Bill Gates
Microsoft · Technology · United States
Biography
His early venture Traf-O-Data with Paul Allen did not succeed commercially. They co-founded Microsoft in 1975, which licensed MS-DOS and grew into a dominant software company.
The lesson
Paraphrased summarySummary: early failed ventures build skills; licensing your work to many customers can scale it.
How it helps you
Selling the same product or service many times multiplies income without equal extra work.
Practical steps
- Identify part of your work you repeat often.
- Package it as a standard product.
- Offer it to several customers at once.
- Keep ownership of what you create.
Apply This Lesson
Pick an idea from your last scan, or type your own.