Page 10 - Midas Touch

The problem is that no government, neither ours nor theirs, can create real
jobs. Only entrepreneurs can do that. Only entrepreneurs can see the future
and bring it to life—risking, losing, and winning—over and over. In the
process, they create new industries and opportunities for people all over
the world.

Another problem is that schools do not create entrepreneurs. Schools are
designed to create employees. That is why people say, “Go to school to get
a good job.” Most students, even graduates of MBA programs, go on to
become employees, not entrepreneurs. Millions of students leave school
each year saddled with massive student-loan debt, unable to find jobs.
Today, too many people, young and old, are looking for jobs, or are afraid
of losing their jobs. We need more entrepreneurs who can create

businesses and jobs.

Since the market crash that began in 2007, the biggest crash since the
Great Depression, many have been waiting for the economy to come back.
The economy will come back, but it will not be the same economy. The old
economy of the Industrial Age is dying, and a new economy of the
Information Age is emerging. The rules of this new economy, an
international economy, will not be the same. And the old ideas from the

Industrial Age—job security for life, pensions, benefits, and labor unions
—will not be able to survive in our new Information Age.

Many of today’s Fortune 500 businesses that were born in the Industrial
Age will fade away. The Fortune 500 companies of tomorrow will emerge
from this crisis, led by a new era of entrepreneurialism and a new class of
entrepreneurs.

This book is written for these entrepreneurs and for the people who want
to become these entrepreneurs. This book is not about business. It is about
what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.

As entrepreneurs, we share with you our thoughts and beliefs, our wins and
our losses all accumulated over decades. You will learn what makes us
succeed, when 9 out of 10 entrepreneurs fail. We will share how we
managed to go beyond success and wealth, turning our businesses into

international brands, a feat many entrepreneurs dream of, yet few achieve.
More importantly, we share with you what keeps us going when others