Felix Dennis and ruthless business

[Bernardo De Mach]

Just reading Felix Dennis book "The Narrow Road A Brief Guide to the Getting of Money", I like the book. Seems like a no bullshit guide with no holes barred. I'm a hyper-competitive so when Felix talks about "slitting the throats of your competitors" or "plucking the head of weasels in your way" it just sounds like music to my ears.

However, is this advice too sociopathic and outdated to how business operates now?

 

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[ReeZ]

Perhaps the wording is outdated, as it does not fit the current PC culture.

But if you are business to make money - or to win. Yes this is something that is often needed - and that most top businesses apply. And should in my opinion if they wish to make more money. It is often more useful to have the government do it for you though - It does cost more though.

There are multiple different ways to put it in practice, the simplest one is to simply bring more value to the table than any of your competitors do, so that they simply can't win against you.

That said, your hyper-competitiveness is just as likely to get in your own way - picking unnecessary, even useless fights that only take up your energy, time - That could have been better spent.

Edit:
He has a longer book that I like - How To Get Rich
I haven't read the book you mentioned.

 

[Bernardo De Mach]

Perhaps the wording is outdated, as it does not fit the current PC culture.

But if you are business to make money - or to win. Yes this is something that is often needed - and that most top businesses apply. And should in my opinion if they wish to make more money. It is often more useful to have the government do it for you though - It does cost more though.

There are multiple different ways to put it in practice, the simplest one is to simply bring more value to the table than any of your competitors do, so that they simply can't win against you.

That said, your hyper-competitiveness is just as likely to get in your own way - picking unnecessary, even useless fights that only take up your energy, time - That could have been better spent.

Edit:
He has a longer book that I like - How To Get Rich
I haven't read the book you mentioned.

I think PC culture is for the masses to have something to fuss about. But I see your point I think, as an entrepreneur cater your language to appeal to mass culture for profit?

"There are multiple different ways to put it in practice, the simplest one is to simply bring more value to the table than any of your competitors do, so that they simply can't win against you."< I've heard this before, makes logic sense in terms of bringing the best to society etc, however, I don't have much experience in the professional business sense. However, i've been around non legal "situations", and business outside the law is ruthless. Literally best friends looting each others stash, giving out names to the cops to get rid of competition and other sly tactics, with what Felix points out, business has a universal language regardless of environment.

Currently running a dropshipping store atm and the only shady thing I had to do is bluff my way through with the wholesaler, but I like the positive aspects of developing relationship with customer through emails and building re-occurring revenue through there. However, I don't feel that drive for competition, like I did in sports or other areas where shit gets real

 

[Harbourmaster]

 

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[AidenRafi]

Avoid competition, seek monopolies.

 

[WabiSabi]

^ Agreed, sometimes companies thrive in the absence of competition.

Space X ( 1 competitor, now 0), Paypal (1 competitor, later bought), 23 and me ( 1 competitor).

 

[AidenRafi]

You can also differentiate yourself so much that you automatically become competitor-less.

Or you can buy out key players in an industry and make slow movements as to not alarm the government over a potential monopolistic play.

Finally, you can use control to create a monopoly (as MJ discusses in his book).

Have control of the entire operation: dev, manufacturing, supply chains, distribution.

 

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[Tourmaline]

Just reading Felix Dennis book "The Narrow Road A Brief Guide to the Getting of Money", I like the book. Seems like a no bullshit guide with no holes barred. I'm a hyper-competitive so when Felix talks about "slitting the throats of your competitors" or "plucking the head of weasels in your way" it just sounds like music to my ears.

However, is this advice too sociopathic and outdated to how business operates now?

I'm not so sure hyper competitiveness is really necessary. I suppose it depends on industry, but I see competitiveness as being very reactive. If you are doing things differently and are truly ahead, you can get along quite well with the rest of the players on the market with no need to destroy them or wish them ill will.

