At nineteen, Michael Dell started his company as a freshman at the University of Texas with $1,000 and has since built an industry powerhouse. As Dell journeys through his childhood adventures, ups and downs, and mistakes made along the way, he reflects on invaluable lessons learned.
Michael Dell's revolutionary insight has allowed him to persevere against all odds, and Direct from Dell contains valuable information for any business leader. His strategies will show you effective ways to grow your business and will help you save time on costly mistakes by following his direct model for success.

DIRECT FROM DELL (Collins Business Essentials)

Business & Money

Dell, Michael

Biography & History

Business

Product Description 
WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From Michael Dell, renowned founder and chief executive of one of America’s largest technology companies, the inside story of the battles that defined him as a leader\nIn 1984, soon-to-be college dropout Michael Dell hid signs of his fledgling PC business in the bathroom of his University of Texas dorm room. Almost 30 years later, at the pinnacle of his success as founder and leader of Dell Technologies, he found himself embroiled in a battle for his company’s survival. What he’d do next could ensure its legacy—or destroy it completely.\nPlay Nice But Win is a riveting account of the three battles waged for Dell Technologies: one to launch it, one to keep it, and one to transform it. For the first time, Dell reveals the highs and lows of the company's evolution amidst a rapidly changing industry—and his own, as he matured into the CEO it needed. With humor and humility, he recalls the mentors who showed him how to turn his passion into a business; the competitors who became friends, foes, or both; and the sharks that circled, looking for weakness. What emerges is the long-term vision underpinning his success: that technology is ultimately about people and their potential.\nMore than an honest portrait of a leader at a crossroads, 
Play Nice But Win is a survival story proving that while anyone with technological insight and entrepreneurial zeal might build something great—it takes a leader to build something that lasts.\nReview 
“The book is acidly funny, nail-biting and fast-paced. It is also blessed with a villain from central casting: Carl Icahn, activist investor and publicity hound, whose sparring with Mr. Dell gives the story its bite.”\n—The Economist\n“In this super-candid book filled with revealing stories, Michael Dell shows how his development as a person was tightly intertwined with building the company he founded in hiscollege dorm room. It’s a fast-paced tale of launching a public company, taking it private, and then taking it public again, all while wrestling with colorful characters such as Carl Icahn. Dell provides a wealth of business insights but also something more important: how curiosity and good values are essential to success both in life and in business. It’s a lesson he learned from his strong parents and shares with his wife in the work of their foundation togive kids better opportunities. The result is a book that is exciting, insightful, and valuable.” 
— 
Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of 
The Code Breaker“Michael Dell takes you into the real world of building and transforming an empire, vividly describing conversations and deals with key players so you see the whole picture. It’s a great gift for those on a similar journey.” 
— 
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and author of 
Principles: Life and Work\n“ 
Play Nice But Win is exactly right. Exceptional entrepreneurs like Michael Dell have changed the world under great pressure, but with great success. Michael tells you how to be successful and true to your values in this awe-inspiring narrative of what it takes.” 
— 
Eric Schmidt, cofounder of Schmidt Futures and former CEO and chairman of Google\n“Michael Dell is the rare leader who set his company on a successful long-term direction by balancing innovative strategy with consistent values. In 
Play Nice But Win, he reminds us that courage and conviction are the key to transformative change in any organization.” 
— 
Indra Nooyi, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and author of 
My Life in Full\n“Many people have great business ideas. Entrepreneurs see them through. That’s the story of Michael Dell, whose book takes us on a riveting journey from the dorm room at the University of Texas to the boardroom of one of the world’s largest tech companies. It’s a tale of vision and perseverance every aspiring entrepreneur should read.” 
— 
Sir Richard Branson\n“This is Dell Direct. With insightful frankness and humor, Michael Dell tel

Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader

Biographies & Memoirs

Kaplan, James

Professionals & Academics

Portfolio

With an intellect as sharp as his right cross, Honest John Churchfield is one of the great detectives of 19th-century London. His singular sleuthing style, equal parts sarcasm, brutality, and alcohol consumption, leaves him second to none. Unfortunately, Sherlock Holmes casts an enormous shadow. While the public at large may not know his story, criminals fear the name Honest John.    "Honest John Churchfield" is a collection of five Churchfield adventures, blending old-fashioned, Sherlock Holmes-style mysteries with generous amounts of comedy.    "Honest John and the Missing Maidens" tells of a mysterious art heist baffling all London. "Honest John and the Irregular Medium" has our hero matching wits with a fraudulent fortuneteller. "Honest John Takes a Wife" features Churchfield foiling a rogue hypnotist. "Honest John Comes to Dinner" puts a new slant on brotherly love. And "Honest John Steals the Show" sees a night at the theater turn deadly.

