With dedication, success can emerge from the smallest of beginnings
I’M ALWAYS intrigued to learn how the world’s multi-millionaires started out on the road to wealth and success. I read on the internet that Anton Rupert started his empire with an investment of just £10 (about R200 today). He began making cigarettes in his garage and this grew into the huge Rembrandt Group of companies.
I also read about a Japanese businessman called Hidehito Uki, who has established a world market for his special noodles.
He emigrated to Hawaii 30 years ago when he was 20 years old. He spoke no English and the only skill he possessed was how to make ramen noodles.
He found it hard to locate the proper kind of flour for his noodles, so he went to a local mill and persuaded them to make some specially for him (imagine doing that when you can’t speak any English!).
Today he owns factories on both sides of the US and cannot keep up with the demand for his products.
The one thing these successful people have in common is confidence in themselves. The didn’t moan about not being able to get a job. They didn’t inherit a fortune from wealthy parents. They just rolled up their sleeves and got on with the hard work of making a living.
I believe an important lesson that should be taught to every school child is that the world doesn’t owe you a living.
Another thing to learn is patience, which is probably the most difficult thing for a young person to accept.
Those successful businessmen didn’t start off as directors or managers; they started off getting their hands dirty, mixing noodle dough or rolling cigarettes.
I’ve seen a number of young people trying to make a living with the skills they have – some busk for weekend crowds at the seafront, one repairs broken home appliances, a third cultivates plants for sale in discarded yoghurt pots.
I admire these youngsters and really hope that one day somebody will write articles about how each of them started out with nothing, and now one is the leader of a great orchestra, another runs a chain of appliance stores and the third is head of a garden centre empire.
Last Laugh
A man flying in a hot air balloon became lost, so came down close to a road and asked a man: “Where am I?”
“You’re in a balloon 10m above the ground,” said the man.
“You must be an engineer,” observed the balloonist. “How did you know?” came the reply. “The information you gave is technically accurate but completely useless.” “You must be a manager,” said the man. “You expect me to help you and although you’re in the same mess you were in before, it’s now my fault.”