Carlos slim elu years of life occupation. Carlos Slim Elu - biography

Planets of Bill Gates, founder and ideological inspirer of Microsoft. Carlos Slim became the first Mexican who managed to conquer the pyramidal top of billionaires. This has become a sensation for the world's business, given the fact that over the past sixteen years this has been done by a person without US citizenship.

How to be born a billionaire?

On January 28, 1940, the future Mexican businessman and philanthropist Carlos Slim Helu was born in the family of a Mexican realtor of Arab origin Julian Slim Haddad. This was the fifth child of Julian Slim Haddad and Linda Ellu Atta. The business acumen of his father Carlos, who moved from Lebanon to Mexico at the age of fourteen, quickly allowed the boy to adapt to the world of business. By the age of 30, the father of the future billionaire had several outlets in the business part of the capital of the Latin American state. Julian Slim passed on his managerial skills to his children, of whom he had six.

First investment lessons

The success story of Carlos Slim begins at the age of seventeen. At that time, a young man, having the flair of a stock investor, makes his first million. Carlos Slim recalls his first lessons in profitable investing as follows: “My father forced each of us, his children, to keep a special notebook of income and expenses. Coming from school, we wrote down all our expenses for the day in it. Father carefully reviewed the records and gave an assessment to each of us. These evening gatherings with the whole family at dinner became a real life lesson for me and my relatives. In modern terms, it was a master class.”

The recommendations of the enterprising father were heard by Carlos. A young man gets his first investment experience at the age of twelve. With pocket money saved, which his father gave him every day, at the age of twelve, Carlos Slim buys shares in Banco Nacional de Mexico, the second largest bank in Mexico after BBVA Bancomer.

Carlos Slim: biography of the future billionaire

Slim continues to invest in a profitable business, while still studying at the National Autonomous University of Mexico at the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The outstanding abilities of the student were appreciated by the university management. In his last year, Carlos Slim (photo can be seen in the article) was recommended by the university administration to teach linear programming and algebra to junior university students.

However, having received a diploma of higher education from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1961, Carlos Slim did not work in the engineering specialty received at the university, he was attracted by investments.

The birth of a financial empire

Carlos Slim starts his career as a stockbroker. Working 14 hours a day, in 1965 he manages to make a profit from private investments of 400 thousand dollars. This inspires Carlos to bigger projects. This is how the brokerage company "Inversora Bursátil" appears, which becomes the foundation for creating a large family business.

In 1966, the future billionaire in the first letters of the name of Slim Ellu and his wife Sumai Domit Gemayel organizes the real estate agency Inmobiliaria Carso. A successful commercial project quickly brings the necessary profit and becomes the financial basis for creating the future Grupo Carso empire. In the late 60s, the financial condition of Carlos Slim reaches a little over 50 million dollars.

Carlos Slim: biography of the 70s

The financial well-being of Carlos Slim, thanks to competent investment, is growing every year. By 1972, he acquires seven more enterprises, mainly these were production facilities for the manufacture of construction equipment. In 1976, Slim becomes the owner of a 60 percent stake in Galas de Mexico, a small printing house that produces cigar boxes.

The investment in the project is one million dollars. Within four years, the entire production of the company Galas de Mexico belonged to him. The focus of Carlos Slim's growing business in the following years was:

• production of non-ferrous metals;
• airlines;
• industrial and civil construction;
• chemical and pulp and paper industry;
• insurance investment.

Growth of financial power

In 1982, the Mexican economy experienced a financial crisis. Banking activity suffered a collapse, some went bankrupt, others were looking for sources of financing. A foreign investor turned away from the Latin American state, many commercial projects had to be closed, companies suffered multimillion-dollar losses.

However, Carlos' keen investment eye kept a close eye on companies that could turn a profit later on. Buying assets at low prices, Slim ended up with a fairly solid income thanks to successful reinvestment.

In 1985, at the peak of Mexico's economic downturn, he bought Empresas, the only state-owned monopoly mining and chemical company producing gold, silver, copper and other non-ferrous metals, for $50 million.

The owner of telecommunications

In the early 90s, Carlos Slim significantly increases his capital. Mexico privatizes its telecommunications industry and Grupo Carso acquires Telmex from the Mexican government. Then there was a major deal with the acquisition of a controlling stake from the Porcelanite company. Gradually, Grupo Carso is gaining momentum, and already from a company known only in Latin America, it develops into a global brand. The further chronology of events is also impressive:

Ahead - America!

