Carnegie: The Legendary Life from Extreme Poverty to Billionaire

Carnegie: The Legendary Life from Extreme Poverty to Billionaire

Wang Xiaoyun, Jilin

Andrew carnegie, the American steel magnate, built a large-scale steel complex from scratch to produce steel, and maintained the position of the world's largest steel plant for decades, almost monopolizing the American steel market. Carnegie, together with Rockefeller and Morgan, was the three giants of American economic circles at that time. After his success, the "King of Steel" donated almost all his property to the society. His donation before his death was huge enough to rival Nobel, a Swedish scientist and industrialist who set up the Nobel Prize after his death, so he became a hero and a model of personal struggle in the eyes of Americans.

First, diligent teenagers.

1835165438+1October 25th, andrew carnegie was born in Danfermline, an ancient Scottish capital. My father, Will Carnegie, made a living by weaving linen plaids by hand, while my mother, Maggie, sewed shoes as a sideline. Although their parents are poor, they are honest and always full of enterprising spirit. This is a family that has inherited the glorious tradition of self-reliance and self-respect.

/kloc-When he was 0/3 years old, Carnegie and his family came to new york Port on the east coast of the United States with longing for the United States, and then moved to Pittsburgh. The life of immigrants is very hard. Little Carnegie worked as a child laborer during the day and went to night school at night. It was very hard. /kloc-at the age of 0/4, he came to the David telegraph company in Pittsburgh as a messenger. Although he is not familiar with this road at all, he promised the company that he could remember the route of the whole city within a week. The manager of the company was moved by Carnegie's words and kept him. Carnegie also fulfilled his promise and became a skilled employee of the company.

Pittsburgh is not only the transportation hub of the United States, but also the material distribution center and industrial center. As an advanced communication tool, telegraph plays an extremely important role in this city where businessmen gather. Carnegie, who walks the streets and sends telegrams every day, is like entering a "business school." He is familiar with the name and characteristics of each company and understands the economic relations and business dealings between companies. Over time, he became familiar with this intangible "business encyclopedia" and benefited a lot in his later career. Carnegie looked back on this period and called it "the first step to climb the ladder of life."

Material click

Diligence and study are the magic weapons of every successful person. In this world, everyone is eager to realize their ideals, show their value and get a successful experience. At all times, people who have achieved great things are down-to-earth, diligent in learning and accumulating knowledge, just like andrew carnegie. When the opportunity comes, they will work hard and win the crown of success.

Application direction

This material is suitable for diligence, the power of knowledge, being good at reading the big book of society, and the importance of knowledge and experience to success.

Second, try it for the first time

1853, Scott, the director of the western district of Pennsylvania Railway Company, took a fancy to Carnegie, who had excellent telegraph skills, and hired him as a private telegraph operator and secretary at a salary of $35 per month. At that time, Carnegie was already a boy of 18 years old, and he entered the wider world with great ambition.

In 10 of Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Carnegie was promoted to the director of the company's west area at the age of 24, with an annual salary of 1500, and gradually mastered the management skills of modern large enterprises. These skills were crucial to his later organization of a huge steel enterprise.

At the same time, Carnegie also seized the opportunity. At first, he tried his hand and participated in the investment. He succeeded repeatedly and gradually accumulated some assets, which laid an economic foundation for him to establish a steel enterprise in the future.

1the end of the civil war in April 865 created a lot of opportunities. Carnegie, 29, has achieved something at this time, but he is not satisfied. He wants to firmly grasp this critical stage of his life journey, start his own business and set up another portal. Therefore, he submitted his resignation to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and co-founded Carnegie Coleman United Steel Plant.

Before he resigned, Carnegie took people to repair bridges and roads. At that time, he often wondered whether it was possible to replace the wooden bridge with an iron bridge. Although there were many steel mills in Pittsburgh at that time, they were still in their infancy. 1862, he and several friends started a company to build iron bridges. 1On July 4th, 863, the two sides of the civil war began to confront each other with warships, which inspired Carnegie that the sailing age has passed and the steel age is coming. So, after resigning, he went to Europe, visited the Iron and Steel Research Institute in London, decisively bought the steel patent invented by the Dodds brothers, and also bought the patent for coke washing and reduction. He believes that these two patents will bring endless wealth.