Perhaps the wording is outdated, as it does not fit the current PC culture.

But if you are business to make money - or to win. Yes this is something that is often needed - and that most top businesses apply. And should in my opinion if they wish to make more money. It is often more useful to have the government do it for you though - It does cost more though.

There are multiple different ways to put it in practice, the simplest one is to simply bring more value to the table than any of your competitors do, so that they simply can't win against you.

That said, your hyper-competitiveness is just as likely to get in your own way - picking unnecessary, even useless fights that only take up your energy, time - That could have been better spent.

Edit:
He has a longer book that I like - How To Get Rich
I haven't read the book you mentioned.

The Narrow Road is much better than How to Get Rich imo. How to Get Rich is nicer, The Narrow Road is more useful and brutal.

 

[Bearcorp]

They're expressions you tell yourself, slitting the throat of a competitor could simply be bringing out a superior product, executing a great marketing plan along with great retargeting strategies, it could bring a heap of their customers your way and turn the industry off them, it might ruin their business or it might make them reevaluate what they're doing, are they up for the challenge? Or will your aggression toward the industry make them cower and hide, and fold?

You may view it as being ruthless and savage, the next person might view that as simply doing good, smart business.

I'm not so sure hyper competitiveness is really necessary. I suppose it depends on industry, but I see competitiveness as being very reactive. If you are doing things differently and are truly ahead, you can get along quite well with the rest of the players on the market with no need to destroy them or wish them ill will.

Absolutely, in plenty of industries theirs enough room for everyone, no need to go after anyone, be the best you can and share in the pie. I guess it comes down to a number of factors, personality, industry, strategy etc. Go hard at a competitor and you might get slapped down too... Part of the challenge of an entrepreneur is figuring all this out.

 

[sparechange]

I'm not so sure hyper competitiveness is really necessary. I suppose it depends on industry, but I see competitiveness as being very reactive. If you are doing things differently and are truly ahead, you can get along quite well with the rest of the players on the market with no need to destroy them or wish them ill will.



The Narrow Road is much better than How to Get Rich imo. How to Get Rich is nicer, The Narrow Road is more useful and brutal.

How to get rich is one of my favorite books, cant find the narrow road, will need to look a bit harder!

 

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[MTF]

The way you operate your business reflects who you are. There's no point in losing your soul to build a business.

And if you believe in karma or getting back what you put out, ruthless behavior will eventually hit you back.

 

[Stargazer]

His book is valid as he is not writing to people who want to have a bit of extra cash in their pocket. He is writing to people about what it takes to get rich, which from memory Is North of £100 million

He is actually trying to put people off. Do you really, really have what it takes and want to do this? Because to have a nice life you don't.

Same as do you really, really want to be Wimbledon Champion? Because this is what it is going to take versus do you want to play tennis to keep fit, have fun and snog the Major's wife behind the Clubhouse.

Consider also that his life was words. From having a band at school right through to writing over 1000 poems and touring the UK reading them he is not going to write in sterile language. (For your info as you are in the UK, he is the first person to say c**t on TV. )

@sparechange

88: The Narrow Road is now called How to Get Rich: The 88 steps

How to Make Money: The 88 Steps to Get Rich and Find Success: Amazon.co.uk: Dennis, Felix: 9780091935542: Books

Dan

 

[Bernardo De Mach]

Hmm I see, thanks for your responses.

I will definitely mull it over.

However, the whole woowoo “abundance” or “opportunity” isnt working for me and believe me ive tried affirmations and hypnosis and all of them and it felt like self lies.

 

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[Bernardo De Mach]

How to get rich is one of my favorite books, cant find the narrow road, will need to look a bit harder!

pass your email i'll send it through

 

[Jello]

How to get rich is one of my favorite books, cant find the narrow road, will need to look a bit harder!

It's re-issued as " How to make money "

How to Make Money is for those determined to get rich, for those who will not confuse reading with doing, for those who seek the narrow road. (First published in hardback as 88 The Narrow Road.

