The poor are poor, the rich are rich

Chapter 121 2 Ingvar Kamprad: Creating opportunities is faster than waiting for them
Chapter 252 Ingvar Kamprad: Creating opportunities is faster than waiting for them
Regal Profile:

Name: Ingvar Kamprad
Born on March 1926, 3 in Elmhalt in southern Sweden, his father was a farmer.

In 1943, the young Kamprad established his own company with the help of his elders, named IKEA (IKEA).

In 1953, Kamprad decided to give up all other businesses and specialize in the operation of low-priced furniture, and the era of IKEA began.

In 1963, Kamprad opened the first branch outside Sweden in Oslo, Norway, and the business soon expanded to Denmark and Switzerland.

In 1974, IKEA opened up its largest German furniture market in the world, and then entered Canada, the Netherlands and other markets.

In 1985 and 1987, IKEA successfully entered the US and UK markets.

Since 1943, Chairman of IKEA.

As we all know, the name "IKEA" in Sweden is the initials of its founder Ingvar Kamprad (Ingvar Kamprad) and his Elmtaryd farm (Elmtaryd). and the initials of the hometown village of Agunnaryd.No one would have imagined that in less than 60 years, from a small company with a small stationery mail-order business at the beginning, it has grown to 180 chain stores in the world, distributed in 42 countries, and employs more than 7 people. The "corporate aircraft carrier" with more than [-] employees has become the world's largest home furnishing retailer.

The legend behind this miracle is Ingvar Kamprad, who became a billionaire because of it.Ingvar Kamprad's business philosophy and IKEA's distinctive business culture have become favorite topics in European management circles, and they are also the core examples of Harvard Business School's classics.The reason for Ingvar Kamprad's success is that he is good at recognizing opportunities, seizing opportunities and creating opportunities, and realizing his dream of creating wealth by himself.

Ingvar Kamprad, who was born in a merchant family, obviously has a business gene in his bones.Since he was young, he had a strong desire to make money, and he made up his mind to become a businessman in the future.

In the spring of 1943, when Ingvar Kamprad was 17 years old, he overcame all kinds of difficulties, and his uncle filled out the application documents for starting a company, stamped them and mailed them to the county government.This company became the famous "IKEA".

It should be said that Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA at the best time in history. At that time, it coincided with the end of World War II. Sweden, which was in a neutral position during the war, was saved from the baptism of war, but it also faced a lot of waste. Case.At that time, the rural population of Sweden decreased rapidly, but the cities continued to increase and expand, and radiated to the suburbs.Young people desperately need to find somewhere to live and furnish new homes as cheaply as possible.At such a critical moment, Ingvar Kamprad keenly saw the huge potential for the development of the furniture market.

In 1948, Ingvar Kamprad advertised the first furniture item.The ad advertised a nursing chair without arms, as well as a coffee table.He named the chair "Ruth" and since then it has become an IKEA tradition to name every piece of furniture.The response to the advertisement was strong, and a lot of these two pieces of furniture with the nature of asking for advice were sold.So Ingvar Kamprad began to print and distribute a brochure called "IKEA Newsletter" to regular customers, and added new product promotions to it. In 1953, Ingvar Kamprad decided to give up all other businesses and specialize in low-priced furniture, and the era of "IKEA" began.

Ingvar Kamprad not only has the eye to spot opportunities, but also has the wisdom to create opportunities. In the early 20s, Ingvar Kamprad went to Poland to find low-cost furniture manufacturers. His trip to Poland gave birth to IKEA's first overseas production base.In 60, Ingvar Kamprad opened the first branch outside Sweden in Oslo, Norway, and the business soon expanded to Denmark and Switzerland. In 1963, IKEA opened up its largest German furniture market in the world, and then entered Canada, the Netherlands and other markets. In 1974 and 1985, IKEA successfully entered the US and UK markets, and successfully developed the two places into the current largest and second largest markets.

Creating opportunities is faster than waiting for opportunities. In 1956, Ingvar Kamprad created the "flat concept". The goods are all placed on the shelf for customers to pick up. Just assemble it according to the picture.This has become one of the secrets of IKEA's success.

Now IKEA has become the leader in the furniture retail industry.In the face of outstanding performance, Ingvar Kamprad maintained his usual low-key and frugal style. Perhaps in his eyes, wealth is just a change in numbers.

Although he is no longer directly involved in the company's daily operations, anyone who knows him knows that he is a workaholic. One of his favorite sayings is: "As long as we do it, things will be better. Our life is work." , working endlessly."

The most successful people in life are always full of joy and hope.They handle their work with a smile, have a sense of humor, are cheerful, good at seizing opportunities, and are very sensitive to changes in life, whether it is difficult or smooth, they treat it with the same attitude.These people can be regarded as intelligent people, and they will create more opportunities than they think.

(End of this chapter)