In 1999, Carlos Slim's gaze turns to the United States of America. Expanding his business interests outside of Latin America, the billionaire is targeting foreign investment from his northern neighbor. Soon Carlos Slim achieves some success and becomes a prominent figure in the American business scene.

In 2002, the famous Forbes magazine included him in the list of billionaires, estimating the total fortune of Carlos Slim at $11 billion. Since 2003, he has managed to buy large stakes in a number of large US retailers. In 2006, behind only Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, Carlos Slim comes in third place with a net worth of $30 billion.

A year later, Carlos becomes the richest man on earth. Today, his fortune is estimated at 81.5 billion dollars, which allows him to hold the world championship among the world's moneybags.

Personal life

The billionaire has been happily married for 32 years. His only love was Sumai Domit Gemayel, a Lebanese-born girl and cousin of the former President of Lebanon. My wife has been involved in charity all her life. The main idea of ​​her life was the creation of a legal basis for organ donation, a project funded by Carlos Slim. The family meant a lot to the Mexican magnate.

He believed that a successful marriage makes a person strong and independent, just like money. Unfortunately, everything has its end. In 1999, his wife passed away, in the same year, Carlos Slim underwent a complex heart operation to bypass coronary vessels. The main thing that Sumai Domit Gemayel and Carlos Slim managed to do in this life are children: Carlos, Marco Antonio, Patrick, Sumaya, Vanessa and Johanna.

Slim's fortune spawned a business empire in the family. Today, company shares are acquired not only on behalf of Carlos Slim, but also from his children. His three eldest sons hold key positions in the companies of the Carso group.

There are no computers in Carlos Slim's office. He keeps all his financial data on paper. The business empire of the Mexican tycoon has grown to such an extent that Carlos himself jokingly says that he does not know what he now owns.

Real estate

Where does Carlos Slim live and what does he own? The house of the Mexican billionaire is located in Lomas de Chapultepec, one of the most prestigious areas of modern Mexico City. A modest dwelling, built forty years ago, is located near the place where Carlos spent his childhood and youth.

In addition, in different years he acquired:

• the former New York Times building on West 43rd Street;
• 11-story building on First Avenue in New York;
• 10-story building on the corner of Wilshere and Santa Monica Boulevard;
• two mansions in Detroit;
• mansion on 5th Avenue in New York, with a total area of ​​20 thousand square meters.

The main property of Carlos is located in the United States of America. In May 2014, K. Slim presented to the world community his own Inbursa aquarium, the largest in Latin America.

Charity

Slim has always been ironic about philanthropy, criticizing Warren Buffett and Bill Gates for their annual 5% donations to various charities.

He said: "I am not God and not Santa Claus, to help the poor, to solve their problems." Everything changed in 1999, when his beloved wife died, and Carlos himself found himself on the border between life and death. After a successful coronary bypass operation, Carlos Slim said: "Finally, I realized that after death I will not be able to take my billions with me."

Today, the Carlos Slim Foundation has $4 billion in its account. The Slim Foundation donated $100 million to the nationwide Laptop for a Kid program. The charitable idea is to provide every student in Mexico with a personal computer. Carlos also responded to the idea of ​​US President Bill Clinton to fight poverty in Latin America.

Merit recognition

The long entrepreneurial activity of Carlos Slim did not go unnoticed:

• 1985 Entrepreneurial Medal of Honor from the Mexican Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• 1991 "Gold Patron" from the American Academy of Achievement.
• 1998 Order of Leopold II from the Belgian government.
• 2003-2004 Badge "Best General Manager" from the Latin trade magazine.
• 2008 National Order of the Cedar from the Lebanese government.
• 2011. The Spanish Society of America honors Carlos Slim with the Soroll Medal for his contributions to the arts and culture.
• year 2012. "Honorary Doctor" from the George Washington University (USA).

Tips from a tycoon

The whole world knows the Mexican billionaire as the author of unique aphorisms and sayings. Carlos Slim quotes:

1. Luck in personal life makes a person stronger.
2. Many people change the world for the better for their children, and I, on the contrary, change my children for the better so that they change the world.
3. Wealth is a blooming garden where it is necessary to share not trees, but its fruits.
4. Try not to make small mistakes anymore.
5. If you depend on the opinions of competitors, then you are dead.
6. To foresee the future, you need to know the past.

It is difficult to disagree with these aphorisms, especially knowing who said them.

The site reviewer studied the biography of Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Slim Elu, who built the country's largest conglomerate Grupo Carso and from 2010 to 2013 remained at the top of the Forbes world ranking. The entrepreneur is criticized for establishing a monopoly and using connections in the government of the country.

