From a job in the mail room at EMI Music Publishing Cowell rose through the ranks swiftly and after becoming a record producer at the firm, left to set up his own company. Following the collapse of his first business and a time at BMG, Cowell went on to pioneer the Popstars TV talent show, and subsequently co-produce Pop Idol and more recently The X Factor. As a music producer he has achieved sales of over 25 million albums, over 70 top 30 records, and 17 Number 1 singles. His band 'Westlife' has achieved an impressive 10 Number 1 hits alone. The Sunday Times Rich List recently estimated that he earned £33.5m in one year alone, thanks to the global success of the 'Pop Idol' brand. The 10 Secrets of the International Music Mogul are: Work Your Way Up – get to know your industry Don’t Be Defeated – how to overcome set backs in business Grab Opportunities – respond to the market Know Your Market – and consistently produce the product they want Think Differently – take your product and spin it in different formats Get Your Name on the Credits – and reap the rewards Don’t Look Back – learn from missed opportunities but keep moving forwards Say it How It Is – straight talking saves time in business Build a Personal Brand – and be respected for what you do well if nothing else Use Your Contacts – there is no shame to pulling strings in business
Love him or loathe him, Jamie Oliver is one of the best-known and richest celebrity chefs in the world. But there is more to the man than his linguine. He towers over a business empire that comprises restaurants, shops, cookware, food, magazines, books, DVDs and television production. So how does he maintain his brand name and values across such diverse interests? The Unauthorized Guide to Doing Business the Jamie Oliver Way draws out the universal lessons from Jamie Oliver’s remarkable success and identifies 10 secret strategies for business growth and branding that can be applied to any business or career: Be yourself, but more so Extend the brand Build on what you’re good at Remember the social dimension Become the face of a supermarket Deal with adversity Go international Protect the brand Be controversial Be bold Want to be the best? The secrets of phenomenal success are in your hands. Check out the other Unauthorized Guides in this series: Richard Branson; Duncan Bannatyne; Alan Sugar; Bill Gates; and Philip Green.