Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer and one of the world's top businessmen, explains how to foster and maintain a competitive edge, drawing lessons from his own formidable success. At the age of twelve Michael Dell earned $2,000 selling stamps, and by the age of eighteen he was selling customized PCs from his room. He went on to found one of the most successful computer businesses in the world, redefining the industry.Direct from Dell teaches you how to get on to the front of the pack and stay there. The pioneer shares his ideas on: Why, initially, it's better to have too little capital rather than too much. How studying customers, not competition, will give you a greater competitive edge. Why your people pose a greater threat to your business than the competition How to exploit the competition's weakness by exposing it's greatest strength How integrating vertically can make the difference between survival and collapse. Revealing nothing less than a new model for business in the information age, Direct from Dell is both a success story and a manifesto for revolutionizing any industry.