2/25/2025-On This Day, Michael Dell was born

Your sales performance can only be maximized if you position yourself perfectly in the right situation. And only you know what that situation is.

On this day in 1965, Michael Dell, the founder of $60 billion Dell Inc., was born in Houston.

Michael got his first computer at age 15, which he promptly disassembled to see how it worked.

While a freshman at the Univ. of Texas, Dell started an informal business assembling and selling personal computer upgrade kits. And the rest is history.

So, why should you care?

Michael Dell is one of the best salespersons the world has ever seen. Full stop.

Whether you buy one of his books (his latest, Play Nice, But Win is good) or listen to an interview featuring Michael…learn about his life today.

In college, Dell employed a few order takers and a manufacturing staff of "three guys with screwdrivers sitting at six-foot tables." The venture’s capitalization cost was $1k and grossed $80k. (Niiiiiice!)

Look up the words "grit" and "creativity" in the dictionary, and you’ll see a picture of Michael.

His story may help you climb your next mountain.

Michael Dell’s net worth was estimated at $71.5 billion at the end of last year.

But this post ain’t about the money.

When Michael started selling refurbished computers directly to his buddies in the dorm, he couldn’t imagine EVER being worth multiple billions of dollars.

He was simply doing what he wanted to do and striving to do it the best way he could.

If you’re not selling what you want to sell, if you’re not working for whom you admire as a manager, if you don’t like the sector you’re in…make a change.

Your sales performance can only be maximized if you position yourself perfectly in the right situation. And only you know what that situation is. If you need a coach to help you, hire one. If you need to sit down and list all the necessary things to get you up early and hunger for the day’s action, do it.

Do whatever you need to do to position yourself in the fast lane, and then, like Michael Dell, focus on execution.

Dell’s business model – cutting out the middleman and passing along the savings – is not novel. But its execution was flawless, and that’s how Michael differentiated Dell.

If you focus on execution, you’ll make your customers very happy.

Watch this video about Michael’s humble beginnings that started in a dorm room, and you’ll appreciate his story even more.