Think Trump

Q: What is the passion that keeps you going?

DT: I just love what I am doing, I love it. That's all it is, very simple. In the end, you kick the bucket, nobody cares, but you know why I do it? Because I have fun doing it. I love building buildings it keeps me happy.

Q: I own my own business and my business partner is stealing my company away from me.

DT: You go and get yourself the meanest, most vicious lawyer you can find and a good accountant and just make his life miserable. Go after that bastard. Don't let him take advantage of you.

Q: What's more exciting for you, the chase of the deal, the close of the deal?

DT: Well the chase and the close are the same. Really the question is the chase or long term owning. I love the chase. The chase is always fun and exciting, but you have to do something with the chase. When the chase is over you've got to get down to business and make something work. A lot of people that do well with the chase aren't good managers, because it's a different ability. The great managers aren't usually the good hunters and it's rare that you find somebody that's good as a hunter and then can do something with it.

Q: A good friend of mine said, smart people learn from their mistakes, smarter people learn from others. I'm here to learn from you.

DT: You can learn from both. You're going to make mistakes, everybody is going to make mistakes. If I took the most successful people in the room, they'll tell me they made some big mistakes. The key to mistakes is not letting the mistake bring you down. I have a friend, who for twenty five years was a tremendous success. He bought a little company, he bought another, and another. He bought like four hundred and twelve companies. Then he bet the entire ranch on one deal that was bigger than his company, and the deal was a stinker. He got screwed by Wall Street, and it brought his company down. So you want to learn from your mistakes, but you also want to learn from other peoples mistakes. No matter how good you are there will be mistakes. I know every really smart New York killer. I know every deal maker in New York. They are either friends or enemies, but I know them all. I can name, for each one of them, deals that were made that were bad. You've got to learn from them.

Watch, listen, and learn. You can't know it all yourself.. anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity.
Donald Trump - Learning - Business

You can't know it all. No matter how smart you are, no matter how comprehensive your education, no matter how wide ranging your experience, there is simply no way to acquire all the wisdom you need to make your business thrive.
Donald Trump - Learning - Business - Knowledge

I like thinking big. If you're going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big.
Donald Trump - Goals - Thinking

In business, I've discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That's my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards.
Donald Trump - Business - Life

I'm a busy guy but I set aside quiet time every morning and every evening to keep my equilibrium centered on my own path. I don't like being swayed by anything that might be negative or damaging.
Donald Trump - Negative - Planning - Self Control

Every day, you'll have opportunities to take chances and to work outside your safety net. Sure, it's a lot easier to stay in your comfort zone.. in my case, business suits and real estate.. but sometimes you have to take risks. When the risks pay off, that's when you reap the biggest rewards.
Donald Trump - Business - Real Estate - Opportunity - Risk

Leaders are people who can discern the inevitable and act accordingly. When people talk about business acumen, discernment is a big part of it. It's a bit like gut instinct, but a little more developed.
Donald Trump - Business - Leadership - Instinct

Take the pains required to become what you want to become, or you might end up becoming something you'd rather not be. That is also a daily discipline and worth considering.
Donald Trump - Goals - Focus

What matters is where you want to go. Focus in the right direction!
Donald Trump - Goals - Focus

The old saying that "success breeds success" has something to it. It's that feeling of confidence that can banish negativity and procrastination and get you going the right way.
Donald Trump - Success - Negative - Focus - Confidence - Procrastination