Back to Carnegie, USA, get up and get ready for a big fight. He pooled his scattered funds and merged the two companies he had invested in before to form a joint ironmaking company. At that time, the iron and steel production and operation in the United States was extremely scattered, and from mining and ironmaking to the final production of finished products such as rails and iron plates, it had to go through many manufacturers. In addition, middlemen increase prices in all production and sales links, resulting in high cost of final products. Carnegie is well aware of these disadvantages of traditional iron and steel enterprises and is determined to establish a modern iron and steel company with a new look, including the integration of supply, production and sales in the whole production process.

Material click

Carnegie's annual salary of 24 years old was 1500 yuan, which was already high at that time. But he was not satisfied with the status quo, so he resigned and set up his own company. At the critical stage of his life, he seized the opportunity to start his own business and completed the transformation from a migrant worker to a boss. Being brave in innovation and forging ahead is the secret of Carnegie's success step by step.

Application direction

This material is suitable for people who are uneasy about the status quo, opportunities, innovations and so on.

Third, fame

By the end of 2009 and the beginning of the 20th century, Carnegie Steel Company has become the largest steel enterprise in the world, with more than 20,000 employees and the most advanced equipment in the world. Its annual output exceeds that of Britain, with an annual income of $40 million. Carnegie is the largest shareholder of the company, but he does not hold the positions of chairman and general manager. His success depends largely on his appointment of a group of talents who know technology and management. Today, people often quote his famous saying: "If all the equipment and materials in my factory are burned out, but as long as I keep the whole class, I will still be the king of steel in a few years."

After becoming famous, a reporter visited him and asked him how he got to where he is today. Carnegie replied, "My success has two basic factors. First, I was born in a poor family. I used to eat this kind of rice when I was a child. I don't know what to do for the next meal. At night, I often hear my parents sigh about coping with poverty. So I have worked hard since I was a child, and I am determined to overcome poverty when I grow up. Second, everything, big or small, should be done seriously. I worked as a weaver when I was 12 years old, trying to spin the yarn well. Later, I became a postman. I tried to remember the name and community appearance of every household in the postal area I was in charge of, and almost every household became familiar with it later. Try to do every little thing well, and then someone will dare to give you the big thing with confidence. "

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Carnegie is only a shareholder, not a chairman or general manager. Instead, he appoints people who know management and technology to do it. Being good at employing people and giving full play to people's talents is also the secret of Carnegie's success.

Carnegie answered the reporter's words and revealed another secret of his success: being positive and doing every little thing well.

Application direction

In this material. Carnegie's three sentences can be used to demonstrate the importance of talents to enterprise management and career achievements; Success lies in initiative; Only by doing small things well can we hope to achieve great things and other topics

Fourth, give back to the society.

1890, Carnegie, who is already a billionaire, announced in his book The Gospel of Wealth: "I will not try to earn more wealth." So he resolutely retired from the booming steel industry and sold Carnegie Steel Company to financial tycoon Morgan for $500 million. Then, he began to implement the great plan of dedicating wealth to society.

Since then, Carnegie's life has undergone tremendous changes in the nearly 20 years since his death in August 19 19. 190 1, in the first year after his retirement, he first set up a relief and pension fund for steel workers with 5 million dollars, thanking the employees who helped him succeed in his career. Then, in order to help those ambitious and even poor young people, he donated money to build 68 libraries in new york. During the period of 16, he donated120,000 USD to build 3,500 libraries.

The following year, Carnegie founded Carnegie University in Pittsburgh, his second hometown. Later, various schools and educational institutions were established in the United States and Britain. Such donations for the construction of educational facilities amount to $90 million.

In the following years, Carnegie also set up several funds: donating 5 million dollars to set up the "Save Others Fund"; Donate $39 million to set up a "retirement fund for university professors" to protect the life of educators in their later years; Establish "Presidential Retirement Fund" and "Writers Fund" to provide financial assistance to American presidents or writers in their later years. In addition, he has provided 1 1 countries with the "Carnegie Celebrity Fund" and set up the "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace" with100,000 dollars to support people who have made contributions to world peace.

19 1 1 year, the elderly Carnegie couple were exhausted because they directly participated in the donation work in1year. Therefore, Carnegie decided to set up "Carnegie Company" with the remaining $65,438+$50 million to let the company manage the donated funds.

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Carnegie announced that he would not try to earn more wealth because he had a deep understanding of wealth and life. Carnegie's brother, mother and his best assistant died one after another. The attack of Where Are You Going made him decide to give up the pursuit of wealth and devote himself to charity to repay the society and make his short life more meaningful.

Application direction

This kind of material is suitable for topics such as life, life, value, love and wealth.