The biography of the richest man in Mexico, Carlos Slim Elu, at first glance looks like a typical success story. The son of a Lebanese immigrant, he started early in the family business and later invested in various companies. Gradually, Carlos built his own empire and raised a fortune of $ 50 billion.

Along with fame, the entrepreneur received accusations of monopoly and the use of state structures to strengthen his position. Some analysts call Mexico "Slimland": while in the country, it is impossible not to encounter the products or services of Carlos Slim's companies.

Carlos Slim Elu

The Early Years of Carlos Slim Elu

The father of entrepreneur Julian Slim Haddad was born into a poor Lebanese family. At the age of 14, he left the country to avoid serving in the Turkish army. Four of his brothers were already living in Mexico. In 1911, Julian, together with his brother José, created the haberdashery store La Estrella de Oriente. The initial capital amounted to about 25 thousand pesos, the co-founders invested in it equally.

Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President of Mexico 1988-1994

Slim invested $440 million in the deal and received 20% of Telmex. A year later, it turned out that the real value of the company was $ 12 billion. In addition, the other two shareholders were foreign organizations, and Telmex was effectively in the hands of Slim.

It is said that Slim, until the mid-1990s, eschewed and was even afraid of computers. To help their father, the sons gave him a laptop, and Carlos was forced to figure out the gadget. The Internet made such an impression on the entrepreneur that he decided to delve into this area, and this is reflected in some of the undertakings of Carso Global Telecom.

This story is often repeated by Slim's biographers, but he himself tells little about his life, so it can only be a legend.

Slim was extremely interested in cellular operators. From regional players, he moved on to bigger acquisitions, and in 2000 pulled off a series of deals that included one of AT&T's local affiliates. At the same time, the mobile division of the America Movil conglomerate was spun off - now it is the world's fourth largest mobile operator in terms of the number of subscribers. Now under the control of America Movil are almost all telecommunications companies in Slim.

To create this direction, Slim attracted his old partners France Telecom and SBC Communications. They were joined by several more companies from the United States and a large Internet provider Network Access Solutions, in which Telmex invested jointly with SBC.

In the future, Slim developed the Internet direction together with Microsoft. Together they launched the Latin American version of the MSN portal - T1msn. Thanks to him, computer sales rose in Mexico, which was in the hands of Slim, who owned electronics stores.

In the early 2000s, Slim's activities were not limited to telecommunications. In 2000, he acquired CompUSA, an American computer retailer. In addition, the shares of several large chains in the USA were bought. Someone then joked that Slim bought everything that could be bought in Mexico and switched to a nearby country.

Slim led the integration not only in the US, but also in Latin America. He has acquired large stakes in mobile operators in Brazil, Guatemala, Ecuador and other countries. In 2004, Slim invested in Volaris, a low cost Mexican airline. It has become the second largest in the country and now controls about 23% of domestic traffic.

In the 2000s, the entrepreneur was gradually removed from the direct management of the holding. There is evidence that this began as early as 1997, when Slim underwent heart surgery. However, long before that, he had involved his sons in the business, intending to make Grupo Carso a common cause for many generations of his family. Until recently, Slim noted that he dreams of creating an entrepreneurial clan like the Rockefellers and other American dynasties.

The businessman has three sons - Carlos, Marco Antonio and Patrick. The entrepreneur brought them up following the example of his father, combining theoretical studies in economics with practice in a family company. The sons of Carlos were educated in Mexico to better understand the peculiarities of their native country and local business, and even their trips abroad were connected only with the needs of the family business.

The chairmanship of Grupo Carso is now held by Carlos Slim Domit, the eldest son of Carlos Slim Elu, who is considered the most capable and charismatic heir. The Carlos brothers are almost not far behind him: Patrick Slim made America Movil the most profitable direction of the conglomerate. Previously, he headed Sanborns and held other senior positions in the holding, some of which he retains to this day.

Marco Antonio successfully headed the financial direction of the conglomerate for 15 years, and then took up the position of an independent director in the BlackRock fund. In addition, he is on the board of some of the companies within Grupo Carso.

Carlos Slim Domit

The only wife of Carlos Slim died in 1999, which was a heavy blow for him. Since then, the entrepreneur has not advertised his personal life, but he is credited with relationships with several women, including the Jordanian Princess Noor.

Entrepreneur Personality

Carlos Slim Elu works almost around the clock and is able to call a meeting at four in the morning. Executives working in Carso had to get used to this feature of their boss.

