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☆ 49-year-old started his business 'to make $5,000 a month to survive, pay my mortgage'—he sold it for $100 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

When Tomas Gorny started a tech business in 2001, he wasn't thinking about becoming a billionaire someday. Gorny started a business called Ipower, which sold software that helped people build their own websites. Six years later, he sold Ipower to web hosting company Endurance International for a reported $100 million. Perhaps ironically, Gorny says the more modest goal helped helped him grow his company's bottom line far more effectively. Once he released his more developed products, Ipower started adding hundreds of new customers per day, he says.

Persons: Tomas Gorny, Nextiva, who'd, he'd, Gorny, —, Interliant, Ipower Organizations: Endurance, Internet Communications, Endurance International, Google, Microsoft Locations: Scottsdale , Arizona, Polish, U.S

☆ Costco's founder met Jeff Bezos for coffee—his advice helped turn a near-death Amazon into a $2 trillion business
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

After 30 years in business, Amazon is a $2 trillion behemoth and one of the world's largest retailers. Some critics believed Amazon was doomed to never recover, but founder Jeff Bezos turned things around — with some helpful advice from Jim Sinegal, founder of rival retailer Costco. Amazon, Bezos added, would always aim to be the second type of company. Bezos credited the rebound to lower prices and promised to eliminate unnecessary costs in order to make more discounts possible, the Times reported — a similar strategy to Costco's. And what really drove it was lower prices for customers…" Bezos told Fox News in January 2002.

Persons: Amazon, Jeff Bezos, Jim Sinegal, Bezos, Barnes & Noble, Brad Stone, Sinegal, Stone, Jeff, We've Organizations: Costco, Barnes &, Amazon, The New York Times, Sales, Times, Fox News, Amazon Prime, CNBC Locations: Amazon's, Bellevue , Washington

Graves defines work-life balance as scheduling family time into his calendar, to avoid getting lost while growing his company. "There's always something to work on and you'll just constantly do it, so it's being very diligent on planning," says Graves. "You might be tired, but you're not going to be dragging around ... You're going to be just as enthusiastic for those special times [with your family]." You can similarly schedule wellness days into your life, psychologist Casey Tallent told CNBC Make It in September. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

Persons: Todd Graves, Graves, I'm, Cane's, procrastination, Nir Eyal, it's, Casey Tallent Organizations: CNBC Locations: Baton Rouge , Louisiana

☆ 49-year-old lived on $3 a day when he first moved to the U.S.—now he's a billionaire tech CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly three decades ago, Tomas Gorny came to the U.S. as a Polish immigrant living on $3 a day, after rent and transportation costs. Today, the 49-year-old Gorny is the founder of multiple tech businesses, including a cloud-based business communications company called Nextiva that was most recently valued at $2.7 billion. Gorny, the company's CEO, has a net worth exceeding $1 billion, according to a Nextiva spokesperson. After rent and transportation costs, he had only a few dollars per day for food and other necessities, he says. Two years later, his $3 per day turned into a net worth above $1 million, he says.

Persons: Tomas Gorny, Gorny, — Organizations: CNBC, Internet Communications Locations: Germany, Los Angeles

☆ Bill Gates predicted AI's lucrative potential nearly a decade ago—now it's worth billions: Here's what he saw
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-06 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tech giants have poured billions of dollars into AI, and "prompt engineering" is a lucrative, in-demand job. "That kind of technology is in all the leading companies and a lot of universities," said Gates. "They finished it in just a few months," wrote Gates, calling the achievement "the most important advance in technology since the graphical user interface [in 1980]." "Today, somebody could raise billions of dollars for a new AI company [that's just] a few sketch ideas," Gates said, adding: "Just believing in AI, that's not very unique. Start today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 50% off through November 26, 2024.

Persons: Bill Gates, Gates, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, He'd, OpenAI, stoking, that's Organizations: Tech, Microsoft, Columbia University, Berkshire, Apple, IBM, PayPal, LinkedIn, CNBC Locations: chatbots

Making it successful requires you to "multiply that by infinity," says billionaire Raising Cane's co-founder and CEO Todd Graves. Nearly three decades later, Raising Cane's has more than 800 locations worldwide and could finish this year with nearly $5 billion in sales, a spokesperson says. "I can't tell you how many 15, 16-hour days I've worked in a row," Graves, 52, tells CNBC Make It. DON'T MISS: The ultimate guide to negotiating a higher salaryAt times, Graves worked so much that his wife would bring their two kids to his office for dinner and playtime — after which he'd go back to work, he says. As such, he's still busy — but he's configured his workload to make time for family and friends anyway, he says.

