50 Cent's 10 lessons for success in business - and in life | Hacker News Reader

50 Cent's 10 lessons for success in business - and in life

entertainment.timesonline.co.uk

40 pointskareemm30 comments

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Greene: Hey Fiddy, I just wrote a self-help book.

Fiddy: Great, here's a photo of me and I'll send you a few zesty rhymes about being the best.

Greene: Cool, we'll profit share and you can read the final draft before it goes to print.

Fiddy: Word. Split it into 50 chapters.

----

I saw a Hugh Hefner self-help column once: don't even know if Hef even knew about it. Here it is: http://tr.im/z3yQ

I got problems with the word 'self-help'. Since you usually receive such 'self-help' knowledge through books, movies etc. which is like regular help. If you however figure out to do something yourself, without that book or movie, THEN its self-help. Please let use the language we a all agreed upon.

I'm sure it's called 'self-help' because it empowers the customers of all the materials. People like to feel in control of their lives, and if you convince them it's them helping themselves, they'll be more willing to buy your 'self-help' stuff.

Picking up a book to help oneself is you helping yourself. Books written for that purpose are aptly called "self-help." Do you think you need help? If so, such books would help.

'self-help' is perfectly valid in the context of what 'help' alone would imply.

e.g. 'help' losing weight suggests things like a gym partner, a personal trainer, surgery, your spouse adopting your meal goals, etc.

'self-help' losing weight would be things that fall short of that: a workout schedule, a diet plan, etc. Things that have pointed you in the right direction, but don't include other people directly helping you.

What you're describing sounds closer to 'self-made'. As there was no assistance from anyone else, of any kind, it doesn't seem useful to include the word 'help' at all.

Thanks for posting this. I was peripherally aware of 50Cent's entrepreneurism (the Vitamin Water deal), and I had no idea he was so focused and driven.

> The fools in life want things fast and easy — money, success, attention. Boredom is their great enemy and fear.

PG's build something people want

> Most people think first of what they want to express or make, then find the audience for their idea. You must work the opposite angle, thinking first of the public. You need to keep your focus on their changing needs, the trends that are washing through them. Beginning with their demand, you create the appropriate supply

Launch before you're done

> Do not be afraid of people’s criticisms - without such feedback your work will be too personal and delusional.

Someone I know ran into his manager at one of the conferences and the guy said something like how 50 Cents does not need to work another day and still be richer than the best of rappers because of the Vitamin Water deal. I hear he made over couple hundred mil.

I'd be interested in knowing how much equity he had in that company. I think its safe to say his public endorsement (both in commercials and his frequent plugs) contributed a tremendous amount to its meteoric rise and its eventual purchase for $4.1bln.

He had 10% so normally he would have made around 400 Million $. I believe after taxes he made around 100 - 150 Million $.

Yeah, during a performance a few years ago he was caught lip syncing. So he just mumbled 'Vitamin Water' into the mic and walked off stage.

http://mediatakeout.com/2009/7622-busted_50_cent_caught_lip_...

Even though that particular story is true, don't link to mediatakout as a source. That site has made an art form of lying. Always check somewhere else first.

Fair enough, but EW (http://popwatch.ew.com/2007/06/27/50-cent-lip-syn/) and Stereo Gum (http://stereogum.com/archives/video/formula-50-goes-ashlee-s...) both cited them in this case, so I figured I would post the source, not other blogs' reposting...

I heard him interviewed on talk radio a while ago and he certainly plays his image up a lot while being very savvy and smart on the back end. Wouldn't be surprised if he turns himself into a mogul-type figure like Jay-Z in the coming year.

Fifty is quite an investor, he's got his hands in at least one palo alto startup i know. Wouldn't be surprised to learn there are more

It's kinda sad to see people judge people by their career, appearance and environment.

Facts:

-Just because Curtis Jackson is from a poor neighbourhood doesn't mean he's dumb or not business savvy.

-Just because he's a rapper doesn't mean he is always thinking about bling and 24 inch rims.

-Just because he is a rapper doesn't mean that he doesn't care about nothing but making money.

-And just because he hasn't had the best education and a 100k MBA it surely doesn't mean that he can't seal good business deals and manage his wealth.

When people talk about someone like Donald Trump it's always huge respect in everything he's done or doing but when it's anyone you wouldn't expect it from it's "I'm surprised he can actually talk so smart". Really?

Ahem, straw men arguments?

Ignorance?

Personally, I have no respect for Donald Trump. But that doesn't mean I should respect Curtis Jackson or 50 cent or whatever. I am going to follow his advice and be intensely realistic -- he just packaged the worst stereotypes about being a young black male and sold them to dumb white suburban teenagers that were looking for some thrills. Now every black male (including president Obama) has to worry about everybody thinking they used to be a drug dealer in their youth. If I was black I would hate his guts. Now I just don't respect him.

All of these lessons are powerful and communicated in a wonderful way, but #2. Make Everything Your Own - Self-Reliance, is something that all aspiring entrepreneurs need to focus in order to take an idea and make it a reality. There are many talented people in the world who fear losing a steady pay-check regardless of the potential innovations that could be created. Stability means that you are actually moving backwards on your personal continuum of life because if you are not evolving, then you are going to compromise who you are for the sake of something other than yourself. Be creative, be alive, and realize that the most severe risk that you ever face is the risk associated with living a life that someone or something has created for you to live...be the creator, director, and artist of your own world!

Next week...Kanye West's 10 lessons for success on award shows - and in life.

I was half expecting a kanye meme here..

"Yo Fiddy, I'm really happy for you, I'll let you finish, but Jay-Z had some of the best financial advice of all time!"

Yo Yan, I ma really happy for you, I'll let you finish, but Kaiserama had one of the best comments of all time, OF ALL TIME!

Bah, this is just a conduit for pop-psychologist Robert Greene to sell his latest "Art of War" style self-help book.

Yeah. If he just shared his story and let these points come out implicitly, it would have been a lot more interesting.

Reading this I could not help but think - 50 Cent DID NOT write this...

I think #6 is used to keep people down. If the overarching principle of FOSS included #6, how far would it have gone?

I suspect that many people experience meltdowns in their personal lives, because they start generalizing rule 6 from their professional lives and let it guide their personal lives.

What are the logistics if everyone in the world was an entrepreneur? ~5-6bn small businesses?

emacs sorts '50 cent' before 'AAA...'. Funny if being first in listings was the true reason for his success.

pg has more data and convincingly reduces the advice to - 'determination' (http://www.paulgraham.com/determination.html) - and 'be relentlessly resourceful' (http://www.paulgraham.com/relres.html).

"Before it is too late you must master the art of knowing when and how to be bad - using deception, manipulation, and outright force at the appropriate moments."

When is the appropriate moment to use outright force? Like in "Get rich or die trying"? Should you be able to shoot your competitors?

Do we allow top 10 lists again on HN? Or does it just depend on the source? Corporate media are allowed but not bloggers?

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