Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry

• Authors: Michael Dell;Catherine Fredman
• Venue: Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry
• Year: 1999

From the Publisher:By the visionary who founded Dell Computer Corporation — one of the most profitable and innovative companies in the world — Direct from Dell recounts the amazing story of Dell and the pioneer strategies that resulted in the company's phenomenal success.At age 13, Michael Dell was a kid with a knack for taking apart the motherboard of his Apple II computer and a penchant to run a business. Today, only 20 years later, after becoming the youngest CEO in history to head a Fortune 500 company, he leads one of the most profitable and innovative companies in the world.Direct from Dell tells the story of Dell Computer's successful rise, beginning with Michael Dell's vision for creating a low-cost, direct-sales model and chronicling the development of key competitive advantages that are the envy of Dell's competition: unrivaled speed to market; an unwavering dedication to customer service; a fierce commitment to producing consistently high-quality, low-priced, custom-made machines; and a shrewd exploitation of the Internet — strategies that have driven sales to an astronomical $13 billion, up from just $159 million 10 years ago. Told by the man who revolutionized an industry, Direct from Dell is not just for CEOs or those working in the high-tech industry. It is an inspiring business story that epitomizes the American Dream — and provides a blueprint for doing business in the 21st century.Dell stock — up more than 29,000% since 1990 and more than 200% in the last 12 months — has been the single biggest gainer among the S&P 500 this decade.Michael Dell has been dubbed "the Jack Welch of a new generation" and compared to Henry Ford and Sam Walton for his "God-is in-the-details" vision.Articles on Dell and Dell Computer appear regularly and widely in the business and mainstream press, including Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, BusinessWeekand USA Today.Dell travels the world to keynote conferences and participates in leadership forums with the likes of Peter Drucker, Andy Grove, and Jack Welch.At 19, Michael Dell began selling computers from his dorm room. Much to his parents' dismay, he left college and, by the day he would have graduated, was selling $70 million worth of computers a year. Today, he is chairman and CEO of Dell, the world's largest direct computer company. Catherine Fredman collaborated with Andrew Grove, chairman of Intel, on his bestselling book, Only the Paranoid Survive.