The Richest Person on Earth Breaks Every Rule, And You Should Too
Five business strategies you can steal from this groundbreaking entrepreneur's playbook
By | Liliana Pertenava
Who is Elon Musk? Is he an entrepreneur? An immigrant success story? A Twitter troll? Labels are important, because they give us context for what to expect from a person.
Musk most recently earned the title of the richest person on earth, but I’d argue, “most influential person on Earth” might be more fitting. Musk’s influence is not a fluke. It’s a result of deliberately subverting norms and challenging expectations at every turn.
Though financial resources differ greatly among entrepreneurs, a calculated media strategy is something every entrepreneur can add to their toolkit. Let’s unpack Musk’s rise to fame, from his publicly celebrated business successes to his Twitter game, to see how any entrepreneur can take a note from Musk’s playbook.
Strategy 1: Pour gasoline on the fire
In the heat of the dotcom boom, Musk was sending sparks flying. In 1995 he founded Zip2, an internet company that provided city guides and business directories for newspapers, and four years later he became a dotcom millionaire. Zip2 sold for $307 million, and Musk took home $22 million.
As public fascination with Silicon Valley grew, Musk invited the cameras to get a first-hand look at his success. When his millions started pouring in, he welcomed CNN over at 7 a.m. to witness the delivery of his new $1 million McLaren F1 sports car.
