Forbes Ranking 14
Billionaire: Li Ka shing
Wealth: $21.0 billion
Citizenship: Hong Kong
Residence: Hong Kong
Source of Wealth: diversified
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Li Ka Shing
Li Ka Shing is an East Asian businessman that became a billionaire by making wise investments in Hong Kong, East Asia and throughout the world. Li Ka Shing was born in Chiu Chow, China on 1928. Today, he is the richest man in Hong Kong. During the year 2005, his estimated wealth was $13 billion in US dollars. Li Ka Shing made investments in property and hotels, retail stores, transportation and energy. He sold products, technology, and services to the masses and made a fortune in the process. However, Li Ka Shing ownership in Cheung Kong Industries and Hutchinson Whampoa is well known. He made his billions the hard way; he earned them, now read on to find out how.
Li Ka Shing got his first try in business by working at a plastics company after his father died. He had to now provide for his family and in the process he worked very hard and frequently worked more 12 hours a day. Li Ka Shing eventually started a plastics company called “Cheung Kong Industries (CKI).” His success was immediate and he transformed CKI into a business conglomerate that contains many businesses in diverse areas. For example, he operated real estate agencies and telecommunications companies. Utilizing this strategy enable Li Ka Shing to expand his business interests to more that 40 countries and help him become a billionaire. CKI is still operating today and is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Becoming a billionaire is not something that happens overnight, you have to work extremely hard.
Li Ka Shing moved into other areas of business, with the acquisition of “Hutchinson Whampoa Limited (HWL),” Li Ka Shing would now be operating a world-class organization that would be able to compete with the titans of the western world. HWL businesses are everywhere and they operate some of the world’s largest ports in America, the Middle East and Africa. This giant has about 240,000 employees and can be found in 53 countries. Li Ka Shing is managing 51 ports in various countries and has the business know how to develop a business plan to operate Watson’s Your Personal Store the largest beauty and health retailer in the world. HWL has been know as one of the first businesses to introduce 3G services. Keep in mind that in order for Li Ka Sing to become a billionaire he had to save his money and invest it wisely.
Making changes and adjustments along with good business sense, has help Li Ka Shing become a billionaire. Making a billion dollars is no easy task. Li Ka Shing developed a systematic plan and stuck to it and in the process he became a wealthy. Developing the skills to amass this kind of money requires tons of discipline. Evidently, he had a vision and goals that were attainable. What seems so amazing about Li Ka Shing is that he dropped out of school and went onto becomes a billionaire many times. This is an amazing success story. Forbes Magazine estimated his total net worth to be $21.3 billion for the 81 year old billionaire. Although he is a billionaire, he still lives modestly. Case in point, he has been known as the billionaire that wear simple clothing and jewelry.
Clearly, Li Ka Shing was a true salesman. You have to be able to create and serve a customer and make a profit in the process. This is one billionaire that learned the rule and never forgot it. To become a billionaire you must be patient, smart, and have the ability to adapt or walk away from a deal. For instance, if you do not sell anything, there is no money. When there is no money, the business fails. The sales are what keep a company moving in the right direction some organization learn this concept and some do not. Mr. Li Ka Sing will go down as one of the best billionaire salesmen in the world.