20 Money Lessons from P.T. Barnum

thesuccessmanual on 08/06/10 city: New-York tags: remarkable book summary  Comment: 0

P.T. Barnum was a great American Showman in the 19th century. Below is a summary from his 1880 book, Golden Rules for Making Money. There are 20 rules in all. Sure, you will have read similar advice before, but remember, this was written before any of the modern self-help books were written. You can read the whole book chapter-wise online. 1. Don't mistake your vacation: Unless a man enters upon the vocation intended for him by nature, and best suited to his peculiar genius, he cannot succeed. 2. Select the right location. 3. Avoid debt. 4. Persevere. 5. Whatever you do, do it with all your might. 6. Depend upon your personal exertions. 7. Use the best tools. 8. Don't get above your business: There is no greater mistake than when a young man believes he will succeed with borrowed money. Without self-denial and economy, patience and perseverance, and commencing with capital, which you have not earned, you are not sure to succeed in accumulating. 9. Learn something useful. 10. Let hope predominate but be not too visionary. 11. Do not scatter your powers. 12. Be systematic. 13. Read the newspapers. 14. Beware of "Outside Operations" (read the chapter online to learn more about this) 15. Don't indorse without security. 16. Advertise your business. 17. Be polite and kind to your customers. 18. Be charitable. 19. Don't blab: Some men have a foolish habit of telling their business secrets.[this is my favorite] 20. Preserve your integrity. [From the 100 Ways To Be Being Remarkable Series, a special project that brings you business and self-development advice from The Success Manual. ] Permalink

Latest Comments

---

Would you like to comment on this item?
Join BigHow for a free account, or login if you are already a member

Locality

City

Country
Any USA United Kingdom United Arab Emirates Canada Australia Pakistan Saudi Arabia Kuwait South Africa Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo (DRC) Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia (Hrvatska) Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Islands Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong SAR Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao SAR Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Antilles Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea Norway Oman Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia Spain Sri Lanka St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent & Grenadines Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands (British) Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Yemen Yugoslavia Zambia Zimbabwe