Donald John Trump

President Donald Trump is an American media personality, real estate developer and
businessman with a net worth of between $3 billion and $10 billion, depending on who’s making
the calculations. The most recent list of global billionaires (as released by Forbes in September
2018) puts Trump in the 766th position, with a net worth of $3.1 billion, and as the first
billionaire in U.S. history to become president.
His career as a public millionaire, author and decade-long run as the star of NBC reality show
"The Apprentice" have both amplified and, in some ways, overshadowed the story of Trump, the
businessman.
He is currently the 45th president of the United States. He was formerly chairmanand president
of The Trump Organization, which he inherited from his father, Fred Trump. He is also the
founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which is now owned by Icahn Enterprises. He turned
over operations of his business empire to his two adult sons after he moved into the Oval Office
in January 2017.
Trump began his career at his father's company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, working there while
attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and joining the business full-
time when he graduated in 1968. With a flair for the press and a series of high-profile
construction and renovation projects in New York City, Trump’s career unfurled very much in the
public eye.
Trump's Foray into the Business World
Donald Trump had been around his father Fred's real estate company, Elizabeth Trump & Son,
for most of his life. But he began working for the company full-time when he graduated college
in 1968 when he was 22. After working directly with his father for a few years, Donald took
control of the company in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization. His father’s business
focused on building and renting mid-market apartments in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island,
New York; however, when Donald took over, he set his sights on Manhattan.
Donald immediately sought out building larger projects that carried higher profiles than his
father’s outer-borough apartment blocks. Fred was reluctant at first, but eventually backed
Donald’s projects in the heart of the Big Apple.
Donald used the tools and tricks that he’d learned at his father’s side, having inherited Fred's eye
for distressed real-estate gems. And with the entirety of New York City sliding
toward bankruptcy in the early '70s, there were more than a few such gems that were ripe for the
picking.
Trump’s biggest early deal was rescuing the once-grand Commodore Hotel from bankruptcy and
transforming it into the Grand Hyatt. He opened the refurbished hotel in 1980, with the help of a
40-year tax abatement from the City of New York.
In 1983, Trump put his stamp on the city with his 68-story Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.
The mixed-use skyscraper featured the black glass surfaces and brass trimmings that would mark
many of his later buildings. The building captured the aesthetic of many baby boomers who were
coming into money for the first time during the economic boom of the 1980s.
Around this time, Trump began to use his successes as a developer to dip his feet into politics.
He made his first such splash with the renovation of Wollman Rink in Central Park. The fixes
had begun in 1980 but were more or less in limbo by 1986. Trump publicly lambasted the
inefficiency of the governmental agencies in charge of the renovation, starting a war of words
with then-Mayor Ed Koch. As part of the argument, Trump offered to complete the renovation
himself, for free. He finished in three months, for well below the city’s budget and to the
satisfaction of most, proving his point.
His building projects and persona placed Trump squarely in the public eye. And in 1987, he
capitalized on his newfound fame with a business book entitled “The Art of the Deal,” which
spent 52 weeks on bestseller lists.
Trump's Other Ventures
Trump’s career as a public figure, which had shrunk significantly following his near-bankruptcy
in the early 90s, was revived after he hosted a reality TV show called "The Apprentice" in 2003.
The NBC show, in which contestants vied for a management job in one of Trump's companies,
was a big hit.
His newly refurbished fame was an opportunity for Trump to begin licensing his name and
image. He began selling the Trump name to a number of real estate developments that he didn’t
build himself. According to Forbes, Trump’s real-estate licensing business, with more than 30
licensed properties worldwide, is among his most valuable assets, which it estimates as being
worth more than $500 million.
Trump has also affixed his brand to a wide range of businesses, including the real estate-related,
though ill-timed, Trump Mortgage, which closed in 2007. Beyond real estate, he has opened
eateries such as Trump Buffet, Trump Catering, Trump Ice Cream Parlor and the Trump Bar.
Some of the other business ventures he started include a Trump-branded clothing line, a
fragrance, an array of food and beverage products such as Trump Steaks and Trump Vodka,
and Trump Magazine. Trump University, opened in 2005, promised to teach students about the
ins and outs of the real estate business. The operation closed down in 2010 and was the subject of
multiple lawsuits.
The Bottom Line
Donald Trump's brash and colorful style and comments propelled him from the business world to
the general public's eye. His 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal,” captured the exuberant,
materialistic spirit of the 1980s, and spent almost a full year on bestseller lists. The book, co-
written by Tony Schwartz, gave the public an insight into Trump's business philosophies and
cemented Trump's success.
By 1991, however, bankruptcy forced Trump to sell his Trump Shuttle airline, his 282-foot yacht,
the Trump Princess and also hand over large portions of his casino holdings. However, in the
mid-'90s, the fortunes of the family business had begun to turn around. Trump rejoined
the Forbes 400 list in 1996, after a six-year absence. In 1996, Trump also re-entered the public
eye, buying the rights to the Miss America pageant. His profile rose higher when he began his
starring role on "The Apprentice" in 2004, with millions tuning in to watch Trump fire aspiring
executives.
In addition to real estate and casinos, Trump has branched out into a seemingly endless number
of businesses, with Trump-branded apparel, education, athletic events such as the Tour de Trump
and even a board game. In 2015, Trump publicly announced that he would run for the presidency
of the United States as a Republican. He won the hotly contested election on November 8th,
beating the Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and has been,
perhaps, the most controversial president in the country's history.
A man who has used ruthless business instinct, family money and a sometimes wilful disregard
for convention to get where he is today, the Trump can certainly lay claim to being one of the
world’s best known and most prolific money makers. Born into an exceptionally privileged
background, with a father who bestowed upon him vast fortunes made by the Trump clan’s