The main office of the company for many years was located in a concrete two-story building without windows, but the entrepreneur does not seem to save money on his own houses. For example, in 2010, he bought the Duke-Semans mansion in New York for $44 million. The head office of Grupo Carso also moved over time to a more modern and luxurious building. There is an opinion that the unpretentious approach to the office was more of a fashion move.

Duke Semans

Slim sculptures by Rodin, paintings by Van Gogh and Picasso, as well as various ancient artifacts. True, there is an opinion that Slim is not interested in art and acquired all this for his wife.

In 1994, the entrepreneur opened the Zumaya Museum in Mexico City, naming it after his wife. More than 66 thousand works of art with a total value of $ 700 million are exhibited here. Entrance to the museum is free.

Soumaya Museum

Carlos has been into baseball all his life. There is information that he writes articles about his favorite sport, but they are more like statistical calculations: according to Slim, baseball is dominated by numbers. With the participation of an entrepreneur, a youth baseball league Telmex League appeared in Mexico. He also owns the Real Oviedo football club. This team plays in the second Spanish league, the transfer to the possession of Carlos Slim saved it from bankruptcy.

In everyday life, a billionaire is unpretentious: you can find information that he buys in his own stores, and puts on an old cheap watch with a calculator for meetings. Even Slim's favorite cigars are lit by a cheap plastic lighter. The basis of his life and the corporate culture of the Grupo Carso holding is frugality. This is reflected in a special code that Carlos wrote for his employees.

Of particular interest to researchers is Slim's political position and how he uses the Mexican government in the interests of his business. Analysts say this is a common approach for entrepreneurs in third world countries, where it is impossible to get a big contract or acquire a big company without power backing.

The only ruling force in Mexico for about 70 years was the Institutional Revolutionary Party. For most of his career, Slim supported the party with money and, accordingly, used its help. This did not prevent the entrepreneur from remaining on good terms with opposition politicians.

For example, Slim was friends with the mayor of Mexico City, Andreas Obrador, who started his career with the Institutional Revolutionary Party, but then changed his political views. According to rumors, the entrepreneur received several construction contracts in Mexico City thanks to Obrador.

They say that Carlos Slim himself is a man with no political views at all. Political commentator Marcos Chapas notes that the entrepreneur does not need friends or advisers: “He only needs employees. And he employs them in every way available to him, including in the highest circles. At the same time, some of them do not even realize that they are hired.

For an entrepreneur, only his family and his empire are important, and they are closely related. Carlos was brought up to be responsible for his decisions to his family, and he taught his sons the same. The basis of the Slims' well-being - Grupo Carso - is the main value for them.

Opposition figures in Mexico criticize the actions of Carlos Slim and believe that he harms the country's economy rather than benefits it. The businessman himself claims that he believes in Mexico and dreams of seeing it great.

For most of his life, Carlos Slim did not donate to charity and noted that he did not believe in its effectiveness, but in 1986 he nevertheless created the Fundación Carlos Slim. The Foundation finances projects in the field of education, medicine, justice, social and personal development in Mexico.

In addition, Slim has invested in the restoration of the historic part of Mexico City and took part in the Latin American Development Fund, which works on the health care and education of workers.

Although Slim has stepped down from the leadership of Grupo Carso, he remains honorary president for life of the holding, coordinating the work of various areas and occasionally chairing some of his companies.

In 2008, the businessman acquired 6.8% of The New York Times publishing house (in January 2015 he already owned 17% of the shares), which was going through difficult times, as well as Citibank shares. In 2011, he became the owner of 3.2% of the Spanish media holding Prisa.

In 2012, Carlos managed to acquire 8.4% of one of the largest Argentine oil companies, YPF. The deal was considered risky: the company was going through hard times and was nationalized by the Argentine government. The energy industry in Argentina was also in crisis, so Slim's investment was considered a sign of confidence in the country's economy.

In 2014, Slim pulled off another big deal. This time it was about the confrontation between his holding company and AT&T. Competition between conglomerates in Latin America is gaining momentum, although they were allies in the past.

In 2014, AT&T, due to the DirectTV purchase, decided to remove its people from the board of directors of America Movil and get rid of its 8.3% stake in order to avoid conflicts with regulators. Anyone could become a buyer by paying a large sum. Carlos Slim bought AT&T for $5.9 billion.

