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<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Fred Mouawad" title_caption="Fred Mouawad, an eight-time CEO and heir to the world-renowned Mouawad diamond jewelry company." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54467c556da811d66232a67e-960/fred-mouawad.jpg"></a>Fred MouawadFred Mouawad, an eight-time CEO and heir to the world-renowned Mouawad diamond jewelry company.</div></div>Earning the title of CEO is a huge accomplishment. Doing it eight times over is almost unheard of.
Almost.
Fred Mouawad, the French-Lebanese serial entrepreneur and heir to the world-renowned <a href="http://www.mouawad.com/">Mouawad diamond</a> jewelry company, has managed to do just that by the age of 45.
Mouawad, who is worth <a href="http://www.wealthx.com/articles/2013/cnbc-the-worlds-richest-diamond-owners/">an estimated $1.1 billion</a>, according to research firm Wealth-X, first became a chief executive just after graduating from Harvard Business School in 1994 when he founded <a href="http://www.synergiaone.com/">Synergia One Group</a>.
He has since founded and become CEO of six more companies - including tech, consulting, food, retail, and media businesses - and also runs the 125-year-old family business, Mouawad Jewelry (the only company of which he's chief executive that he didn't also found). 
Mouawad's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fred-mouawad-launches-taskworld-2013-12">most recent venture</a> is <a href="https://www.taskworld.com/">Taskworld</a>, an online task and project management platform that allows teams to collaborate while tracking individual performance.
"As a serial entrepreneur I have spent a lot of time building businesses from scratch," Mouawad tells Business Insider, "learning all there is to learn about the business, building a team, and slowly moving myself out of a job. As my portfolio is growing, I have the dual responsibility of incubating a new venture while also overseeing the other companies in the portfolio." 
Here are five of the most important things Mouawad says he's learned throughout his career as an eight-time CEO:
1. Know thyself.
Mouawad explains that it's extremely important for leaders to be self-aware, to constantly reflect, and to figure out how to improve their leadership. "We all have blind spots, so it's important to constantly seek and provide feedback in a respectful and safe environment to drive continuous improvements." Once leaders understand themselves, they can figure out what team to surround themselves with to maximize value. 
2. You are only as good as the people around you.
"The best teams usually win," he says. "It's all about having the right people, in the right positions, and with the right motivation to fulfill the organization's mission and goals." 
3. Connect the dots between the internal and external worlds. 
Too often leaders are either too internally or externally focused, Mouawad explains. "The art of balancing the two is critical in order to find the right alignment between the organization and the marketplace."
4. Developing a mental framework is crucial to success.
Mouawad says he has basically approached every business with the same mental framework - and at least some of his success can be attributed to it.
"I first define where the business should be in the future so it is customer-centric and competitive. I then focus on building the right team with the right attitude, skills, and will to succeed; I make sure we have the right capital; and then I focus on building the culture that's required to win at the game we choose to play."
5. Monitor your company's culture, and know it will change. 
Culture is the most difficult and dynamic aspect of building a business, he says. "It morphs all the time based on the people in leadership positions. It has to be constantly monitored, but once you get it right, it becomes a powerful driver of execution."
Want your business advice featured in Instant MBA? Submit your tips to tipoftheday@businessinsider.com. Be sure to include your name, your job title, and a photo of yourself in your email.

Important Business Lessons From A Billionaire And 8-Time CEO 

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image">TaskworldFred Mouawad, founder Taskworld</div></div>Diamond billionaire Fred Mouawad could easily qualify for the title of Most Interesting Man in the World.
And the thing that interests him most these days is a brand new app he created called <a href="https://www.taskworld.com/">TaskWorld</a> that helps enterprises manage employees and projects.
Mouawad was born the eldest son and heir to the world-renown <a href="http://www.mouawad.com/">Mouawad diamond</a> jewelry company, founded in 1890. He grew up "traveling with my father to different places in the world," learning the diamond business, he told Business Insider during a phone interview while en route between Bangkok and the Maldives.
He studied business and gemology in college and assumed he would enter the family business straight from school and stay there.
That plan didn't work out when it became clear his dad wasn't ready to retire. Rather than spending decades in his dad's shadows, Mouawad left the diamond business and launched his own series of companies.
They didn't all succeed as planned, either, but one project always lead to another, he told us.
For instance, during the dotcom bubble, he launched a B2B Internet diamond exchange hoping to get retailers to conduct business online. It died when the Internet bubble burst in 2000. But the magazine, <a href="http://instoremag.com/">Instore</a>, intended to be a marketing vehicle for the B2B exchange, survived and thrived.
Mouawad also launched a bunch of restaurant chains, a commercial bakery, a construction company specializing in retail and a venture fund. All told, he runs eight international companies as part of a conglomerate called <a href="http://www.synergiaone.com/">Synergia One Group</a>.
"The number one advice I have is that it's all about people," he explains. "If you are building a venture, you need the right idea, sure, but you need to put the right people around the table," he says. That way, even if the original idea goes south the people will find a way to succeed.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:300px"><div class="image on-image">Victoria SecretCandice Swanepoel models the Victoria Secret Royal Fantasy Bra worth $10 million</div></div>In 2010, Mouawad's father retired and he and his two brothers took over the family diamond business, too. The Mouawad company is best-known for its watches. But it also garnered attention for creating seven diamond-studded bras for Victoria Secrets, ranging in price from $7 million to $12 million.
The bras grabbed four Guinness World Records as the most expensive pieces of lingerie ever made, Mouawad laughs, even as he admits, "No. We've not sold any of them. We've had people calling us and asking us if they are available in different sizes. And yes. You can get them in different sizes."
All of this is just to say that Mouawad is capable of investing in anything and everything. Yet it's the world of <keyword id="6356323" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Enterprise">enterprise</keyword> apps that has grabbed his attention these days.
Taskworld is a project management, collaboration app that he created himself to help run his conglomorate of companies. He even went into Stanford's Executive MBA program to work on the project. (Stanford's MBA is the Valley's petri dish for tech startups, providing instant connections to everything from engineers to VCs.) Mind you, <a href="th.linkedin.com/in/fredmouawad">Mouawad already has a Harvard MBA. </a>
Taskworld lets managers assign tasks to employees and provide feedback during progress reports. Companies can monitor things like on-time completion rates for people and departments
"I wanted a way to make my divisions accountable and clarify expectations," Mouawad says.
The best part about the app is that it helps bosses figure out what tasks individual employees are good at so "organizations can use use people for their strengths," he says.
But it's entering a crowded market with dozens of competitors: Asana, Salesforce.com's Do, AtTask, Producteev, Trello, Teambox, HiTask, Basecamp, Huddle, and Evernote, just to name a few.
Mouawad says his app is a unique combination of project management and feedback. He's even applied for a patent.
The free version of Taskworld is available now, with premium and enterprise versions to arrive in early 2014.
Here's a screenshot:
<div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Taskworld" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52bdff396bb3f7bd53ce32ec-960/taskworld.png"></a>Taskworld</div></div>

