their operating system (XP) that is their backbone and Office, otherwise, everything else has been a dismal failure… why? Well, they got too much money and I think they fear loosing it, so instead of making waves inside of new industries, they are stuck taking cautious approaches towards everything… which leads to mediocrity. If you aren’t in an industry to shake it up, don’t go into it… the Zune (so far) is no different. Let me put this another way, if you own stock in Microsoft, how much has it grown over the past few years compared to a company that does take chances such as Google?

1: Be Godaddy’est in everything you do

The definition of Godaddy’est is simply the ability to live on the fine edge between decency and absurdity. It’s a fine line between being labeled a mad man vs a crazy man, if you live your life on that edge, sometimes you get burned but more often then not, you will progress faster. Take chances, take risks and more importantly, enjoy the trip while it lasts.

The Bottom Line

Follow your gut, more often then not, it will prove right.

Buzvia: GoDaddy,  GoDaddy Radio, Bob Parsons Personal Site, ZipitLive: GoDaddy Reseller

Over the years, I have studied the Branson way of “Virgin” business and here is the top 10 list that he, so far, has never released as to why he has become such a successful entrepreneur.

10. Keep things small

Keep the size of the companies small, his average is about 60 employees per company, if they get too big, break them up into smaller pieces. This does a number of things, first, it keeps the company nimble and still personalized as everybody knows everybody else on a first hand basis. Secondly, it keeps things manageable, if there is a problem, the risks are minimal for the entire “Virgin Group” both financially and in reputability. Like Sir Richard Branson says, he always pays off the debts of defunct Virgin companies should things go bust which is difficult if you have one huge company with billions in receivership and tens of thousands made redundant.

9. Be ethical

Don’t participate in underhanded business activities such as kickbacks, bribes and sabotage. As a businessperson, the only thing you have to stand on is your business ethics and reputation, once this is tarnished, it’s an uphill battle to regain it. People tend to remember the dramatic and negative about people even if they represent but a small portion of a positive image.

8. Give others a vested interest

Sir Richard Branson has a unique method of building up his conglomerate of companies, he creates partnerships on usually a 50/50 basis. As such, each party has a direct interest in success of the new Virgin brand. This works in several ways for the entrepreneur who wishes to buy into this type of arrangement. Firstly, Virgin has a lot of companies so you may instantly have a customer with another part of the conglomerate, for instance, the in-flight entertainment for Virgin Atlantic may also be used for Virgin Trains. Secondly, Virgin has huge cash reserve, so getting additional funding (seeking it from Angels, Vcs and banks) is far easier when you can say “Oh, by the way, you do know Virgin is a partner in this company right?” Lastly, people work harder when they have a direct vested interest in something, an employee will work 40 hours a week but the founder behind the company has no problem pulling in twice those hours off the clock. This internal motivation usually makes the difference between boom or bust.

7. Follow your gut

Businesses must evolve to stay competitive, if you have a gut feeling to do something that doesn’t show up in the numbers yet, well, DO IT! Nobody knows a company like the founder or executive committee that was there since it all began, competitors, segways and even the market demands are in a constant state of flux. If you want to run a company strictly by the numbers, become an accountant, otherwise, follow your gut more often then not, it will prove right.

6. “Sue the Bastards” – Sir Richard Branson

If somebody is being unfair, tainting your image and reputation or simply not paying their bills after multiple tries to solve a problem, sue them. A friend told me once that there is business and there is personal, you may be great friends with a person who may be one of your suppliers or providers but don’t let that get in the way of running your business. If somebody isn’t treating you right, solve it before things get worse, and yes, they will get worse. I have taken my fair share of people to court, I think it’s a great way towards dispute resolution.

5. Mistakes aren’t a BIG deal

No matter what type of business, there will be some mistakes made, you simply cannot afford to go through the world of business walking on egg shells. No matter the size of the mistake or who it affects, admit to it and move on. Trying to push a mistake under the rug will simply allow it to grow into a bigger problem and eventually, it may get legs of it’s own. I liken the role of an entrepreneur to that of a fireman, you spend your day putting out fires before they become unmanageable, whether this is kicking the sales force back into shape or making sure internal politics don’t get out of hand.

4. Think long term

If you are starting a business with a quick payout then you should stick to your job at McDonald’s flipping burgers. Businesses need to be run for the long term, this is the only way you can attract investment and maintain your sanity through the years. Decisions are a lot easier to make when you can envision their effect a few years down the road then how they will immediately impact your bottom line. Todays investment will result in tomorrows revenue.

3. Don’t cash-out!

Your company just made a huge profit this year, what do you do? No… don’t go on a vacation splurging all this away, look at areas in your company that would benefit from additional investment or even better, consider acquisitions or new areas you wish to create change into. The bottom line is that profits are great mechanisms to further boost future influence, don’t take this cash out and waste it! This is a gift to be taken seriously and shared, not to be squandered at the casino

2. Customers come first

Let’s face it, a business without customers is a dead business. It’s tough to get new customers and even tougher to get repeated business from them, always appreciate them! There is something very wrong when a company begins to take it’s customer base for granted and begins exploiting them. I have seen this time and again, most of the time, the company goes under once all these under-handed activities either become known or the staff themselves get tired of becoming the customers punching bag. Let me repeat, if you want a successful business, you must appreciate each and every customer who ultimately buys into your idea. EVERY ONE!

1. Have Fun!

Life is about having fun, and business shouldn’t be any different, if you don’t enjoy your position in life, change it before it changes you. We are all very lucky to be given the gift of life by our parents, we need to show that appreciation by learning and exploring the world around us. You run a business, great! This is a tool to give you more freedom then the average worker, but be sure to get as much learnings out of it as you possibly can.