In 2015, the gold rate fell to a six-year low, which caused difficulties for Grupo Carso: one of the holding's largest assets is the Minera Frisco mining company, which is also engaged in gold mining. The share price of Minera Frisco fell by 53%, and Bloomberg included Carlos among the entrepreneurs most affected by the market crash. In early 2016, Slim said he hoped for a 20% increase in gold production and a 5% increase in copper production.

In 2015, the holding also faced another problem: Mexico tightened its legislation in the field of communications, and the shares of the monopoly America Movil fell by 18%. Moreover, due to the efforts of the government in this area, competition in the domestic market has intensified. The situation was exacerbated by the Brazilian crisis and the weakening of the Mexican peso.

All this led to the fact that Carlos Slim lost $ 27.1 billion in a year, which did not prevent him from taking fourth place in the Forbes ranking of the richest people with a fortune of $ 50 billion. However, it will be difficult for an entrepreneur to repeat the achievements of 2010-2013, when he was the richest man of the planet.

Carlos Slim Helu is a Mexican billionaire who tops the Forbes list. His fortune, according to 2013, is $ 73 billion. At the same time, his name appears in the press much less frequently than the names of the second and third billionaires in the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. But the other day he made a statement that forced the media of many countries to write about him. Carlos Slim Elu expressed the opinion that people should work only three days a week, devoting 10-11 hours a day to work. Four weekends people should spend with their families, take care of their health and education. At the same time, 74-year-old Carlos Slim is sure that now people are retiring too early. We must allow them to work fully until the age of 70, and those who feel the strength in themselves - even longer. Three days - to work, four - to rest and do other things. Who is this person who offers such an attractive layout of life?

Carlos Slim Elu was born on January 28, 1940 in Mexico City. He was the fifth child of a Lebanese refugee and the daughter of a successful Lebanese merchant. His father, Julian Slim, came to Mexico in 1902 to escape mandatory conscription into the Ottoman army.

Julian Slim quickly got used to the new place. At the beginning of his career, he traded real estate, and later he became the owner of several mansions and a supermarket in downtown Mexico City. All six of Julian's children helped their father from an early age, for which they received quite impressive "pocket money" by children's standards. The father watched how the children spend their savings, simultaneously teaching them the basics of money management. Each of the children had a notebook in which they wrote down their income and expenses, and the father not only controlled the movement of money, but also gave advice on how to increase capital.

Of all the children, Carlos was the smartest, most talented and diligent. In addition, the boy had the ability to do mathematics, which helped him to start investing. Carlos made his first "adult" investments at the age of 12, acquiring shares in a Mexican bank. And the first million Carlos Slim Elu earned when the young man was only 17 years old.

Success in business did not blind either Carlos or his father. The young man entered the National University of Mexico, where he studied construction, while continuing to play on the stock exchange. In senior years, Carlos earned in another, rather unusual way - he taught algebra and programming to students of other courses.

At the age of 25, Carlos left the walls of the university with a degree in civil engineering, but he never began to work in his specialty. By that time, young Slim was already the owner of quite significant capital, part of which he invested in the purchase of hotels, the insurance business and trade. In the latest industry, Slim had an idea. It consisted in the fact that in his stores the prices of goods were affordable for ordinary Mexicans.

In 1982, Mexico suffered a major economic crisis due to the country's inability to pay off its foreign debt. Taking advantage of this, the wealthy Slim bought up a lot of assets on the cheap. Many promising companies that found themselves in a hopeless situation became the property of Slim. Then Slim founded his first investment holding Carso Group. The name of the holding is formed from the first syllables of the names of Carlos and his wife Soumai.

In the crisis of the 80s, Carlos Slim turns his attention to the mining industry. As a result, he becomes the owner of Frisco Corporation - the leader of the national mining and chemical industries.

Slim's influence on the Mexican economy becomes such that every Mexican is exposed to his companies or products. At this time, Slim begins to climb to the heights of the political Olympus. True, Slim does not go directly into politics, preferring to establish and maintain good relations with the authorities. Close relations and even friendship with the President of Mexico in 1988-94, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, played into the hands of Slim in the privatization of the then monopolist in the communications market - the state telecommunications company Telmex (Telefonos de Mexico).

This acquisition subsequently became the cause of a major scandal. The fact is that, having acquired a stake, Slim, under the terms of the contract, had to share part of the proceeds with Gotari and the ruling party of the country. The details of the deal were known only to the two of them, the investigation did not particularly find out anything, and after Gotari resigned, the story came to naught.

