TEDxHarkerSchool - Rahim Fazal - How Getting Fired From McDonalds Changed My Life
TEDx Talks・2 minutes read
The speaker shares his journey from being fired at McDonald's to starting a successful business with a friend, emphasizing the importance of parental involvement, smart money management, and taking immediate action on goals and dreams. He advises against merely generating ideas without action, highlighting the significance of perseverance and unconventional approaches to overcome challenges in business and academic pursuits.
Insights
- Overcoming challenges with determination and creativity, the speaker's journey from being fired at McDonald's to selling a successful business for $1.5 million highlights the importance of persistence, innovative problem-solving, and prioritizing customer service even at a young age.
- Stressing the significance of immediate action, parental involvement, financial literacy, and building a supportive network, the speaker's advice underscores the value of taking concrete steps towards goals, leveraging resources like financial education blogs, and balancing personal growth with business endeavors to achieve long-term success.
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Recent questions
How did the speaker's entrepreneurial journey begin?
The speaker's entrepreneurial journey began after being fired from McDonald's at 16. Determined to avoid working at a fast-food restaurant again, he teamed up with a friend to start a company focused on websites and email addresses. Despite facing challenges like hiding the business from their parents and being too young to register the company, they persevered and found creative solutions to overcome obstacles.
What marketing strategies did the speaker and his friend employ?
Initially advertising in a newspaper yielded only four sign-ups, prompting them to shift their focus to online marketing. Through guerrilla marketing tactics, they attracted thousands of businesses to their website. This success led to a customer base of 10,000, which they managed discreetly using a pager and cell phone for customer service. They prioritized excellent customer service, even using humorous names when answering the phone to avoid repetition.
How did the speaker balance school and business responsibilities?
Balancing school and a growing business with 25,000 customers presented challenges for the speaker. This led to humorous misunderstandings with parents mistaking the business for drug dealing. Despite these challenges, the speaker emphasized the importance of involving parents in decisions and building a supportive network of friends and advisors to navigate the demands of both academic and entrepreneurial pursuits.
What was the outcome of the speaker's business venture?
After receiving an offer, the speaker sold the business for $1.5 million. This process involved navigating legal contracts with multiple free consultations from different lawyers. Through this experience, the speaker learned valuable lessons about financial literacy, smart money management, and the importance of taking action promptly to pursue goals and dreams.
What advice does the speaker offer for success?
The speaker reflects on personal experiences and advises on key takeaways for success, including parental involvement, building a supportive network, enjoying life, managing finances wisely, and taking action promptly. He emphasizes the significance of not getting caught up in constantly generating new ideas without taking action, urging individuals to start pursuing their goals immediately after gaining inspiration.
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Summary
00:00
Teen Fired from McDonald's Starts Successful Company
- The speaker addresses parents, students, and attendees at a conference.
- He recounts his experience of being fired from McDonald's at 16.
- Despite being fired, he was determined to never work at a fast-food restaurant again.
- He teamed up with a friend to start a company focused on websites and email addresses.
- They faced challenges like hiding the business from their parents and being too young to register the company.
- To overcome the age restriction, his friend grew a beard to appear older.
- They advertised in a newspaper but only got four sign-ups, leading them to focus on online marketing.
- Through guerrilla marketing, they attracted thousands of businesses to their website.
- With 10,000 customers, they managed customer service discreetly using a pager and cell phone.
- The speaker prioritized excellent customer service, even at a young age, by promptly returning calls.
16:14
"Success Through Parental Support and Initiative"
- Going to the bathroom once in class is acceptable, but twice may lead teachers to suspect a urinary infection.
- Using different names when answering the phone to avoid repetition, even resorting to humorous names like "Cletus."
- Balancing school and a growing business with 25,000 customers, leading to a humorous misunderstanding with parents mistaking the business for drug dealing.
- Selling the business for $1.5 million after receiving an offer, navigating legal contracts with multiple free consultations from different lawyers.
- Learning the importance of involving parents in decisions and building a supportive crew of friends and advisors.
- Emphasizing the need to enjoy life amidst business and academic pursuits.
- Stressing the importance of financial literacy and smart money management for personal and business success.
- Encouraging action and initiative, urging to start pursuing goals and dreams immediately after gaining inspiration.
- Reflecting on personal experiences and advising on key takeaways for success, including parental involvement, building a supportive network, enjoying life, managing finances wisely, and taking action promptly.
- Recommending resources like the blog "I Will Teach You to Be Rich" for financial education and highlighting the significance of cash flow in business sustainability.
32:23
Take action on ideas to avoid stagnation.
- Don't get caught up in constantly coming up with new ideas without taking action. Many people who do this end up stuck in a cycle of complaining about things not going right. If you have an idea, start working on it immediately, even if you have other responsibilities like school. Don't let anything hinder your progress, even if it means doing unconventional things like growing a beard to register your business.
