BC BUSINESS
Saved by @AnmolNarula11

Bill Gates got lucky.

With an IBM deal he signs in 1980.

Here's the hidden truth about the rise of Microsoft:

 So we all know the Bill Gates story.

A brilliant kid who loves computers.

Drops out of Harvard in 1975 to start Microsoft with his childhood friend, Paul Allen.
Gates and Allen originally sell code interpreters to companies like MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry System).

In 1976, their revenue is $16,000.

By 1978, Microsoft hits $1 million in revenue.

But they were far from taking over the world.

Until...
In 1980, IBM asks Gates to build them an operating system for their new personal computers.

He had never done this.

So Gates directs them to his friend Gary Kildall from Digital Research.
The IBM-Digital Research meeting goes poorly.

The two parties argue over non-disclosure agreements and other legal issues.

Eventually, IBM offers Digital Research $250,000 to build the operating system.

They refuse.

"We will only do royalties."
So IBM returns to Gates to build the operating system.

So he buys the "Quick and Dirty Operating System" (QDOS) from Seattle Computers for $50,000.

And repackages it into the now famous Microsoft DOS.
Gates starts the process of selling IBM the operating system.

But here's the catch:

It would be a non-exclusive royalty deal.

Translation: Microsoft could sell this operating system to any other computer company in the world.
This was incredibly stupid by IBM.

Microsoft had 0 leverage on IBM. They were basically a supplier.

If IBM wanted an exclusive deal, Gates would have signed it.
But instead, IBM lets Microsoft receive unlimited distribution through all their PCs.
If IBM didn't make this mistake, Microsoft would still have been successful.

But not the $2 trillion company it is today.

Ok, so what can we learn?
Every single massive success has luck.

But you can also make your own.

1) Create luck through persistence, hard work and hustle.

"Generate enough force through hustle and energy for luck to find you."

-@naval
2) Build a unique brand or character where luck can find you.

This is how IBM found Gates.

They thought of him as someone who could build their operating system.

And the rest is history.
If you liked this, retweet the 1st tweet to share this epic business story with a friend:

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Chris Hladczuk
Chris Hladczuk
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Frameworks are useless...

Unless you use them to solve specific problems.

Here are 10 frameworks that'll solve problems for you:

How to choose your next project:

If a project is successful, it should make the rest of your career look like a footnote.

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How to write:

Your creativity is a backed-up pipe of waste water.

And the waste water must be emptied before you get to clear water.

The path to clear water (or great writing) is through bad first drafts.

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How to send the perfect cold email:

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I've interviewed 5 founders of billion dollar startups.

Here's what I learned:

CTFU

"Catch the F*ck Up"

Startups are about speed.

If you don’t have urgency, you lose.

Successful people don't find hard things easy to do.

Instead, they've trained themselves to be better at hard things.

Create habits so small that they are painless.

h/t @JamesClear

Be short and to the point with important people.

Co-founders aren't people you meet at networking sessions.

They're your friends.

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Chris Hladczuk
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@chrishlad
Improve by comparing small.

“To improve, compare little things

• marketing strategies
• exercise technique
• writing tactics

To be miserable, compare big things

• career path
• marriage
• net worth

Comparison is a teacher only when applied narrowly.”

@JamesClear
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Chris Hladczuk
Chris Hladczuk
@chrishlad
David Ogilvy is the King of Copywriting.

And in 1982 he writes a 38 lesson manifesto titled

"How to create advertising that sells"

Here are the top 7 tips that you can use today:

We Make the Wrong Promise

A promise is not a random claim or stupid slogan.

It is a benefit for the consumer.

And the product delivers that benefit.

Awards are Dumb

"Pursuing creative awards seduces creative people from pursuing sales."

Translation:

If your job is to sell, focus 100% of your energy on selling the product.

Not selling yourself to voters to win an award.

"Nobody was ever bored into buying a product."

Give it some magic and charm.

The iPhone vs. Blackberry is a modern


Hit the Headline

"On average, 5 times as many people read the headline vs. the body."

People are scared of writing clickbait titles.

But the truth is that clickbait exists only when you fail to keep your promise to the reader.

h/t @nicolascole77
MARKETING
Chris Hladczuk
Chris Hladczuk
@chrishlad
If you build a great product and no one knows, did it happen?

@mkobach
@JunaeBrown
@AmandaMGoetz
@JuiceboxCA
@KyleTibbitts
@jenalyson
@tobydoyhowell
@ThatChristinaG
@markritson
@TheCoolestCool

10 LESSONS from 10 of the BEST Marketers👇🧵


1/ Understand Culture First

"Marketing is effective when it’s a reflection of culture. Have to understand culture and society to understand marketing"

@mkobach

2/ Four Keys

• Make your audience feel like they know u— inside look into lifestyle or clear buyer persona

• Create shareable content—audience promos for u

• Authenticity

• Interactive strategies since everything is digital. Create EXPERIENCES

@JunaeBrown

3/ Pillars of Content

Every piece of content have 3 things:

- PURPOSE
- GOAL
- DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

@AmandaMGoetz

4/ Clear Value Prop

"If you can’t describe in one tweet why someone should follow your brand on social, you can bet the average social user can’t find the reason either."

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They find the property, do all the work, hire the management company and take fees. They often co-sign debt and always secure the financing.

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Tax thread: Employees vs independent contractors.

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1/


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A Thread.⤵️


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Knowing how everything works from the bottom up is key to managing properly.

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Obviously you can't do everything yourself. You have to be in charge of following up constantly to make sure it gets done, and done right.

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"But I got no work experience..."

Make a open source lib, make a small side project for yourself, do freelance work, ask friends to work with them, no friends? Find friends on Github, and Twitter.

Bonus points:

- Show you care about the company: I used the company's brand font and gradient for in the resume for my name and "Thank You" note.
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One practical way is to reach out to conferences and offer to make their website for free. But make sure to do it good. You'll get:

- a project for portfolio
- new friends
- work experience
- learnt new stuff
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If you don't even have the skills yet, why not try your chance for @LambdaSchool? No? @freeCodeCamp. Still not? Pick something from here and learn https://t.co/7NPS1zbLTi
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