Despite the blow to his reputation, Carlos Slim continued to explore the promising telecommunications market. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Slim becomes the owner of a 30 percent stake in America Movil, a Latin American consortium of cellular operators. In 2008 in The New York Times and Citibank. In 2011, he invested in the largest Spanish media company Prisa. According to experts, Carlos Slim often made investments at times when companies were experiencing difficulties and were even on the verge of a crisis. Slim, thanks to his organizational skills, managed to establish a business so that he again began to work and make a profit. With many "restored" assets, Slim parted. Naturally with a profit. C some - did not part even despite the tempting offers. So in 2002, he bought the liabilities of the bankrupt WorldCom at a bargain price and became the largest shareholder of MCI formed in its place. Verizon was ready to buy MCI shares from him for the sake of the merger, Slim would have received $ 600 million in net profit. But he opposed the deal. As a result, Verizon had to pay him $1.12 billion. Slim's profit was about $1 billion.

In 2002, the Mexican first entered the Forbes rich list. By 2006, he is in the top three, second only to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. In 2007 - on the second line of the Forbes list, and according to others, Gates himself. Forbes named Carlos Slim the richest man in the world in 2010. Since then, he has managed to keep the lead.

Interesting facts about Carlos Slim Elu

• Loves art. The world's largest owner of sculptures by Auguste Rodin. In honor of his wife, who died in 1999, he founded the Museo Soumaya Museum in Mexico City, which exhibits sculptures from his collection.
• Once a year, the whole huge Slim family, including little grandchildren and sons - business tycoons, gathers on vacation on the west coast of Mexico. Family values ​​and responsibility are always in the first place for Slims.
• Slim's mansion has a humidor - a room with strictly controlled temperature and humidity, necessary for storing cigars. According to the stories of connoisseurs, sometimes, it was there, smoking a cigar, that Slim made the most important decisions that brought him to the top of the list of rich people.
• Carlos Slim himself taught mathematics to his six children, at the same time instilling in them the basics of business. Three sons followed in the footsteps of their father, the eldest of them - Carlos Slim Domit - is the chairman of the board of directors of the Carso Group.
• The richest man in Mexico rarely uses the services of bodyguards.
• He is famous for his frugality and does not like luxury. Even at meetings at the highest level, he wears a simple digital watch with a built-in calculator.
• He founded the Carlos Slim Institute of Health, a foundation dedicated to fighting cancer and diabetes.
• millions and billions into the economy and education of Mexico.
• Carlos Slim Elu is one of the main investors in Nicolás Negroponte's "Laptop for Every Child" program.

10 rules of life from Carlos Slim Elu

• When I decide to do something, I do it quickly.
• When, during the crisis, everyone got rid of assets, I, on the contrary, bought.
• I spend most of my time learning new technologies. I need to know what's going on in the world and how to make money from it.
• Poverty is the best environment for growth. Getting my country out of poverty is the biggest investment of my life.
• Wealth is a garden in which fruits are to be shared, not trees.
• Avoid excesses even in the easiest times of your life, for this will provide you with stability in times of greatest difficulty.
• Compromise and responsibility are the main components of a successful business.
• My goal is not money. I strive to create successful companies with a close-knit team.
• I don't care about my reputation. If you live on other people's thoughts, you are dead. I don't want to live the rest of my life worrying about what posterity will say about me.
• Many people want to change the world for the better for their children. I want to change my children so that they serve the world.

The story of Carlos Slim Elu, the richest man in the world is interesting primarily because he achieved the height of his position through his work, perseverance, knowledge, faith and desire for victory.

His example is instructive, first of all, in how important a role in his life was played by the love of work and instilled by his parents.

What is the secret to the success of the richest man in the world? What needs to be done to achieve such heights? What skills and qualities do you need to develop in yourself in order to climb the podium of wealth and fame?

Let's try to figure it out together...

Carlos Slim Elu born January 28, 1940 in Mexico City. In his family of Christian immigrants from Lebanon, Carlos was the fourth of five children.

Carlos' father arrived in Mexico from Lebanon at the age of 14. He spoke absolutely no Spanish and was completely alone, but he was full of enthusiasm and energy, as well as many ideas that he wanted to bring to life.

After 9 years, in 1911, Don Julian Slim, the father of the future richest man in the world, together with his older brother founded the company La Estrella de Oriente, which means “Star of the East”, which was engaged in the sale of groceries.

It must be admitted that Carlos Slim Elu's father was a very talented and successful businessman. In just 10 years of the existence of his business, he not only made it very profitable, but also was able to purchase 11 units of commercial real estate in the very center of Mexico City, the most active and significant part of the city, with the money he earned.

