Billionaire. Mayor. Coffee Guy.
● Mike Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P.: When we started the company, I rented a tiny midtown office for me and my three partners. On the very first day, I went around the corner to Alexander’s department store on Lexington and 59th to buy a coffeepot. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew we would need caffeine. And on many mornings, before sunrise, I’d go to the deli across from the headquarters of Merrill Lynch—we were trying to land them as our first customer for a product we were still designing— and I would buy as many cups of coffee and tea as I could carry. Then I’d head upstairs and let myself into Merrill’s offices. No one ever stopped me or asked me any questions; there was virtually no security back then. Today, I’d never make it past the front desk. But once inside, I’d roam the floor looking for anyone who happened to be sitting alone reading a newspaper before the day started to see if I could chat. I’d walk over, introduce myself, and ask for a few minutes to learn about how we could help them—while offering them a coffee. “You take milk? Got it. Sugar? Right here. Don’t want coffee? I’ve got tea.” One way or another, they couldn’t say no. One day, Alexander’s went out of business. And now, standing on that very same site, is Bloomberg’s global headquarters.