The Bottom Line

There is much we can all learn from Sir Richard Branson, hopefully this glimpse into his keys of management opens the doors of possibility for you.

Entrepreneurship is really about turning a vision, no matter how obscured by severe myopia by others, into a reality that you are not just proud of but can also be converted into a comfortable living. Here are some things that I tell myself often so I don’t forget as I reach towards higher and more challenging heights in my life.

1) Give Meaningful & Honest Praise

If you want people to be productive in your work environment – provide plenty of meaningful praise because thoughtful rewards for achievements go further then cheap “title promotions” or nasty criticisms.

2) It’s NOT all about YOU

People generally are not that interested in you, unless you are developing a long lasting relationship. People love to talk about themselves – become a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves.

3) Respect is Earned, Not Given

You wouldn’t build a house without a foundation any more then you would build a relationship without respect – in both cases, in order to achieve goals – you need to allow time for things to cure so they can become solid enough for a more substantial footing in the future.

4) Remember “Lady Luck”

No matter how successful you become, never forget that a very large part came from dumb luck – and that same luck can bring you down just as fast. Perseverance and hard work got you to the door, dumb luck allowed it to open. I have a theory developed from talking to people of all walks of life, from CEOs and millionaires to average folk and it basically states that the higher your net worth, the more luck had a big role in achieving this success.

5) Reward Loyalty

Friends are a dime a dozen, true and loyal friends are a rarer breed. Remember those who stuck with you during the tough times and reward them during the good ones.

6) Space is Important

Everybody needs their own space and time alone to reflect on their lives – genuinely offer them this before they ask you for it. You will earn not only loyalty but great Karma

7) Remember Names and use them OFTEN

People where given a name upon birth, not a number – say their name often and it will become second nature (ei: you won’t forget it) and more importantly, always command their immediate attention.

Don’t hold grudges

This can be difficult at times but learn to let them go – your only hurting yourself by creating internal stress that can never be resolved… if there is a problem, use your energy towards fixing instead of prolonging.

9) Be precise

Nothing is worse then living or creating ambiguity – try to be as straight forward as possible, leave the bumpy roads to cars – not your life.

10) Use your influence to make positive changes

Once you reach the pinnacles of life, use the influence and people you have gathered from your past to create lasting positive change in the world – you want to leave a positive legacy for future generations to talk about… don’t you?

The Bottom Line

Being true to yourself is vitally important as you begin to achieve some level of success in life, how ever you choose to define it.

Most people, like it or not, stick with being themselves most of the time. They don’t go out trying to be somebody they aren’t nor do they try to change others to become one of them.

Why would you assume an alter ego / persona?

You see this a lot in artists of all types, from Madonna to movie stars, the public (their fans) get tired of seeing the same-old all the time, so to re-invigorate the interest in them (income)… they make a change. Sometimes it’s a drastic one, other times, it’s barely noticeable. It all depends on how the person markets themselves towards others. It isn’t just the rich and famous who change their looks and even mentality, we ALL do it to a certain degree! Sometimes it’s to forget something from the past, other times, it’s to begin anew. You see a lot of this around New Years Resolution time. Change is good!

Halloween: the ultimate excuse to try on a new persona

Today is Halloween, what better time to make a drastic change! People will enjoy the change and then, you can either go back to your old self or keep the new personification of yourself. I am not saying come into the office on a daily basis from now on wearing a “Scream” mask but who knows… for some people, it might be an improvement!

Top 10 Dos and Don’ts of Personification Modification

10: DO include both an attitude and mental state change that matches your new outer look

9: DO make a change you are both comfortable with and can stick to, if you choose to keep the new YOU.

8: DON’T warn others about what you are about to do… new first impressions are important!

7: DON’T allow others to stop you from making a change in your life, you are an individual, act like one!

6: DON’T make a drastic change on a daily or weekly basis, this works against you in the long run. A change every quarter or two is more the adequate.

5: DO spend a little time thinking, planning and studying what you will become… you don’t want to change into something you HATE but others love!

4: DO it all in one shot, migrating from an old persona to a new one will deaden the blow, changing your persona is as much to shake up your life as those around you.

3: DON’T ask others if they like or dislike the new “you”, this kind of defeats the purpose. Make the change for yourself and others just have to accept it, if they don’t, that is their problem, not yours!

2: DO make sure that you truly believe in the new you, commit to it and no matter what, stick with it!

1: DO IT!

The Bottom Line

A new you is always in fashion… have fun with it!

With myfoodcount.com being a longtime Amazon.com affiliate, we come across some weird and sometimes rather expensive stuff in the world of health. So without further ado, here is a rundown of the top 10 products that make us go “Huh? They sell this stuff online?”

10: Stage IV 3000 Bariatric Pressure Relief System

9: The Happy Company Head Trip Therapeutic Massager

8: The Relaxman Relaxation Capsule

7: Anti-Monkey Butt Powder

6: Genie II Major Surgery Light Double Ceiling Mount

5: Potato Gun

4: Whitehall Wirlpools Hubbard Tank Low-Boy Body Immersion

3: Marshmallow Blower

2: iVent201 Intensive Care Face Mask Ventilation System

1: Online Grocery Shopping

The Bottom Line

Amazon.com has grown nicely since its initial beginnings, diversification beyond simply “consumer grade” stuff is a fantastic thing as the more competition in the medical field, the better it is for everybody. Of course, there are also some weird stuff out there but hey, so is life.