longstanding construction empire, Donald has never wanted in life and instead has been able to
doggedly pursue his business objectives with no fear of failure. Still, there is much that start-ups
and SMEs operating across all sectors can learn from this remarkably single-minded man.
 Characteristics of Donald John Trump
1. A Risk Taker
The owner of a gigantic business empire, the producer of multiple television shows and a
billionaire, these are few things that perfectly describe Trump but the situation wasn’t always the
same and it won’t be wrong to say that whatever Trump has acquired today is cause of his
capability to take on risks. There was a time when Trump was under a debt of $900 million and
his options to get out of this debt were limited. That is when Trump took the huge risk of putting
everything he had left with him at stake and invested every penny in new, emerging, smaller
businesses. He could have played safe but the risk he took soon proved to be one of the best
decisions he ever made. All the small investments flourished and are today a part of the Trump
Organization.
2. An Excellent Decision Maker
"Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make." Quoted Trump years
ago and is only a testament of the way his brain functions. Donald Trump owner of “The Trump
Organization” has always taken business as first priority and even though he might appear to be a
loud mouth, he makes sure to think all his decisions through and that is probably why he has a
net worth of $4.5 billion today. Some of the major decisions made have been in both business
and politics like taking on several international business projects and acting against terrorism
which has really worked on giving Trump an edge over others he competed with to win the
presidential elections, in fact, running for President at the age of 70 is in it a huge decision.
3. A True Visionary
We all have been told to ‘think big’ at least once in our lifetime, by parents, mentors, and
teachers but how many of us have actually been able to even start? Trump once said,
You have to think anyway so why not think big, and he has made sure to practice what he
preaches. Setting goals high enough and then using your caliber to achieve those goals is one
thing to learn from Trump and apply to everyday life. A businessman, politician and also an
accomplished author, there are few too many feathers in Trump’s hat and all of them are
testaments of his vision using which he has been able to conquer everything he has stepped into.
4. Good in Business and Communication Skills
From the beginning of his colorful career, Trump demonstrated innate business skills. For
example, he persuaded his father to be more adventurous with borrowing money in order to
finance expansions of the Trump Empire. Although these decisions weren’t always successful,
Trump was never afraid to give them a go and by 1971 he was in control of the family firm,
which he renamed The Trump Organization. Trump’s stand-out business skill is in setting goals
and pursuing them with determination. Unlike those who are working towards some vague
notion of what success might be, people with clear targets in mind enjoy greater success time and
time again.
Perhaps even more than fiscal skills or the capacity to spot a valuable gap in the market,
communication skills are the lifeblood of the successful entrepreneur. In this area Donald Trump
is exceptionally gifted, as he’s proven at numerous political events of late. In fact,
communicating with vast audiences has even become a key component in Trump’s varied career.
The business tycoon has stormed the TV ratings with appearances in The Apprentice and has also
put his precious words down in writing in books including The Art of the Deal, a fascinating
tome that combines memoir and business guidance. Right now, Donald Trump is one of the most
famous people on the planet. As his political career soars to unimaginable heights and the world
watches the reality star turned White House wannabe move ever closer to the presidency, there’s
no denying that Trump’s business acumen and sheer boardroom bullishness make him someone
with much to teach all aspirational entrepreneurs.
John D. Rockefeller
Entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller rose from his humble beginnings to become the richest man in
the world by founding the Standard Oil Company that controlled the American economy. He is
credited for revolutionizing the petroleum industry and defining the structure of modern
philanthropy. Rockefeller was born on 8th July 1839 in Richford, New York. He grew up in his
middle class family paying attention to his studies. He attended Cleveland’s Central High School
and then did a course in business studies from Folsom’s Commercial College. His first job was
of a bookkeeper for Hewitt & Tuttle at the age of 16. His first salary was 50 dollars for three
months. In 1859, Rockefeller started a business of wholesale foodstuff with Murice B. Clark with
a capital of 4000 dollars. Sensing an opportunity Rockefeller suggested that they build an oil
refinery in Cleveland’s flourishing industrial area. In 1863 both the partners established the
Standard Oil Company and in ten years’ time the company had taken almost complete control
over the region.
When the opportunities shifted to Pennsylvania, Rockefeller moved there and by 1880s his oil
business was worth 55 million dollars. He initiated the Standard Oil Trust of which he was the
head, in 1882 which became a model for the development of other dominations. As Rockefeller
became richer and more powerful his public standing started going down. The states began to
sanction antimonopoly legislation which led to the Sherman Antitrust Act. Rockefeller retired
from his everyday involvement in the Standard Oil Company in 1895 and started focusing on his
philanthropy work however this did not really help the constant attacks on his business and
himself. Consequently his company was ordered to be dissolved in 1911 under the Sherman Act
violation.
John D. Rockefeller was a philanthropist from heart. He used to donate 10% of his earning to the
church from the day he had started earning. He funded a large sum to a college for African-
American women in Atlanta which was later known as Spelman College. The oldest building in
the college is named after him as ‘Rockefeller Hall’. He also donated 80 million dollars to the
University of Chicago and helped form the Central Philippine University in 1905 which is the
first Baptist University in Philippines. He founded his General Education Board in 1903 that
helped in promoting education in the U.S. He founded the Rockefeller Foundation in 1913 and
the Laura Spelman Memorial Foundation in 1918. Rockefeller has given a total sum of 550
million dollars for philanthropy works.
Rockefeller died due to arteriosclerosis on 23rd May 1937 in Florida. He is one of the leading
entrepreneurial personalities of America and undoubtedly helped make the nation into what it is
today. Rockefeller said the following about his life saying:“I was early taught to work as well as
play,My life has been one long, happy holiday;Full of work and full of play-I dropped the worry
on the way-And God was good to me every day.”
 Characteristics of John D. Rockefeller