Persons: Cane's, Todd Graves, Graves, I've, playtime, he'd, he's, I'm Organizations: Baton, CNBC, Forbes Locations: California, Alaska, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Cane's

☆ Bill Gates is surprised more people don't ask him these 'boring' questions: They're 'more important than the GDP'
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-02 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Gates is constantly asked for his thoughts on big topics like artificial intelligence, climate change and pandemics. Gates, 69, told LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman during an episode of the "Possible" podcast that published on Wednesday. — even though those types of topics aren't always top of mind for most Americans. It's "one of the most important questions ever," Gates wrote, adding: "It is hard to think of a measure of how a society is doing that reveals more than whether it is protecting its children, and especially its most vulnerable children," Gates wrote. Malnutrition probably isn't a top concern for the average person living in an area that's relatively unaffected by the issue, Gates told Hoffman.

Persons: Bill Gates, Reid Hoffman, Gates, —, Hoffman, I'm Organizations: Microsoft, LinkedIn, New York Times, World Health Organization, CNBC

When Todd Graves looks at resumes, one trend stands out to him: the prevalence of job-hopping. Graves, 52, is the billionaire CEO and co-founder of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a restaurant chain with more than 800 locations across the U.S., its territories and the Middle East. 1 red flag when hiring new corporate employees is a resume that shows frequent job changes every two to three years, he says. "When they're more into title and control versus teamwork, it's a huge red flag for me," says Graves. He says he's noticed a "huge correlation to success" for employees when they care about what happens to their colleagues, team and organization as a whole — rather than focusing solely on their own career growth.

Persons: Todd Graves, Graves, he's Organizations: CNBC Locations: U.S

His chicken finger restaurant chain Raising Cane's brought in $3.7 billion in net sales last year, contributing significantly to his estimated net worth of $9.5 billion. With cash flowing again, Graves made his payments and avoided selling any company equity, he says. Graves: I remember watching on television from our location on Lee Drive [in Baton Rouge, Louisiana] when the levees broke. At first, my American dream was: You can go out and start your own business, and you can make the business work, and that's a success. Bring people into a great place to work that's a great place to grow.

Persons: Todd Graves, Cane's, Graves, they're, you'd Organizations: CNBC, LSU, Forbes, Hurricane, Tyson Foods Locations: Louisiana, Orleans, New Orleans, Baton Rouge , Louisiana

☆ Tim Cook got his first job at age 12 to save for college: 'Everybody was expected to work in my family'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tim Cook's path to becoming Apple's CEO started with an unglamorous job: waking up at 3 a.m. to deliver newspapers. Cook, now 63, started working at a young age, just 12 years old, to begin saving money, he told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday. "Throwing papers helped start my college education," said Cook, who became the first member of his family to attend college. DON'T MISS: The ultimate guide to negotiating a higher salaryAs a pre-teen, Cook found a job delivering the Mobile Press Register newspaper to start putting away money. "Everybody was expected to work in my family," said Cook, who described his daily routine at the time: "I'd get up at about 3 in the morning, pick up the stack of papers and start throwing.

Persons: Tim Cook's, Cook, Cook doesn't Organizations: Wall, Apple, The Washington, Mobile Press Register Locations: Robertsdale , Alabama

☆ Tim Cook shares the No. 1 trait that set Steve Jobs apart from most people: 'Very few people have that skill'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tim Cook learned a lot from Steve Jobs in the 13 years he worked with the late Apple co-founder. Cook was particularly "enamored" with one specific skill he learned from Jobs, he said: "Not to be married to my past views. Not to be so proud you can't change your mind when you're presented with new evidence in things. Cook went on to call Jobs' willingness to change his mind on any topic "a brilliant skill" — and one that's less common than you might think. "People who are right a lot, they listen a lot, and people who are right a lot, change their mind a lot."

Persons: Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, Cook, Jobs, Keith Bellizzi, Jeff Bezos, —, Bezos, Andy Jassy, they're, Jassy Organizations: Apple, Wall, Compaq, Jobs, University of Connecticut, Pathfinder, CNBC Locations: Seattle

☆ Ivy League psychologist shares the common mistake she made raising her 3 kids: ‘I wish I had never been that parent’
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

There's no such thing as a perfect parent, says Tovah Klein. It's throwing at us probably daily [reminders that] we are far from perfect," says Klein, a child psychologist, author and director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. Fortunately, making mistakes and owning up to them is one way that parents can actually help teach their kids how to become healthy, successful adults. Like most parents, Klein raised her voice in heated moments on more than one occasion: "I could really yell at my kids," she says. "I wish I had never been that parent who went over the top and really got into battles with my children.

Persons: Tovah Klein, Klein, it's Organizations: Barnard College Center, CNBC

☆ 46-year-old CEO who runs 2 successful startups: This is my productivity 'cheat code'—it makes me 'much more efficient'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Try working two at the same time. So how does Bansal manage to stay healthy and productive while running two fast-growing startups? "It's very ironic that people think, [because] I'm CEO of two companies, I should be the best at multitasking," Bansal says. The next 30 minutes, "I could be with our investors and board on something [at a] much higher business-level kind," he says. "The next 30 minutes, I could be in a customer conversation.

