Once you master those three concepts, the rest comes easy.

We eventually decided to transform ourselves into a sales promotion agency, which turned out to be the first one in America. We had started a trend and defined a new category of communications services.

I felt that there should be a special card for high-earning executives who spend a lot. After identifying this target audience to American Express, they went ahead and did it. The card turned out to be a big success.

I thought that the object of a business was to be noncompetitive. I told my father I wanted a change. He said to me I would inherit the company, but I replied that I didn't ask for it.