Retirement, once considered a natural and well-deserved phase of life, is undergoing a transformation in both perception and reality. Traditionally, retirement was associated with relaxation, leisure, and the fulfillment of lifelong dreams.…
Who doesn’t know Elon Musk? The man with the full name Elon Reeve Musk, nominated as the richest person in the world according to Forbes’s World Billionaire in 2022. He is an entrepreneur, investor, and business magnate.
He involved in creating PayPal, executive officer at Tesla, and founding the spacecraft company SpaceX. On April 14, 2022 Elon Musk has officially bought Twitter for 44 billion USD.
Elon Musk is known for his bold and wild innovative ideas.
South Africa-born Musk, who is behind electric car manufacturer Tesla and space exploration firm SpaceX, has some crazy ideas for the future.
Some of his ideas include a futuristic transportation system, a human colony on Mars helped by affordable space travel, and linking our brains to computers.
With that, here are some interesting facts about the figure of billionaire, Elon Musk:
Created Space Theme Video Games at 12 Years Old
We all know that Elon Musk is a tech genius. But it turn out that little Elon Musk is already genius from a very young age.
When he was 12 years old, Elon Musk actually created a video game. The video game was named Blastar. Blastar is a video game with the theme of fighting in outer space. The video game was then sold for 500 USD for PC and Office Technology Magazine. So you could say that Elon Musk’s genius and space interest has been around since he was small.
Broken Home Family Background
Musk was born in South Africa to Errol and Maye Musk. Errol Musk is an engineer while Maye is a model and nutritionist from Canada.
During his childhood, Elon Musk doesn’t really get the attention of his parents. Most of the time, Elon Musk is taken care by a maid. Errol and Maye then decided to divorce in 1980.
His brother and sister lived with Maye. Elon Musk lives with his father, Errol. Musk’s father was known as a great engineer. This is what his father passed down to Elon Musk.
Dropped Out From Stanford University in 2 Days
Elon Musk attended Stanford and took a physics degree. However, Musk did not finish his studies. He only lasted 2 days at Stanford and then decided to drop out.
He chose to leave and founded the company Zip2.
Opened a Night Club to Pay Rental
Elon Musk is one of the many rich people who were born into this world in dire financial circumstances. Although, he still continue his education to the university stage. He attended the University of Pennsylvania.
During his time of studying in Pennsylvania, Elon Musk had a financial crisis. In order to go to college, he thought of opening a small business to be able to pay the rent. Musk and his friend Andeo Ressi rented a mansion and turned it into a nightclub. The nightclub can accommodate up to 1,000 people.
Elon Musk himself is not the type of person who likes to spend time drinking and dancing. Musk is mostly in his own room, playing video games.
Musk’s First Business
The business brain of Elon Musk has been around since he was young. Elon Musk started his career in the business world by founding a company called Zip2.
Zip2 is a newspaper company, but not an ordinary newspaper. As Elon Musk is a person who is very interested in technology, the newspaper is also included with a map and a business directory. Musk then sold Zip2 for 307 million USD to Compaq.
Founded SpaceX in 2002
Elon Musk’s interest in outer space is not just happening recently. At the age of 12, he created a game called Blastar. The game takes the theme of war in outer space. And as an adult, Elon Musk has the desire to be able to explore space and if possible, build a colony on a planet.
Then in 2002, Elon Musk founded a company SpaceX. SpaceX is a company that focuses on creating spaceships. Elon Musk believes that the Earth will one day be uninhabitable. And one option is to move to a planet. SpaceX will create a spacecraft that can later be used to transport humans to other planets.
Almost Sold Tesla to Google
Such a large company like Tesla turned out to have experienced big problem earlier.
Tesla was nearly bankrupt as in it facing downward slope, until Elon Musk, ever thought about selling it in 2013. The contingency plan: sell to Google. Elon Musk approached Larry Page and offered him to buy Tesla for 6 billion USD. Musk then promised to invest 5 billion USD for factory expansion.
The deal turned out to be canceled as the sales of the Tesla Model S had increased 2 weeks after.
It was saved with only two weeks’ worth of cash in the bank, and so very nearly bought by Google.
Elon Musk
Bought James Bond Car for 1 Million USD
Many rich people claim to be collectors and buy cars that have been used in a number of films. The car was bought at a great price, repaired, and displayed at home. Elon Musk also once bought a car that was used in the old James Bond films. The car is a Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me.
For the Bond’s lover, the car is known as a sophisticated car used by James Bond. Not only can be ridden on land but also in water. Elon Musk bought the car for $968,000. The car was purchased for later developed to produce a submarine car.
Figure Inspiration of Iron Man
Fans of Marvel comics and films must be familiar with the figure of Tony Stark. Tony Stark is a wealthy scientist and billionaire. Tony Stark with his intelligence and money, created a special armor that was resistant to weapons and named himself Iron Man. The first Iron Man film was released in 2008 and was directed by Jon Favreau.
