Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and one of the richest men on Earth, is successful due to a handful of universal strategies anyone can apply. Gates' success in creating a billion-dollar company is the result of creating value, forming strategic partnerships and being passionate about his field. In addition, Gates' philanthropy makes him successful in a much broader sense.Starting at age 13, Gates spent days and nights writing computer programs. Because he did not own a computer, he put in long hours at school. Throughout his adulthood, this drive enabled him to achieve continued success both as a developer and a businessman.
Another important factor to Gates' success is that he is a creator of value. Successful businessmen market products or services that solve people's problems. As an innovator, Gates came up with technologies that streamline businesses. Gates also depended on the principle of powerful partnerships. Early in the history of Microsoft, he placed the company at the service of larger technology companies like MITS and Digital Research. Gates actively worked to strike a mutually beneficial deal between Digital Research and IBM. But when Digital Research was unable to provide an operating system for IBM's proposed PC Project, Microsoft stepped in. This deal shot Microsoft and Gates to the top.
Moreover, Gates is a well-known philanthropist who promotes humanitarian causes through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His personal policy of "giving back" to the world brings personal satisfaction and makes him successful not only in business but in a holistic sense.