Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry

Direct from Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry

Biographies & Memoirs

Dell, Michael

Fredman, Catherine

Professionals & Academics

Diane Pub Co.

In 1983, Michael S. Dell, then an incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, drove away from his parents' Houston home in a white BMW he'd bought selling subscriptions to his hometown newspaper. In the backseat were three personal computers. 
 Today, he is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dell Computer Corporation, an $18 billion company, the second-largest manufacturer and marketer of computers in the world. Founded on a deceptively simple premise--to deliver high-performance computer systems directly to the end user--Dell Computer is the envy of its competition, constantly growing at five times the industry rate, and a perennial darling of Wall Street: its stock is up more than 36,000 percent this decade, and more than 200 percent in the last year. 
 In Direct From Dell, Michael Dell himself tells the incredible story of Dell Computer's successful rise, beginning in his college dorm room with $1,000 in capital. 
 In these pages, you'll see the formation of a great visionary--and a great company. You'll meet the young Dell who, at the tender age of eight, had already begun looking "to eliminate unnecessary steps" and who, as a numbers-loving adolescent, was inspired by a newfound fascination with computers to save his money to buy a coveted Apple II--only to promptly take it apart. You'll encounter a young visionary who, upon witnessing the inefficiencies of an exploding industry, challenged conventional wisdom and set out to do nothing less than beat IBM at its own game. In so doing, Dell forever changed the way things "had always been done" in the computer industry. 
 You'll also see the birth of a Dell hallmark--the direct model--which, in its ability to reach the customer directly, eliminated not only a substantial middleman markup but also the possibility of costly excess inventory, setting the stage for other extraordinary achievements. In an industry notorious for its unreliable service, Dell utilized its direct customer relationships to pioneer the concept of customer "support"--and didn't rest until the caliber of its service was rivaled only by the quality of its products and its speed of delivery. 
 But the story of Dell Computer is no fairy tale. Marked by uncharacteristically rapid growth, the company was faced with challenges that could have threatened its very existence. From forays into retail to under- (and over-) developed product lines, Dell learned some hard lessons along the way--and emerged stronger as a result. 
 The strategies born of those times--unrivaled speed to market; superior customer service; a fierce commitment to producing constantly high-quality custom-made systems--heralded what has perhaps been the company's crowning achievement: an early exploitation of the Internet. One of the first companies to actually make money online, Dell is now selling more than $12 million worth of systems per day over www.dell.com. 
 Not just for CEOs or those in high tech, the strategies revealed in Direct From Dell are invaluable to managers in a broad cross section of industries. From starting a successful business to pioneering computer sales and service over the Internet, Dell shares his perspectives on: 
<ul>
<li> Why it's infinitely better for any business starting out to have too little capital, rather than too much </li>
<li> How studying your customers--not your competition--will give you a greater competitive edge </li>
<li> Why it can be life-threatening to your company to pursue too many good ideas--or to grow too fast </li>
<li> Why it's essential to run a P&amp;L on every area of your business </li>
<li> Why your people prose a greater threat to the health of your business than your competition does </li>
<li> How you can exploit your competition's weakness by exposing its greatest strength </li>
<li> How integrating your business virtually can make the difference between being quick--and being dead</li>
</ul>
 Revealing nothing less than a new model for doing business in the information age, Direct From Dell is both an extraordinary business success story and a manifesto for revolutionizing any industry.