Persons: Jyoti Bansal, Bansal, TechCrunch, he's, that's, I'm, Jason Buechel, Goldman Sachs, Shekhinah Bass Organizations: Startup, Cisco, CNBC, Whole Foods

☆ Ivy League parenting expert: The 5 keys to raising children who are more resilient and mentally strong
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Helping your children develop the resilience to handle life's inevitable setbacks is the key to raising them into happy and successful adults, says Dr. Tovah Klein. The truth is, "it's much more dynamic," says Klein, a child psychologist, author and director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. "What children learn is, 'Oh, we can come apart, we can come back together, and it actually builds trust," Klein says. Once children feel comfortable talking about their emotions, parents can help them learn to regulate those feelings. Tovah Klein director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development"Children are constantly learning about emotions," Klein says, and parents can help.

Persons: Tovah Klein, Klein, I'm, who's, You've, Robert Waldinger Organizations: Barnard College Center, Resilience, CNBC

☆ Millennials and Gen X Are Figuring Out What to Do With Boomers' Stuff
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

AdvertisementIn short, boomers love stuff, and not just their stuff. They held on to their parents' stuff when they inherited it, and a lot of them are sitting with their kids' stuff in their attics now, too. The market value of the object and the sentimental value don't always go hand in hand. "I often emphasize the idea that the market value of the object and the sentimental value don't always go hand in hand," he said. Remember, it takes a lot of stuff to live a full life — and it's hard to let go of it.

Persons: Dale Sperling's, Sperling, it's, they're, It's, they've, Gen Xers, Gen Zers, Sarah Hersh, Ben Hersh, — you'll, Mary Kay Buysse, They're, Hummel, Mindy Godding, you've, Godding, Elizabeth Hirsh, Wen Stone, Janelle, Ben Miller, they'll, Miller, Stephanie Preston, Buysse, we've, —, Janelle Stone, I've, that's, she's, doesn't, downsizers, Cameron Huddleston, Let's, Emily Stewart Organizations: Facebook, National Association of Senior, Boomers, University of Michigan, eBay, Business Locations: New York City, New Jersey, North Carolina, Dallas, downsizers, New York

☆ 46-year-old turned 400 of his employees into millionaires by selling his startup for $3.7B: ‘These are life-changing outcomes’
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

When Jyoti Bansal made "the hardest decision" of his career — selling his software startup AppDynamics for billions — he did it with his employees in mind. As the startup's founder and chairman, Bansal would've become wealthy either way — but only one of his two options guaranteed the same for many of his staffers, he says. Upon Bansal's acceptance of the offer, roughly 400 AppDynamics employees saw their shares of the company rise in value to at least $1 million, a spokesperson for Bansal says. Today, he's the CEO and co-founder of two other software startups, Traceable and Harness, the latter of which was most recently valued at $3.7 billion in 2022. At least 70 of the company's 80 employees became millionaires on paper when VeriSign's stock soared two years later, Chaudhry said.

Persons: Jyoti Bansal, AppDynamics, Bansal would've, Bansal, could've, Zscaler, Jay Chaudhry didn't, Chaudhry, Get Organizations: Cisco, CNBC, SEC, VeriSign

☆ CEO of $8 billion company worked 2 jobs at once to lead a civilian crew into space: ‘You don't sleep a lot’
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Billionaire Jared Isaacman spent 2½ years training for a historic 10-minute spacewalk — while simultaneously running a nearly $8 billion company. Isaacman, 41, financed and commanded a SpaceX mission last month that featured the first-ever all-civilian spacewalk, during which he personally floated outside a Dragon space capsule. Isaacman, who has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, says he didn't take a leave of absence during those two-plus years of training. The trip was Isaacman's second space venture: In 2021, he financed and led the SpaceX team that became the world's first all-civilian crew to reach orbit. Once in space, the crew worked around the clock, conducting dozens of research experiments in five days while monitoring the capsule and its systems.

Persons: Jared Isaacman, He's, I've, Isaacman, —, Get Organizations: SpaceX, CNBC, Revel Systems Locations: Shift4, Los Angeles

☆ Is Bill Gates too rich? 'I would take away 62% of what I have,' he says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

When an interviewer asked Gates directly if he believed he was "too rich," the billionaire avoided giving a "yes" or "no" answer. Gates is personally invested in the issue: His nonprofit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated billions of dollars to address global problems like poverty and inequity. He's previously stated that the wealthiest people, himself included, should pay much higher tax rates. "I'm for a tax system in which, if you have more money, you pay a higher percentage in taxes. I think the rich should pay more than they currently do," Gates wrote in a 2019 blog post.