1. Persistence
Rockefeller’s upbringing was anything but an easy ride. His mother was a devout
churchgoer, while his father was a salesman who was gone for weeks, even months at a time. In
truth, “Devil Bill” was a secret bigamist with a second family, and as such his wife and children
were forced to live in uncertain frugality, never sure when he’d return with his earnings. To
counteract this, John Rockefeller worked hard and watched over his siblings. He dropped out of
high school at age 16 and enrolled in a 3-month business school to build his foundation before
moving to Cleveland, Ohio. With no job experience and no connections, a young Rockefeller set
out to land a job. He diligently compiled a list of banks, merchants, and railroads with the highest
credit rating. Dressing for the job he wanted, so to speak, he tirelessly shaved, put on a dark suit,
and shined his shoes each day before going through his list of hopeful employers and requesting
to speak to the man in charge. Rockefeller would go through this list more than once, visiting
some businesses twice and even three times, never disheartened by rejection. Finally, after
working to find a job six days a week for six weeks, his persistence was rewarded and on
September 26, 1855 he was hired by Hewitt & Tuttle as an assistant bookkeeper. This day would
come to be known as “Job Day,” a celebration more important to Rockefeller than his own
birthday, as it commemorated his never failing perseverance in attaining his goals.
2. Poise and Reserve
As a boy, Rockefeller had a bit of a temper. Upon meeting an adult Rockefeller, though,
one would have never known it; he was extremely reserved, always keeping to himself and
listening more than he spoke.This silent reserve created a forceful air about the man that
demanded control of every room and any conflict. He developed an almost Prince-like mystique,
albeit far less extravagant; his thoughts were impenetrable, which was a very real source of
power for Rockefeller. Rockefeller heard what his partners and even subordinates had to say. He
absorbed information and used it to improve his business. In dealing with opposition, his reserve
proved to be extremely disarming to his adversaries. His long silences confused others in
negotiations and his cool responses in reply to hotheaded interrogators left them even more
frustrated. In one instance, an infuriated contractor was said to have stormed into Rockefeller’s
office, unleashing a verbal berating to the man, whose back was turned and hunched over
paperwork. When the tirade came to an end, Rockefeller swiveled in his chair and calmly asked,
“I didn’t catch what you were saying. Would you repeat that?”
3. Detail-Oriented
Rockefeller was an extremely detail-oriented man. His appearance was always kept
impeccable, he was tenaciously punctual, and he stuck to a very strict schedule. Before writing
letters to his secretaries, he would write 5-6 drafts with a hawk eye, and when signing letters he
did so with master artistry. As noted by an aide:“I have seen him sign his name to hundreds of
papers at a sitting. He did each signature carefully as if this particular one was to be the only one
by which he was to be remembered for all time. Each signature became in his mind a work of
art.” After visiting one of his plants, Rockefeller noted that 40 drops of solder were being used to
seal kerosene cans. He tested whether 38 drops would be enough to seal the cans, but found that
some leaked. However, 39 drops still sealed the kerosene cans without any leaking. While this
may seem minute, the single drop saved $2,500 the first year the change was enacted and as the
business grew, ended up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.
 Lloyd A. Luna
Lloyd A. Luna, 27, formally started his business at age 23 shortly after publishing houses
rejected to print his first book, Is There a Job Waiting for You?
After long hours of self-studying website designing, he was able to raise some cash to print the
book and register his publishing business. At daytime, he would personally deliver his books to
bookstores all across Metro Manila. At night, he would create websites for clients.
To establish a company at a very young age without any business background or a business-
oriented family to start with was next to impossible. Born to a tricycle driver and a primary
public school teacher in a suburb town in Gumaca, Quezon, times were always tough and
scarcity is but a common experience as he was growing up; planting rice and vegetables, raising
hogs, among other activities to help them survive.
When he was eight years old, Lloyd needed to help his father sell breads to adjacent villages in
