Inspirational Quotes by Michael Dell (American Businessperson)

Michael Dell (b.1965) is an American entrepreneur, business executive, and philanthropist. He famously dropped out of college at the age of 19 to pursue his dream of building the direct-sales computer empire. His company, Dell Technologies, is one of the largest technology companies in the world, famous for its computers and technology products and services.

Born in Houston, Texas, Dell turned his high school-summer job selling subscriptions to the Houston Post into a highly profitable venture by pursuing newlyweds and new homeowners. He earned some $18,000, more than one of his high school teachers. Before he started college, he began assembling computer parts himself and selling them directly to customers. He continued his fledgling business from a dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin, and later from a two-bedroom apartment. Soon, Dell incorporated his company as Dell Computer Corporation, doing business as PC Limited. His only investment was $1,000, the fee to capitalize his company in Texas.

Dell dropped out of school after his freshman year, grew his business at a startling rate, and revolutionized the retail computer industry by instituting a direct sales approach, where the customer places their customized order via phone or the internet directly with Dell rather than at a retail store. By 1992, when Dell was just 27, he became the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

As Dell elaborated in his autobiographical Direct from Dell (1999,) Dell’s ‘built to order’ direct model not only eliminated resellers and intermediaries but also allowed customers to customize their computers to the exact configuration they needed. This reduced the price customers paid for their computers and allowed Dell to carry a minimal inventory of parts. The combination of high-profit margins and low costs fuelled Dell’s early success and solidified the advantage of the direct model. Dell has served as his company’s CEO since its founding, except for nearly three years between 2004 and 2007.

Dell is also a prominent philanthropist—his Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is one of the world’s wealthiest charitable foundations. It has invested more than $650 million on children’s issues and community initiatives in the United States, India, and South Africa.

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