Persons: Bill Gates, Gates, Melinda Gates, He's, Kara Swisher, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Sanders Organizations: Microsoft, Forbes, Netflix, Melinda Gates Foundation Locations: New York

☆ 46-year-old sold a business for $3.7 billion—and immediately regretted it: That was my 'saddest day'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The deal made hundreds of the startup's employees, Bansal included, instantly wealthy. But what should have been a joyous moment became Bansal's "saddest day," he tells CNBC Make It. He built AppDynamics around the biggest problems he faced as an engineer, creating tools for troubleshooting outages and other software applications flaws. After six months of traveling the world, Bansal launched a San Francisco-based startup called Harness, which also makes tools for software developers. It was most recently valued at $3.7 billion in 2022, according to the company, the same amount AppDynamics sold for.

Persons: Jyoti Bansal, Bansal, AppDynamics, hadn't, could've, —, You've, It's Organizations: CNBC, Cisco, Harness Locations: India, San Francisco, Machu, Africa, Norway

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow we built Warby Parker into a $1.8 billion eyewear brandIn 2010, Warby Parker disrupted the $150 billion global eyewear industry with a pair of $95 glasses. Started by four business school students, the pioneering direct-to-consumer eyewear brand has now sold millions of pairs of glasses, both online and in 269 brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S. and Canada. It brought in nearly $670 million in revenue last year, and currently boasts a market value of $1.8 billion.

Persons: Warby Parker Locations: Canada

If Dave Gilboa kept better track of his glasses, Warby Parker might not exist. They co-founded Warby Parker, a pioneering direct-to-consumer brand that's sold millions of pairs of glasses, both online and in 269 brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S. and Canada. Warby Parker brought in nearly $670 million in revenue last year. "The need for glasses and contacts continues to grow and grow and grow," Blumenthal tells CNBC Make It. "And we're putting Warby Parker in a position to take advantage of that growth, to serve that very large growing need."

Persons: Dave Gilboa, Warby Parker, Gilboa, — Neil Blumenthal, Andy Hunt, Jeff Raider —, Blumenthal Organizations: Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, CNBC Locations: Canada, Gilboa

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBill Gates on AI, success and misinformationBill Gates shares how he defines success, what the No. 1 unsolvable problem is facing today's young people and compares developing software in the '70s to developing AI tools today.

Persons: Bill Gates, Gates

☆ Melinda French Gates says CEOs who cut sleep to maximize productivity are 'so dumb': 'Some of us didn't want to be around them'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Melinda French Gates believes it's "so dumb" to try and maximize productivity by getting only a few hours of sleep. French Gates said, referencing CEOs and tech entrepreneurs who promote, in her eyes, a form of performative sleep deprivation. He's since changed his tune, and now aims for at least six hours of sleep per night, he told CNBC last year. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates — French Gates' ex-husband — have shared similar stories. Now, he aims for a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night, he said.

Persons: Melinda French Gates, she's, Gates, who've, Indra Nooyi, Donald Trump, Marissa Meyer, Elon Musk, Tesla, I've, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, —, Bezos Organizations: PepsiCo, Former U.S, CNBC, Microsoft Locations: Former

☆ Bill Gates says this is how he’d start Microsoft again from scratch today: It's a 'fantastic opportunity'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If Bill Gates had to start all over again, he'd join the artificial intelligence arms race with an "AI-centric" startup, he says. "Today, somebody could raise billions of dollars for a new AI company [that's just] a few sketch ideas," the billionaire Microsoft co-founder tells CNBC Make It. Gates researched the AI industry for his upcoming Netflix docuseries "What's Next? But AI will be transformative enough as it grows for any new tech startup to consider how it can fit into that industry, Gates says. "I was lucky that my belief in software made me unique," says Gates, adding: "Just believing in AI, that's not very unique.

Persons: Bill Gates, he'd, Gates, Allen, that's Organizations: Microsoft, CNBC, Google, Nvidia, Netflix, CNN

☆ 41-year-old who just completed the first civilian spacewalk dropped out of high school to start his $7 billion business
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Billionaire Jared Isaacman made history in space — again. On Thursday, Isaacman spent 10 minutes floating in the vacuum of space outside of a SpaceX capsule. Both private space missions were funded for undisclosed sums by Isaacman, who boasts an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, according to Forbes. He's a longtime advocate for the expansion of the private space industry, which he says could lead to "a world where everybody can go and venture among the stars." Here's how he went from teenage entrepreneur, running a business he founded in his parents' New Jersey basement, to a billionaire floating in space.

Persons: Jared Isaacman, Isaacman, Forbes Organizations: SpaceX, CNBC Locations: —, Isaacman, New Jersey

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