their town. He would wake up as early as 4AM and would go to bed late at night.
It was a usual one-day-at-time struggle. Yet, he proved that entrepreneurship isn’t about age, or
family, or education background. Poverty left him with only one choice: Take tertiary education
at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Pressured by employment after college, he took
Electronics and Communications Engineering instead of pursuing his passion and personal desire
to be a journalist. Based on what he does now, he proved that previous formal education, more
often than not, has very little to do with entrepreneurship.
As an entrepreneur, success didn’t come to him the easy way. Several times on several occasions,
Lloyd would find it hard to start making money, a pretty fair reason for him to decide to go back
to the corporate world and seek some employment opportunities instead. For one reason, he’s
still very young and inexperienced. It was with the help of a very few people that jump-started
his career as an entrepreneur. He proved that entrepreneurship is neither about age nor
experience.
Lloyd neither started with monetary capital nor a modest funding as what many people think one
should have to start a business. He started with his skills and talent using other people’s
resources. He proved that anybody can start a business from what they’re capable of doing.
He started his website design service in a 20 sq.m.-apartment along Daang Bakal St. in
Madaluyong City. He didn’t have any telephone line or an Internet connection. He had to use
public pay phones to call his clients and would rent at Internet cafés to upload his websites. He
proved that entrepreneurship isn’t about resources but rather the ability to use whatever resources
one has at hand.
When he wrote his first book, the idea was never to make some cash. It’s about his contribution
to help people find an answer to their question. He proved that in entrepreneurship, it’s not about
what you’ll get but what you can contribute to improve the lives of the people.
Lloyd’s story is one best example of rags-to-riches story, at least in his generation. It’s a story of
finding a business in an unlikely situation and rediscovering his passion in the process of
pursuing what he loves to do.
From being a bread-seller in his early childhood to now a best-selling author, he has written eight
more books on career and personal development that has been changing the way people think
about themselves and live their lives.
His printed and electronic writings include Do You Have a Life of Your Own? (2006); Break Me
Up, Nurse Your Future, and Tachniques (2007); The Obvious, Believe in Yourself, and Flavors of
Success (2008); and The Untold Truth About Success (2009).
In 2004, he was cited as the youngest international journalist of the XV International Aids
Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Three years later, he was awarded as Collegiate Ambassador
for Peace in Seoul, Korea.
He was described as “the man on effective career planning” by The Manila Times, “a life-saver
for those who are confused in the uncertain, always-changing workplace” by The Manila
Bulletin, an entrepreneur with a down-to-earth disposition,” by BusinessWorld, “a natural
volunteer by heart,” by Philippine Daily Inquirer, among other positive accolades.
He has been inspiring more than 50,000 people every year, writing more than 100 business and
management columns for newspapers and magazines around the world, and speaking to more
than 80,000 audiences on career, business, and personal development each year around the
country.
His charismatic and down-to-earth personality, dynamism, youthful energy, and enthusiasm
make him a motivational speaker in the Philippines second to none. Lloyd goes beyond being an
author or a life coach. He is an experience that many people dream to have. This is the very
reason why he’s becoming more and more in demand to be up on stage to inspire and share his
wisdom and experience.
I allow them to pull me down. From now on I will be like the spiral spring all the time.”
No one has ever made such a positive, powerful, and moving impact in the lives of the young
and the old such as Lloyd. His affection, dedication, and passion to help, inspire, motivate, and
move people of all walks of lives—from ordinary citizen in the streets to the extraordinary
people in the workplace and business community, from students to teachers, from employees to
entrepreneurs, from church groups to political organizations—are unmatched in his generation.
He deserves to be one of the 10 Inspiring Young Entrepreneurs.
 Characteristics of Lloyd Luna