What helped the Slim family to become the richest?

Don Julian Slim became a well-known businessman and the father of an exemplary family, in which he was able to instill a love of work, respect and moral values. Subsequently, the father of Carlos Slim Elu took the post of president of the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is remembered primarily for his great contribution to the development of the Mexican economy, for which, later, he received the citizenship of this country.

Don Julian Slim was able to instill in all his children the importance of family relationships as one of the main priorities in life. I, as the author of this blog, was very pleased to learn about this, because I myself promote family relationships as the basis for increasing wealth.

It is the family that motivates you to achieve your goals. When you know that the life of people close to you depends on you, then there is simply no time to be lazy and no time to blame someone for your failures. You just go and do it.

I am deeply convinced that any person can reach unprecedented heights in life if he has a strong family, for the sake of which he will be ready for any heroic accomplishments.

First investment in… 12(!) years

Future the richest man on earth learned his first wealth-building lessons at an early age. The father distributed a notebook to each child and taught them to. Then they looked through the records together and analyzed the state of each.

Thanks to this simple rule, the children of Don Julian Slim learned and achieved wealth.

What conclusion can be drawn from this? To become rich, you need to develop your business.

The key point is to consider the 80s past centuries. By that time, he was already a well-known entrepreneur in various fields. During the period from 1966 to 1980, he founded several more companies, and also acquired several large enterprises.

In 1982, Mexico plunged into a financial crisis due to the inability to pay its debts, which is why they began to rush to leave this country and withdraw their funds.

Thanks to this, I now work for myself and create such living conditions that I could only dream of before.

The secret weapon of the richest man in the world

In the early 1990s, Slim pulled off a major deal in which he acquired the country's largest monopolist, the telecommunications company Telmex (Telefonos de Mexico).

This event may not make much impression on some of the readers, but if you learn about the financial details of the transaction, then you will surely ask yourself the question “How did he manage to do this?”

The fact is that Carlos Slim managed to buy this company for 400 million dollars, while it was estimated at more than 12 billion.

This deal caused a wide public outcry, which prompted mass proceedings with the highest officials of the state, up to the president of the country. These trials ended in nothing.

And here it is worth mentioning about the ability of the richest man in the world to make and maintain useful contacts. In particular, he kept in touch and was a sponsor of the PRI political party, which was led by the now former President of Mexico, Carlos Salinas.

It was this cooperation that allowed Carlos Slim El to provide the best conditions for his business for many years to come.

Carlos Slim Elu takes over the world

At the same time, the future richest man in the world understands that he is becoming closely involved in doing business within Mexico alone and decides to enter the international market.

Grupo Carso becomes a public company through an initial public offering (IPO). That is, anyone who wishes has the opportunity to buy a part of the company, becoming its shareholder.

In the 2000s, Carlos Slim Elu's corporation expands its influence in the telecommunications sector. The main assets of the corporation are shares in the Latin American consortium of mobile operators America Movil, as well as in the financial company Inbursa.

From 2000 to 2007 Señor Elu continues to buy telecommunications companies throughout Latin America. He buys assets in Brazil, Peru, Honduras, Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador.

In 2008, Slim acquires small holdings in Citibank and The New York Times. It was reported that the businessman invested in distressed or undervalued assets, established business there and then resold them.

Who is cooler than Carlos Slim Elu, Bill Gates or Warren Buffett?

In 2002, Slim Elu was listed as a billionaire by Forbes magazine. His fortune was estimated at 11 billion euros. Already in 2006, he takes third place with a fortune of $ 30 billion, second only to and.

In 2007, Fortune magazine reported that Carlos Slim Helu is the richest man in the world. However, Forbes did not share this point: in their opinion, in 2008, Carlos, with a fortune of sixty billion dollars, took second place, losing, and in 2009 he dropped to third place, due to the fact that the Mexican businessman, due to the global financial crisis lost more than twenty billion dollars.

In early 2010, after the improvement of Slim Elu's companies, according to Forbes magazine, Carlos Slim Elu becomes the richest man in the world, his fortune is estimated at 53.5 billion dollars. He is followed by 53 billion. In 2011, Slim Elu retains the lead, and his fortune is estimated at $74 billion.

The three most famous sayings of the richest man in the world

Family is the most precious thing

Slim Elu is a widower, his wife died in 1999, leaving Elu with six children. The oldest, Carlos Slim Domit, currently chairs the board of directors of the Carso Group. Other sons, Marco Antonio and Patrick, also take part in their father's business.

