Page 200 - Midas Touch

Javits Center, one of the prime pieces of real estate in Manhattan, rests on
waterfront property with wonderful and sweeping river views. However,
they built the center so that it faces the street—not the river! Whoever did
this wasn’t thinking clearly, or wasn’t thinking at all. Was the river just a

small detail to them, or of no consequence? How was this overlooked? It’s
just unbelievable to see the results. Seeing the scope of a property and
what it has to offer is a detail that cannot be ignored. Maybe too many
people were involved, but this oversight is still hard to believe.

Trump Tower is the story of how one little thing became a big thing in
naming the building that would later become an iconic skyscraper in New
York. As an entrepreneur, I was establishing my brand, and this detail

proved pivotal to my future success. In fact, an interviewer once said to
me that I had become a brand, and it didn’t really bother me. Why? My
brand is the best. Why would being the best upset me?

As an entrepreneur, you must be true to yourself. You must believe in
yourself and your product. Have confidence, work hard, and keep your
focus on the small things that matter while keeping the big picture in

mind. It’s a recipe that has worked for Robert, and it has worked for me. It
will work for you too.

Distilling It Down: Little Things That Count
Ask yourself, “What do you do better than anyone else?” It’s an important
question, because your answer is the seed of your own “little thing that
counts” for your business. To help you shift your focus—which is not easy

to do for yourself—let’s first look at some big-company examples, and
then add a few more examples for illustration purposes. Although there are
plenty of small-company examples of little things that became big
advantages, the big-companies make it easier for most of us to relate to
the lessons.

Here’s a review of each big company’s little thing.

Walmart’s Little Thing

As you probably already know, Sam Walton built the Walmart empire on
the one thing he did better than anyone else—low prices. He didn’t just
lower prices, he started with one discount store in Arkansas and built a
global empire. So simple was this plan that everyone easily understood it.