Business & Money

Biography & History

Harper Business

This is the story of how an extra-ordinary individual, born in Israel and raised in Brooklyn, made over 150 millionnaires by building the billion-dollar company that still bears his name. "Gartner, Inc." is synonymous with the IT Advisory industry and trades publicly on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:IT). Gideon Gartner has performed the entrepreneur’s hat-trick: he created three companies that made it through IPO. Here, in his official biography, he shares his unique view from the inside: hopes, insights, fears, challenges, and victories. This book includes personal remarks from Neill Brownstein, Charley Ellis, Stewart Greenfield, Judith Hamilton, Nadine Asin, Leon Botstein, Bob Martin, Norman Raben, Don Gartner, Perry Gartner, Sabrina Gartner, Aleba Gartner, Aaron Sylvan, and Rabbi Brad Hirschfield. The October 9th, 2014 release date is a celebration of the 35th anniversary of the founding of Gartner Group (now known as Gartner, Inc.). Background: Gideon is an entrepreneur, having founded and built three successful firms in the computer field. He first started Gartner Inc., and served as its President, CEO and Chairman from 1979 to April 1991, and Chairman until April 1992. Gartner Inc., at over $1.4 billion in revenues (as of 2014), is the world’s leading decision support firm in the computer, telecommunications and office industries; the company was ranked among the fastest growing private firms in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine, until it went public in 1986, whereupon it was ranked 9th and 20th among the best small companies in America by Business Week, in 1987 and 1988 respectively (and #1 in profitability in 1987). In 1990, Gideon led a leveraged buyout of the firm, currently traded on the NYSE. Gideon also founded Soundview Technology Group, a broker-dealer providing investment advice and banking services relating to technology companies, for institutional investors. In 2000 the $150 million Soundview merged into “Wit Soundview”, and was subsequently sold to Schwab. GiGa Information Group was founded by Gideon in 1995; he was Chairman of the Board and CEO of this innovative company which within four years became the fastest growing technology assessment and advice company in history, growing from zero to over $60 million in less than four years after product launch, with more than 1200 enterprise clients and over 400 employees worldwide. Subsequent to the stock market collapse after year 2000, GiGa was sold to Forrester Inc. Gideon was previously a partner at Oppenheimer & Company, and was rated the top individual securities analyst in the technology field (by Institutional Investor magazine) each year between the years 1972 and 1977 inclusive. Before moving to Wall Street, he worked for IBM in Paris, Tel-Aviv and importantly in the U.S., his last position being Manager of Market Information in IBM’s critical “competitive intelligence” operation. Gideon studied at M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), earning his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and his Master of Science in Management from M.I.T.’s Sloan School. He is married to Sarah, and is proud of children Perry, Sabrina, and Aleba, and of stepson Aaron.

About Gartner: The Making of a Billion-Dollar IT Advisory Firm

Gartner, Gideon

Lemonade Heroes

This is the inside story of the founding of All Hands Volunteers, beginning with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, followed by Hurricane Katrina, and continuing internationally through Bangladesh, Haiti, Japan and the Philippines. With literally dozens of US projects, including Hurricane Sandy, the 30,000 "Empowered Volunteers" have proven that the All Hands model is extremely effective and impactful to both the affected communities and volunteers. This initial version of the book will be available for a limited time.

Being There: The Creation of a Cool, Happy, and Surprisingly Effective Disaster Response Organization

Campbell, David

Leaders & Notable People

Wise Media Group

David Campbell's personal and professional life changed course in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004. A chance remark to a friend about the tragedy led his companion to reveal that he had dined, just a week prior to the tsunami, on a hotel patio where everyone had been killed. "In that moment," Campbell remembers, "a faraway event was brought much closer." That meeting launched Campbell into action. After researching travel and lodging, he packed everything he thought he would need in a major disaster zone and boarded a plane to Thailand. But his most important asset was his vast network of friends in the technology industry and his decades of experience in businesses management. His colleagues and friends wanted to help and he wanted to help them do it. Campbell didn't realize it at the time but he had stumbled on the key elements of what would become All Hands Volunteers, an entirely new kind of disaster relief organization: his own credibility, creative use of the Internet to make connections, and most importantly, the immeasurable power of "being there." ALL HANDS: THE EVOLUTION OF A VOLUNTEER-POWERED DISASTER RESPONSE ORGANIZATION shares the story of how, over the past ten years, Campbell and thousands of dedicated volunteers have personally and profoundly impacted the lives of people reeling in the wake of natural disaster.

All Hands: The Evolution of a Volunteer-Powered Disaster Response Organization

Job Hunting & Careers

River Grove Books

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