1. Risk taker
To establish a company at a very young age without any business background or a
business-oriented family to start with was next to impossible. Born to a tricycle driver and a
primary public school teacher in a suburb town in Gumaca, Quezon, times were always tough
and scarcity is but a common experience as he was growing up; planting rice and vegetables,
raising hogs, among other activities to help them survive. Lloyd Luna is not afraid to take risk in
doing business.

2. Confident and Open Minded

His inspirational talks come from his unique personal life experiences. They are stories of
triumph and trials, pride and terrible shame, joys and pains. They’re not borrowed stories from
various known personalities. He speaks from his heart—literally and figuratively—which means
he says exactly what needs to be said without any pretension or hypocrisy. In short, no holds
barred. Straightforward but still fun. Compelling but not offending.

3. He was Ambitious
As an entrepreneur, success didn’t come to him the easy way. Several times on several
occasions, Lloyd would find it hard to start making money, a pretty fair reason for him to decide
to go back to the corporate world and seek some employment opportunities instead. For one
reason, he’s still very young and inexperienced. It was with the help of a very few people that
jump-started his career as an entrepreneur. He proved that entrepreneurship is neither about age
nor experience.
 RAJO LAUREL

An artist and entrepreneur, Rajo Laurel has learned to juggle his two roles quite well. Fashion
designer to the country’s elite and president of several companies, the former assistant to design
legends Pepito Albert and Louie Mamengo is now a prime example of how hard work,
discipline, and creativity combined with business savvy creates a world class local brand—with
style.

In 1993, Rajo Laurel started in earnest to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer by
establishing Rajo Laurel Enterprises, a company that specialized in made-to-order couture
clothing. He did so after completing his degree in human resource management from De La
Salle-College of Saint Benilde and later getting formal training abroad, first at the prestigious
Fashion Institute of Technology in New York for his Bachelor of Arts in fine arts, then at Central
St. Martin’s in London for his BA in fashion design.

