“There are a lot of things that go into creating success. I don’t like to do just the things I like to do. I like to do things that cause the company to succeed. I don’t spend a lot of time doing my favourite activities.” Michael Dell
Michael Dell Early Life
The 23rd of February, 1965, was Michael Dell’s birthday. He was born in Houston. Dell comes from a Jewish family whose surname is the English version of the German Tal.
Alexander Dell and Lorraine Charlotte had a son named Dell. In Houston, he went to the Herod Elementary School. He wanted to have a head start in business, so at age eight he registered to take the high school equivalency test.
Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Inc. and a successful entrepreneur, author, and speaker. His mother was a money manager and his father was a stockbroker and dentist. Dell was primarily motivated by two sources: his family and business. Dell once said that the stock market and computers were both addictions. He took the high school equivalency test when he was just eight years old so he could start his own company. During his time in Houston, Texas, he attended Herod Elementary School.
Entering the Business
Dell started saving up for his ventures into the precious metals and stock markets while still in his teens by working a variety of part-time jobs. He started making $2,000 a year at the tender age of 12 by running a mail-order trading company for stamps and baseball cards. He was given his first Apple II when he was 14 and quickly acquired an interest in and talent for computer science. He worked as a marketing executive for the Houston Post while attending Memorial High School, gaining valuable experience in the field. He used to engage in cold calling and discovered that newlyweds and recent transplants to the region made for very receptive customers. Earning $18,000 in a year was impressive for Dell.
In 1984, while still a student at the University of Texas, Dell used the $1,000 he had saved up to launch his computer firm, PCs Limited. Dell Computers was founded by Michael Dell, who, with the help of $300,000 from his family, began building and selling computers while offering a free year of technical support. His hard work and attention to his consumers resulted in a large number of happy clients. Next, Dell made a significant choice; he abandoned his academic studies to focus entirely on business, and he began selling personal computers (PCs), PC kits, and PC peripherals. Later, they changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation and established a new headquarters in North Austin. In 1992, at the age of 27, he became the youngest CEO in history when Fortune Magazine maintained his business in its list of the top 500 corporations. After just four years, in 1996, Dell started selling computers online and built a server, and the company’s growth quickly quadrupled, making it the biggest PC maker in the world.
Although Kevin B. Rollins succeeded him as CEO in 2004, he returned to that role three years later.
In 1999, Dell released his autobiography, titled “Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry,” in which he described in detail his upbringing, his failures, and the lessons that led him to build the firm that bears his name. Dell Inc., formerly Dell Computer Corporation, is in the business of selling consumer electronics and software for use in the home.
Philanthropic Work
Together with his wife Susan, Michael Dell formed the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation in 1999 to improve the lives of children. By 2010, the foundation had donated over $530 million to improve metropolitan areas in the United States and India.
In addition to funding the Dell Children’s Medical Center, the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, and the Michael & Susan Dell Center for the Advancement of Healthy Living with a combined $65 million in donations, he has also given over $100 million to other charitable causes. These three health groups are all connected to his alma mater, The University of Texas.
Awards and Recognition
Dell was named Inc. magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1989, when he was only 24 years old. He was named “Top CEO in American Business” by Worth magazine.
The University of Limerick presented Dell with an Honorary Doctorate in Economic Science in 2002 in recognition of his extensive support for educational projects in Ireland and the surrounding area.
He was named “CEO of the Year” by Financial World, Industry Week, and Chief Executive.
In addition to serving on the executive committee of the International Business Council, the governing board of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India, the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, and the U.S. Business Council, he has also been a member of the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