 

[Bernardo De Mach]

Check it

"Young, Penniless, and Inexperienced?
Excellent. You stand by far the best chance of becoming as rich as you
please. You possess an advantage neither education nor upbringing, nor
even money can buy—having almost nothing, you have nothing to lose.
Nearly all great entrepreneurial fortunes were made because, like you,
those entrepreneurs had little to lose. In addition, you have stamina, no
track record to defend, and the single most priceless asset imaginable. What
is it? The time necessary to succeed, of course!
Slightly Better Off and On the Way Up?
You’ve thought about it by now. But you hesitate. Your desire to attempt it
is almost outweighed by your fear of losing what you have already
achieved. Yet what is fear but the little death: death by a thousand cuts?
And how great is the risk, anyway?
You have the experience and the remnants of youthful stamina. Now is
the time to decide whether you wish to continue to make your employer
even richer or, instead, become rich yourself. You are getting too
comfortable. It is time to choose.
Veteran Manager or Experienced Professional?
Hmmm. Are you reading this book for vicarious pleasure? Are you
experiencing a midlife crisis? Or do you truly intend to make serious money
at last? If the latter, you have left it perilously late, my friend.
Find yourself a young and fearless partner. Choose him or her with care.
It’s your best, perhaps your only chance to survive and succeed on the
narrow road. "

 

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[rpeck90]

Dennis made most of his money with the personal computer boom of the 80's and 90's - the bulk coming from a company called MicroWarehouse, which made him £400m or something.

Its founding (in my opinion) is a good anecdote for what he is espousing; he noticed someone was advertising peripherals (mice etc) in one of his personal computer magazines and seemed to be willing to buy a lot of ad-space every month. Upon seeing this, he decided to launch a company selling just what they were, using the ad space in his own magazines as a launchpad. It quickly grew and became a $2.5bn company.

The point is that "ripping the throats out of rabbits" means you have to be able to execute no matter what. It's figerative; if you are more drawn to the "digital nomad" lifestyle and all the other BS, then "getting rich" isn't for you. Financial independence, most certainly, can be attained relatively simply, but to become wealthy is another thing entirely.

The Internet has changed the game somewhat because consumers now have so much choice - acting like an 80's corporate raider may not bring you what you desire. Authenticity is one of the primary tenets of success now.

Good article on MicroWarehouse: History of Micro Warehouse, Inc. – FundingUniverse

--

Update - was just reading about Marc Randolph (founder & CEO of Netflix); surprised to see he is credited as a founder of MicroWarehouse.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

is this advice too sociopathic and outdated to how business operates now?

No it's not, but fact is that most people don't have what it takes, in terms of character, to build a BILLION DOLLAR fortune. They simply have no desire for it. They make a few $100K/year, and then they become satisfied. They don't want to do the work that it takes to get to the next level, because they already have their financial independence, and can already afford many of the toys they want.

Felix was different. Felix made HUNDREDS of millions, and SPENT hundreds of millions. If it wasn't for his outrageous spending habits, Felix would have been a billionaire many times over.

There are only 3000 official billioanires in the world... unofficial, maybe 6000. The population of the world is 7.6 billion. This means that for every billionaire, there are 1.3 MILLION non-billionaires.

It's hard to become a billionaire. You have to be 1 in a million.

Most people don't even have a chance. If you're born in some forgotten village in India, with no access to computers, schooling, technology, etc. your chance of becoming a billionaire are basically ZERO.

Same if you're born in a forgotten village in Africa, or in Latin America, or anywhere else, without access to basic schooling and technology.

If you're born in a third-world country, and have no problem being corrupt, your chances to become a billionaire are MUCH better than someone in a first-world country... because you'll be able to tap into the government's wealth to get there. Lots of idiots in third world countries with lots of money, and believe me, 1 billion is nothing for governments, even if they're in a poor country. And you don't need to create anything, it's simply handed over to you by Big Daddy.