As a director, of course, you need a figure who can be an inspiration for Tony Stark. Of the many rich and geniuses on Earth, Jon Favreau chose the figure of Elon Musk. Then, the Tony Stark character is more or less followed the style of Elon Musk. Elon Musk himself has also appeared as a cameo in the film Iron Man 2.
Coronomy is an economic situation like the one we are in right now, and who knows when it will end, we don’t know yet.
Inevitably this Coronomy era has damaged so many business activities. Economic growth is predicted to plummet, and millions of people will lose their jobs and livelihoods.
What is dark is this: when the trend of epidemic cases in other countries begins to decline, the new mutated version of the virus is coming.
When the epidemic remains high for a long time, the economic recovery will take longer and longer. The patience and mental resilience of many people will be tested in this Coronomy era.
This time, we will try to explore the bright side of Coronomy’s dark attack: what are the business trends that will actually skyrocket in the Post Covid 19 era. Or what business trends will be more important in the future, after this pandemic.
In this post Covid 19 era, there are at least three business trends that feel increasingly important in the future.
1. The Rise of Digital Business
The pandemic has made people’s mobility very limited. For businesses that rely on crowds (think about the business of traveling, entertainment, cinemas, restaurants and malls), this policy will certainly hit hard.
On the other hand, the social restriction policy emphasizes the increasing importance of the business digitization process in the future. The digitalization process has actually grown very rapidly in the pre-pandemic era. Two prominent examples are mobile banking services and video streaming services a la Netflix.
Mobile banking services are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful innovations of the last 10 years. And in this Coronomy era, this mobile banking service is increasingly important. We no longer need to physically go to the ATM every time we want to make a transfer or transaction – a process that is very risky if the ATM booth is lined up and full of crowds.
Since mobile banking and digital wallet services invented, we almost never use an ATM or come to the bank again.
Streaming video services like Netflix were also booming before the Pandemic. But in this Coronomy era, when millions of people need entertainment at home because they can’t go anywhere, there has been an explosion in the increase in Netflix subscribers around the world.
Another digital service that is even more important in this Coronomy era is the online delivery service. During the pandemic period, we can’t freely come to restaurants physically. So the alternative is, we order more and more food for through online food delivery.
The digital business trend is a trend that will be increasingly important in the future, or the Post Covid 19 Era. However, at this time, when the pandemic is still actively attacking, this digital service is truly an elegant solution for many customers.
2. The Rise of Teleworker
The Coronomy era has forced many businesses to implement WFH (Working From Home) policies.
And surprisingly, many workers are finally able to slowly adapt and learn the process, so that performance can still be optimal even though they have to do WFH.
Few weeks back, I interviewed an employee who has been doing WFH for two months according to his office’s policy. He said so far so good and all work can still be done effectively.
Of course, there are a number of jobs that cannot be done by WFH, such as cleaning service jobs, factory operators, or bank tellers. But actually there are more than 60% types of office work that can be done from home, or anywhere as long as there is a broadband internet connection.
Before the pandemic era, there was actually an increasing trend in the number of teleworkers. Teleworkers are the workers who did their work from home, and didn’t have to physically come to the office every day.
The Coronomy era has inevitably triggered a dramatic increase in the number of teleworkers around the world.
We predict that many companies will continue to implement WFH policies even after the pandemic era ends (or in the Post-Coronomy era). At least they can allow their employees to work from home twice a week.
This teleworking trend really helps reduce congestion on the streets (and ultimately air pollution). Employees also no longer need to spend up to two hours because they stuck in traffic every day on the streets.
Studies from the Stanford University research team also show that teleworking policies will actually make employees more productive.
I personally have been doing WFH for more than 8 years – or long before the pandemic. And indeed I feel that my quality of life and quality of work have become much more optimal.
3. The Rise of Online Shopping
Before the pandemic, the online shopping trend had indeed experienced a boom. However, in this era of social distancing, the presence of online shopping has become even more important.
When we are reluctant to leave the house, now we shop for anything through online marketplaces or other online shops.
For example, during this pandemic, I have purchased more than 20 books through Amazon.
And this is happening to everyone else. Since they can’t go to the mall or leave the house, the online shopping habit is becoming a preferred trend.
Bottom Line
These are the three business trends that are accelerating in this post Covid 19 era, and may continue to skyrocket. The trend of business digitization, the rise of the teleworker movement, and the booming trend of online shopping.
Who knows that the impact of Covid 19 can actually eliminate what kind of business that can survive? If your business are not digitalized yet, now it is time to convert.
Further Reading:
The Process Business Strategic Planning Before Starting Any Startup