Richard Branson

Sir Richard's Five Secrets of Business Success.

Many people question whether I have found a secret - or at least a consistent answer - to successfully building businesses. After reflecting across 40 years and thinking about what characterises so many of Virgin’s successful ventures, I have come up with five "secrets" to business success.

1 - Enjoy What You Are Doing.
2 - Create Something That Stands Out.
3 - Create Something That Everybody Who Works for You is Really Proud of.
4 - Be a Good Leader.
5 - Be Visible.

Go over to Entrepreneur.com to read my five business tips in full.

Tom Gores

Tom Gores founded Platinum Equity in 1995 with the intent to acquire, transition, and create significant value in non-core or underperforming divisions of Fortune 1000 corporations.

Since the Company’s founding, Platinum Equity has been recognized as one of the largest and fastest growing private companies in America, most recently ranking #27 on Forbes’ Largest Private Companies list for 2009 and #1 on the 2009 Los Angeles Business Journal list of LA's Largest Private Companies.

Through Platinum Equity, Tom Gores owns a portfolio of operating companies in a broad range of business markets including industrial, logistics and distribution, manufacturing, media, real estate, telecommunications, technology, and business services. Gores make his investments through a diversified capital base that includes the assets of Platinum Equity's portfolio companies as well as private equity funds backed by capital commitments from public and private institutional investors.

Tom Gores has driven the rapid growth of Platinum Equity to a multi-billion-dollar revenue base in just over 14 years. Today, Platinum has acquired $27.5 billion in annual revenue, and over 100 companies in a wide variety of industries.

Alimentation Couche-Tard's hunt for Casey's General Stores

How Alimentation Couche-Tard's bid for Casey's General Stores has progressed over the past five months.

— March 9: Alimentation Couche-Tard approaches Casey's with US$36 per share cash offer.

— April 9: Couche-Tard goes public with bid and earns US$10 million profit after selling nearly two million Casey's shares for US$38.43.

— June 8: Casey's board rejects offer for the second time.

— July 22: Couche-Tard increases offer to US$36.75.

— July 28: Casey's board rejects new offer, announces US$500 million recapitalization plan that will ultimately purchase 26 per cent of shares for US$38 per share.

— Sept. 1: Couche-Tard increases offer to US$38.50.

— Sept. 2: 7-Eleven approaches Casey's with preliminary US$40 cash offer.

— Sept. 7: Casey's board rejects Couche-Tard's revised offer and authorizes talks with 7-Eleven.

— Sept. 23: Casey's holds annual general meeting; elects new board.

— Sept. 30: Couche-Tard offer set to expire.

The deal is still in progress and is getting hotter with 7-Eleven jumping in. "Casey's with its strong franchise and thick carpet coverage of Midwest will be someone's prized possession. I see Couche-Tard and 7-Eleven fighting harder, and possibly third parties joining in. I think there are at least two or three other groups that could be a great fit with Casey's, The Pantry Corp. being one of them and their bankers must be sleeping if The Pantry is not in the game yet".said Armen Grigorian of Defoe Partners.