If you're born in a first-world country, or if you want to do it honestly, then you must understand the mechanics of wealth. Which unlike many people on this forum think, has little to do with mindset, and a lot with how money exchanges hands. To get rich you have to sell something. Preferably something that is EASY to sell (there is a lot of demand - there is an existing market there).

That's all there is to is. Sell enough, and you'll get there.

Of course, you also have the alternative to try to CREATE a market by inventing the new whatever, as many people on this forum try to do. Your chances of success? Almost zero. You may succeed, and get there, but you may also end up broke.

If this is of interest to you, PM me and I will let you know a book that shows you how to create a 100M+ company, by someone who has done it. It will show you the mechanics - what actually has to physically happen for you to get there.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Dennis made most of his money with the personal computer boom of the 80's and 90's - the bulk coming from a company called MicroWarehouse, which made him £400m or something.

Correct, but don't forget how Dennis made his first money. By the time MicroWarehouse happened, Dennis was already a very wealthy man. Dennis made his first money in what was effectively the mail-order business, selling a biography of Bruce Lee. He was very lucky... just before they published it, Bruce Lee died, and so they sold MILLIONS. Before that, Dennis was barely getting by with his publishing business.

As the saying goes, the first million is the hardest.

 

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[Tom H.]

No it's not, but fact is that most people don't have what it takes, in terms of character, to build a BILLION DOLLAR fortune. They simply have no desire for it. They make a few $100K/year, and then they become satisfied. They don't want to do the work that it takes to get to the next level, because they already have their financial independence, and can already afford many of the toys they want.

Felix was different. Felix made HUNDREDS of millions, and SPENT hundreds of millions. If it wasn't for his outrageous spending habits, Felix would have been a billionaire many times over.

There are only 3000 official billioanires in the world... unofficial, maybe 6000. The population of the world is 7.6 billion. This means that for every billionaire, there are 1.3 MILLION non-billionaires.

It's hard to become a billionaire. You have to be 1 in a million.

Most people don't even have a chance. If you're born in some forgotten village in India, with no access to computers, schooling, technology, etc. your chance of becoming a billionaire are basically ZERO.

Same if you're born in a forgotten village in Africa, or in Latin America, or anywhere else, without access to basic schooling and technology.

If you're born in a third-world country, and have no problem being corrupt, your chances to become a billionaire are MUCH better than someone in a first-world country... because you'll be able to tap into the government's wealth to get there. Lots of idiots in third world countries with lots of money, and believe me, 1 billion is nothing for governments, even if they're in a poor country. And you don't need to create anything, it's simply handed over to you by Big Daddy.

If you're born in a first-world country, or if you want to do it honestly, then you must understand the mechanics of wealth. Which unlike many people on this forum think, has little to do with mindset, and a lot with how money exchanges hands. To get rich you have to sell something. Preferably something that is EASY to sell (there is a lot of demand - there is an existing market there).

That's all there is to is. Sell enough, and you'll get there.

Of course, you also have the alternative to try to CREATE a market by inventing the new whatever, as many people on this forum try to do. Your chances of success? Almost zero. You may succeed, and get there, but you may also end up broke.

If this is of interest to you, PM me and I will let you know a book that shows you how to create a 100M+ company, by someone who has done it. It will show you the mechanics - what actually has to physically happen for you to get there.

Felix Dennis actually breaks down this 1 in a million math very differently in the book, but with the same basic idea: do you actually have what it takes? But his point is that if you actually are committed, then the odds of making it are pretty good, and if you will settle for $10 million (which he doesn't consider rich, just well off) instead $100 million, that the odds are even better.

 

[socaldude]

I didn’t know I had to be a hothead Italian accent mafia boss to be a successful entrepreneur.



But in all seriousness if you are from a third world country don’t let the scarcity and poverty get to your head. Stay in control and better yourself.