But Laurel says that his passion for fashion actually began much earlier than that. “My love
affair with fashion began when I was 11,” he recalls. “I often daydreamed about beautiful women
drifting by, dressed in elegant gowns made from rich fabrics. More often than not, these
daydreams would end up in notebooks. Fashion is, in fact, like air or water to me. It is essential
to my being, for without fashion, I would cease to exist.”
Into the fashion business

When he put up Rajo Laurel Enterprises, he installed himself as its president and creative
director and named his sister, Venisse Laurel-Hermano, as its general manager and his mother,
Virginia Teves-Laurel, as its chief finance officer. The company had only P20,000 in initial
capital, and most of it went to the purchase of a second-hand sewing machine, a flatiron, and an
electric fan. With the assistance of his trusted tailor, he began working out of a rented basement.

It helped that in 1992, Laurel began his apprenticeship with Louie Mamengo, then in 1995 with
Pepito Albert. Both well-known designers, Mamengo and Albert taught him the basics of the
fashion business and provided him with a network of suppliers. Through them, he gained
valuable experience in fashion design and fashion business management.

Initially, Laurel’s clients were mainly family members and friends. Through the years, however,
his clientele grew to include highly prominent personalities, celebrities, and politicians in the
Philippines, among them former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Along the way, his designs became nationally famous, gracing countless runways, TV shows,
magazine covers, and concert stages.

In 2004, he put up the House of Laurel in Makati City as main showroom for his ready-to-wear
collection, catering to clients who prefer to have a boutique-style shopping experience attended
by trained in-house stylists. Laurel’s retail line consisted of clothing for women, expectant
mothers, and children’s wear as well as shoes, bags, jewelry, and other accessories. Laurel later
ventured into another fashion line: stylish corporate uniforms for clients such as airlines,
international hotel chains, and multinational corporations. He created the Laurel et Ross brand
for this line.

Keeping the flame of his passion

Over the years, not only has his company grown by leaps and bounds; Laurel has also been
reaping local and international accolades for his work as well. He has joined major fashion
shows and exhibitions abroad, staged several major galas and created premiere collections
showcasing Philippine textiles.

The world-renowned designer and savvy businessman is also very much involved in social
development work. Laurel is active in Rags2Riches, a livelihood generating enterprise for
women in the depressed community of Payatas in Quezon City. His role is to design and
transform scraps of cloth into fashionable items that will be sewn together by the women and
sold commercially, thus providing income for them.

Rajo says that what drives him is his love for fashion and his passion for his craft: “When I wake
up each morning, one truth comes to mind: I am blessed because I am passionate about what I
do. I love making clothes. This is what truly makes me happy. To be able to do this every day
brings me so much joy.”
 Characteristics of Rajo Laurel

1. Dedicated
One of the top Filipino fashion designers, Rajo Laurel's love for fashion is rooted in his
early years, but it was in his young adulthood when his talent became truly apparent. His innate
eye for fashion was enhanced through his training from New York Fashion Institute of
Technology and Central Saint Martin's in London. Twenty-two years into his career, he has
received several awards locally and internationally for fashion design and entrepreneurship. A
celebrity in his own right, Rajo Laurel serves as a permanent judge on four seasons of Project
Runway Philippines. His accomplishments have propelled him to the next step: a foray into the
international market.

2. Passionate, Progressive and Keen Businessman

Rajo is passionate about his work, progressive, and very much a keen businessman. He
heads Rajo Laurel Enterprise, a young design-driven company fueled with the ideology of
elegance, romance, and luxury. The look is always modern and feminine, juxtaposing hard and
soft elements. Though Filipino in origin and heavily influenced by his Asian roots, Rajo aims to
maintain a Global Perspective inf ashion.

3. Creative
It is the workmanship and artisan quality that makes Rajo Laurel's pieces distinct.
Beautiful, sensible and also competitively priced. Standout details such as embroidery, beadwork
and hand painted prints are incorporated to elevate the clothes into exceptional limited edition
pieces. The sensibilities of Rajo Laurel's works are always new, organic, sensual, and meant to be
admired as pieces of art.