A brilliant kid who loves computers.
Drops out of Harvard in 1975 to start Microsoft with his childhood friend, Paul Allen.
Bill Gates got lucky.
With an IBM deal he signs in 1980.
Here's the hidden truth about the rise of Microsoft:
A brilliant kid who loves computers.
Drops out of Harvard in 1975 to start Microsoft with his childhood friend, Paul Allen.
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...
He had never done this.
So Gates directs them to his friend Gary Kildall from Digital Research.
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 he buys the "Quick and Dirty Operating System" (QDOS) from Seattle Computers for $50,000.
And repackages it into the now famous Microsoft DOS.
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.
Microsoft had 0 leverage on IBM. They were basically a supplier.
If IBM wanted an exclusive deal, Gates would have signed it.
But not the $2 trillion company it is today.
Ok, so what can we learn?
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
This is how IBM found Gates.
They thought of him as someone who could build their operating system.
And the rest is history.
https://t.co/Su72jrS4sz
Bill Gates got lucky.
— Chris Hladczuk (@chrishlad) October 11, 2021
With an IBM deal he signs in 1980.
Here's the hidden truth about the rise of Microsoft:
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More from Chris Hladczuk
If you use it right, Google is the most powerful tool in the world.
But the truth is most people suck at it.
Here are 8 Googling tips that you probably don't know👇
"Quotation markets"
Put quotes around search terms to let you search exactly for that word.
All results will have your terms in it.
Example: "James Clear"
Gives you all James Clear search results without just "James" or just "Clear".
- Dashes
If you want to exclude a term from your search, include a hyphen before that word.
Example: dolphins-football
You just want dolphins the animal not dolphins the professional football team.
~ Tilde
Use tilde when you want synonyms to appear in the result.
Example: music ~classes
Here you only get music classes, lessons, coaching, etc.
Site:
Use this to search within a specific website only.
Example: Kevin Ryan site:chrishlad..com
This searches for Kevin Ryan mentions on my website (chrishlad dot com).
But the truth is most people suck at it.
Here are 8 Googling tips that you probably don't know👇
"Quotation markets"
Put quotes around search terms to let you search exactly for that word.
All results will have your terms in it.
Example: "James Clear"
Gives you all James Clear search results without just "James" or just "Clear".
- Dashes
If you want to exclude a term from your search, include a hyphen before that word.
Example: dolphins-football
You just want dolphins the animal not dolphins the professional football team.
~ Tilde
Use tilde when you want synonyms to appear in the result.
Example: music ~classes
Here you only get music classes, lessons, coaching, etc.
Site:
Use this to search within a specific website only.
Example: Kevin Ryan site:chrishlad..com
This searches for Kevin Ryan mentions on my website (chrishlad dot com).
Can't get a job at Facebook?
You can always sell your startup to Zuckerberg for $19 billion.
Here's the crazy story of WhatsApp👇
Jan Koum met Brian Acton in 1998.
They spent 9 years working together at Yahoo and became good friends.
But in 2007, they both left Yahoo with some cash and no plans.
At first Acton and Koum applied to Facebook
...and failed
they were proud members of the "Facebook reject club"
In January 2009, Jan Koum bought an iPhone and thought,
"Wow, this new App Store could be huge."
At the time, the App Store was 7 months old.
So he met with a friend named Alex Fishman to brainstorm app ideas.
Koum thought it would be fun to put statuses next to friends' names in your address book.
So he went to RentACoder..com to hire a guy to build the 1st version.
You can always sell your startup to Zuckerberg for $19 billion.
Here's the crazy story of WhatsApp👇
Jan Koum met Brian Acton in 1998.
They spent 9 years working together at Yahoo and became good friends.
But in 2007, they both left Yahoo with some cash and no plans.
At first Acton and Koum applied to Facebook
...and failed
they were proud members of the "Facebook reject club"
In January 2009, Jan Koum bought an iPhone and thought,
"Wow, this new App Store could be huge."
At the time, the App Store was 7 months old.
So he met with a friend named Alex Fishman to brainstorm app ideas.
Koum thought it would be fun to put statuses next to friends' names in your address book.
So he went to RentACoder..com to hire a guy to build the 1st version.
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Introducing "The Balloon Effect"
Many businesses & creators have experienced a similar pattern of success.
From @MrBeastYT and @MorningBrew to @oatly and @Rovio.
Let's break down what "The Balloon Effect" is and examples of it in real life.
Keep reading 👇
1/ What is "The Balloon Effect"?
It is a particular pattern of growth.
It is not Instagram's growth trajectory.
It is not https://t.co/5axsTUKek6's growth trajectory.
"The Balloon Effect" is defined by several years of hard work & grit complemented by slow, linear growth.
2/ And then one day, one month, or one quarter...everything changes.
A business hits a tipping point and its trajectory shifts entirely.
Gradual growth turns to exponential growth & your brand and your size explode.
Like a step function.
3/ Now, you're probably wondering.
Why is it called "The Balloon Effect"?
Because filling/popping a water balloon follows the exact pattern I just described (and so many businesses experience).
Long unsexy slog 👉 Exponential tipping point.
4/ Initially, you turn on the faucet & water takes up space in the empty balloon.
Through effort you open the faucet, yet the results are unexciting.
But it's what must be done for water (or growth) to happen at all.
It's not sexy, but it's necessary.
Many businesses & creators have experienced a similar pattern of success.
From @MrBeastYT and @MorningBrew to @oatly and @Rovio.
Let's break down what "The Balloon Effect" is and examples of it in real life.
Keep reading 👇
1/ What is "The Balloon Effect"?
It is a particular pattern of growth.
It is not Instagram's growth trajectory.
It is not https://t.co/5axsTUKek6's growth trajectory.
"The Balloon Effect" is defined by several years of hard work & grit complemented by slow, linear growth.
2/ And then one day, one month, or one quarter...everything changes.
A business hits a tipping point and its trajectory shifts entirely.
Gradual growth turns to exponential growth & your brand and your size explode.
Like a step function.
3/ Now, you're probably wondering.
Why is it called "The Balloon Effect"?
Because filling/popping a water balloon follows the exact pattern I just described (and so many businesses experience).
Long unsexy slog 👉 Exponential tipping point.
4/ Initially, you turn on the faucet & water takes up space in the empty balloon.
Through effort you open the faucet, yet the results are unexciting.
But it's what must be done for water (or growth) to happen at all.
It's not sexy, but it's necessary.