Carlos Slim Elu invested a lot in his family and most importantly - not money. He managed to instill in all members the value of family relationships, respect and love for each other.

Carlos, like many of the richest people in the world, does not skimp on charity, which can become a powerful incentive for the development of Latin America in the near future.

The richest person in the world spends huge amounts of money on education and social assistance, which once again confirms that all successful people have much more global goals than satisfying their ambitions and desires.

It is necessary to set a goal for yourself that will help improve the world and leave a mark on it, which other people will later remember with gratitude.

Carlos Slim Helu was born on January 28, 1940 in Mexico City to Christian immigrants from Lebanon, he was the fourth of five children of Julian Slim Haddad and Dona Linda Helu. Carlos' father was the owner of La Estrella de Oriente, a grocery company. From childhood, he began to teach his sons and daughters how to do business. Already at the age of 12, Slim Elu bought shares in Banco Nacional de Mexico.

Elu graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1961 with a degree in engineering. In 1966, he founded the real estate agency Inmobiliaria Carso, the company's name was chosen from the first letters of the names of Slim Elu and his wife Soumaya Domit Gemayel. Thanks to this agency, he accumulated start-up capital. In the wake of the financial crisis in the country, Slim Elu managed to acquire the Cigitam tobacco company in 1982, which allowed him to invest in other companies. By the early 1990s, the Carso Group included enterprises in the chemical, mining and metallurgical industries, as well as trading, banking and hotel business.

In 1990, the Carso Group, together with France Telecom and Southwestern Bell Corporation, bought the largest telecommunications operator Telmex from the Mexican government, Slim Elu's company received a 20 percent stake. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Slim Elu donated money to Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party and was a friend of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

In 1990-2010, the Slim Elu corporation expanded its influence in the telecommunications sector, its main assets were shares in the Latin American consortium of cellular operators America Movil (he owned 30 percent of the shares), as well as the financial company Inbursa. In 2008, the businessman acquired small assets in The New York Times and Citibank. In 2011, Slim Elu acquired small stakes in the Spanish bank CaixaBank and in Spain's largest media company Prisa (Promotora de Informaciones SA). Slim Elu was reported to have invested in undervalued or distressed assets, set them up and then resold them.

In 2002, Forbes magazine included Slim Ela in the list of billionaires, estimating his fortune at 11 billion euros. In 2006, he was already in third place with $30 billion, behind only Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. In August 2007, Fortune magazine reported that Slim Elu became the richest man in the world, but Forbes did not share this point: according to their version, in 2008, Slim, with $ 60 billion, ranked second after Buffett, and in 2009 moved him to third place, noting that the Mexican businessman lost over $20 billion due to the global financial crisis. In March 2010, after the situation of Slim Elu's companies improved, Forbes named him the richest man in the world, estimating the businessman's fortune at $53.5 billion. Second place went to Bill Gates with 53 billion. In 2011, Slim Elu retained his leadership, and his fortune was then estimated at $ 74 billion. In the list of billionaires for 2012, Slim Elu again held the first position, but his fortune, according to Forbes, decreased by five billion dollars compared to 2011.

Slim Elu is President Emeritus for Life of the Carso Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Telmex (which became a subsidiary of America Movil by 2011). In 2010-2011, he also served on the Board of Directors of CaixaBank. Slim Elu has retired from almost all management positions in the corporations he owns and in 2011 served as chairman of the board of directors of Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en America Latina, S.A. (IDEAL), which invests in infrastructure and education. He also headed a number of charitable foundations: Fundacion Telmex, Fundacion Carlos Slim Helu and Consejo Consultivo de Restauracion del Centro Historico, which was engaged in the reconstruction of the historic center of Mexico City.

Slim Elu was repeatedly criticized for becoming a multi-billionaire in a country where about half of the population lived in poverty. The businessman himself rejected these claims, stating that "wealth is a garden in which you need to share fruits, not trees." He gave less money to conventional philanthropy, which, in particular, Gates did, but invested in the construction of schools, transportation facilities and job creation. Slim Elu also created his own fund-institute Carlos Slim Institute of Health, which participated in programs to combat cancer and diabetes. In honor of his wife, he founded the Sumai Museum in Mexico City with an exhibition of sculptures.

Slim Elu was awarded the Lebanese Order of the Cedar and the Golden Order of Merit, the Belgian Leopold II Commander's Medal, and various industrial awards. In 2009, Time magazine named Slim Ela one of the 100 most influential people in the world.