Honest John Churchfield

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Direct from Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry

“Dell, the company, seems to have been born and evolved with an anticipation of the Internet age. Michael Dell walks us through how he turned his prescience into a powerful reality-and an outstanding example of the companies of the future.”  - Andrew S. Grove, Chairman of Intel Dell Computer Corporation is an $18 billion company and the second largest manufacturer and marketer of personal computers in the world. Founded on a deceptively simple premise - to deliver high-performance computer systems directly to the end user - Dell Computer is the envy of its competition, consistently growing at five times the industry rate, and a perennial darling of Wall Street. In Direct from Dell, Michael Dell himself tells the incredible story of Dell Computer's successful rise, which began in his college dorm room with $1,000 in capital. You'll encounter a young visionary who, upon witnessing the inefficiencies of an exploding industry, challenged conventional wisdom, and set out to do nothing less than beat IBM at its own game. In so doing, Dell forever changed the way things “had always been done” in the computer industry. Not just for CEOs or those in high tech, the strategies revealed in Direct from Dell are invaluable to managers across industries. From starting a successful business to his pioneering use of the Internet, Dell shares his perspectives on:Why it's infinitely better for any business starting out to have too little capital, rather than too muchWhy it can be life-threatening to your company to pursue too many good ideas'or to grow too fastWhy it's essential to run a P&L on every area of your businessWhy your people pose a greater threat to the health of your business than your competition doesHow integrating your business virtually can make the difference between being quick'and being deadRevealing nothing less than a new model for doing business in the information age, Direct from Dell is both an extraordinary business success story and a manifesto for revolutionizing any industry.

Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry

History

HarperAudio

Fredman, Catherine

Diane Pub Co.

In 1983, Michael S. Dell, then an incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, drove away from his parents' Houston home in a white BMW he'd bought selling subscriptions to his hometown newspaper. In the backseat were three personal computers. 
 Today, he is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dell Computer Corporation, an $18 billion company, the second-largest manufacturer and marketer of computers in the world. Founded on a deceptively simple premise--to deliver high-performance computer systems directly to the end user--Dell Computer is the envy of its competition, constantly growing at five times the industry rate, and a perennial darling of Wall Street: its stock is up more than 36,000 percent this decade, and more than 200 percent in the last year. 
 In Direct From Dell, Michael Dell himself tells the incredible story of Dell Computer's successful rise, beginning in his college dorm room with $1,000 in capital. 
 In these pages, you'll see the formation of a great visionary--and a great company. You'll meet the young Dell who, at the tender age of eight, had already begun looking "to eliminate unnecessary steps" and who, as a numbers-loving adolescent, was inspired by a newfound fascination with computers to save his money to buy a coveted Apple II--only to promptly take it apart. You'll encounter a young visionary who, upon witnessing the inefficiencies of an exploding industry, challenged conventional wisdom and set out to do nothing less than beat IBM at its own game. In so doing, Dell forever changed the way things "had always been done" in the computer industry. 
 You'll also see the birth of a Dell hallmark--the direct model--which, in its ability to reach the customer directly, eliminated not only a substantial middleman markup but also the possibility of costly excess inventory, setting the stage for other extraordinary achievements. In an industry notorious for its unreliable service, Dell utilized its direct customer relationships to pioneer the concept of customer "support"--and didn't rest until the caliber of its service was rivaled only by the quality of its products and its speed of delivery. 
 But the story of Dell Computer is no fairy tale. Marked by uncharacteristically rapid growth, the company was faced with challenges that could have threatened its very existence. From forays into retail to under- (and over-) developed product lines, Dell learned some hard lessons along the way--and emerged stronger as a result. 
 The strategies born of those times--unrivaled speed to market; superior customer service; a fierce commitment to producing constantly high-quality custom-made systems--heralded what has perhaps been the company's crowning achievement: an early exploitation of the Internet. One of the first companies to actually make money online, Dell is now selling more than $12 million worth of systems per day over www.dell.com. 
 Not just for CEOs or those in high tech, the strategies revealed in Direct From Dell are invaluable to managers in a broad cross section of industries. From starting a successful business to pioneering computer sales and service over the Internet, Dell shares his perspectives on: 
<ul>
<li> Why it's infinitely better for any business starting out to have too little capital, rather than too much </li>
<li> How studying your customers--not your competition--will give you a greater competitive edge </li>
<li> Why it can be life-threatening to your company to pursue too many good ideas--or to grow too fast </li>
<li> Why it's essential to run a P&amp;L on every area of your business </li>
<li> Why your people prose a greater threat to the health of your business than your competition does </li>
<li> How you can exploit your competition's weakness by exposing its greatest strength </li>
<li> How integrating your business virtually can make the difference between being quick--and being dead</li>
</ul>
 Revealing nothing less than a new model for doing business in the information age, Direct From Dell is both an extraordinary business success story and a manifesto for revolutionizing any industry.

Harper Business

Honest John Churchfield (Honest John Churchfield Mysteries)

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Independently published

Honest John and the Sticky Wicket (Honest John Churchfield Mysteries)

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