26 Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs: Michael Dell

Michael Dell Dell Computer

for being brilliantly straightforward

For Michael Dell, it all seems so easy. He just makes good PCs cheaply and sells them like curbside hot dogs, from his hands straight to yours, fast, with whatever fixings you want.

The strategy is so simple and yet so effective. Consistently profitable, Dell Computer took in $47.3 billion last year, at the same time IBM sold off its PC business and Hewlett-Packard’s PC margins slid below 1%. Meanwhile, in 18 months, Dell’s printer line has already reached a third of the market share of HP, the industry leader. “Two years ago there were a lot of stories saying that Dell can’t succeed in the printer business because we don’t have retail stores,” gloats Dell, 40. “Now people say, ‘Wow, you should have done that five years ago.”

His habit of thriving where others fail can also be seen in the huge new plant he’s building in North Carolina. Most competitors are moving overseas. He will create up to 8,000 jobs in return for big tax breaks and lower shipping costs to East Coast customers. Even sharing credit and control seems to be a breeze for Dell, who handed over the CEO title last year. “I was CEO for 20 years, now I’ll be chairman for 20 years,” Dell says. “Then we’ll see.”

David H. Freedman

1. Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Omnimedia

   because she took one for the team

2. Richard Branson, Virgin Group

   because he’s game for anything. In fact, everything.

3. Michael Dell, Dell Computer

   for being brilliantly straightforward

4. Jim Sinegal, Costco

   because who knew a big-box chain could have a generous soul?

5. Diane von Furstenberg, Diane von Furstenberg Studio

   for staging an elegant comeback

6. Julie Azuma, Different Roads to Learning

   for offering hope and help to the parents of autistic children

7. Fritz Maytag, Anchor Brewing

   for setting limits

8. Ray Kurzweil, Kurzweil Technologies and other companies

   because he is Edison’s rightful heir

9. Craig Newmark, Craigslist

   for putting the free in free markets

10. Jack Mitchell, Mitchells/Richards

    because his family business makes an art of customer service

11. Frank Robinson, Robinson Helicopter

    for whipping an entire industry into shape

12. Mark Melton, Melton Franchise Systems

    for giving immigrants their shot at the American Dream

13. Michelle Cardinal & Tim O’Leary, Cmedia and Respond2

    for rewriting the rules for husband-and-wife teams

14. Mike Lazaridis, Research in Motion

    because someone had to stand up for all those frustrated engineers

15. Trip Hawkins, Electronics Arts and Digital Chocolate

    for still scrapping

16. Warren Brown, Cake Love and Love Cafe

    because only in America will someone quit a secure job as a lawyer to start a bakery

17. Muriel Siebert, Muriel Siebert & Co.

    for being a notable first with a worthy second act

18. Chuck Porter, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky

    for verging on reckless

19. Katrina Markoff, Vosges Haut

    for setting a completely unreasonable goal for her business

20. Barry Steinberg & Craig Sumerel, Direct Tire and Auto Service

    for showing the power of the peer group

21. Victoria Parham, Virtual Support Services

    for serving as a mentor to military spouses

22. Tom LaTour, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants

    for staying at fleabag hotels so that we don’t have to

23. Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams, Mitchell Gold

    for creating a true comfort zone

24. Izzy & Coco Tihanyi, Surf Diva

    for kicking sand in the face of conventional wisdom

25. Tony Lee, Ring Masters

    for saving 16 jobs, including his own

26. Rueben Martinez, Libreria Martinez Books and Art Galleries

    for simultaneously building a business and nurturing Latino culture