The Billionaire Who Created Victoria Secret's $10 Million Diamond-Studded Bra Just Launched A Cool New Business App

As part of our Q&amp;A series with chief executives around the world, we ask about the top three lessons they would pass on to other business leaders. Here are responses from five Young Presidents’ Organization members in Europe, the Middle East, the United States, Thailand and Africa. 
 
 
 
Fueled by his ambition and desire to take risks, Adarsh Radia left his job as a fund manager to be an entrepreneur. Today, he is founder of <a href="http://www.telenomics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Telenomics</a>, which helps companies find the right technology to grow business. He joined the <keyword id="852310" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="YPO">YPO</keyword> London Chapter in November 2012 at age 34. 
 
1. In business, we spend countless hours focusing on strategy, defining purpose etc. How much time do we each spend on our own individual purpose and strategy? I’ve found huge benefit in taking a step back and thinking about what my own purpose is. This has given me so much more fulfillment in my daily life and has empowered me to make better decisions. 
 
2. Giving is just as rewarding a receiving. Sharing experiences, learnings and time are keys to building strong relationships – and what people might not realize is that they influence that happiness coefficient that we all have. I spend time mentoring – there is immediate fulfillment for me but I’ve had some great learnings achieved through this process about myself. 
 
3. Learning should be constant – in our lives but also in business. The minute we stop learning, we become obsolete – this explains the complacency that leads to business failure in my view. 
 
 
At 22, Christine Sfeir opened the first<a href="http://ddlebanon.com/" target="_blank"> Dunkin’ Donuts</a>franchise in Lebanon, which has grown to more than 30 locations. She is CEO of Meeting Point (Dunkin’ Donuts) and Treats Holding (<a href="http://www.semsom.com/" target="_blank">Semsom</a>, <a href="http://www.ypo.org/2015/08/5-ceos-share-15-insights-for-business-leaders/www.facebook.com/GreenFalafel" target="_blank">Green Falafel</a>). She joined the YPO Lebanon Chapter in August 2011 and was recently named a<a href="http://www.ypo.org/?p=9871" target="_blank" title="12 YPO Members Named WEF Young Global Leaders">World</a><a href="http://www.ypo.org/?p=9871" target="_blank" title="12 YPO Members Named WEF Young Global Leaders"> Economic Forum Young Global Leader</a> for 2014. 
 
1. Surround yourself with people smarter than you! Once I started hiring high-level executives, my professional life changed. 
 
2. Go global! No more boundaries, nothing is too big. Now that we are across the Middle East and soon in the U.S., I am already working on the next step. The advantage of a CEO’s job is that we can always dream bigger and move things further. 
 
3. Enjoy life! I am trying to split my time between work, family, fun and giving back. Not always easy. My assistant sends me the percentage of time spent on every one weekly. Work never ends, but life does! 
 
 
Michael Sanderson is CEO of <a href="http://www.sandersonstewart.com/" target="_blank">Sanderson Stewart</a>, named 2014’s <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/press-release/sanderson-stewart-named-us-chamber-s-small-business-year" target="_blank">Small Business of the Year</a> by the United States Chamber of Commerce. Sanderson joined the YPO Big Sky Chapter in Montana in 2007. 
 
1. It’s OK to be an introvert. Being an introvert doesn’t mean being shy, it speaks to how you think and process information, preferring to process things internally first before speaking up. While extroverted leaders are often held up as examples, I think the traits of the introvert provide for a more thoughtful and evenhanded type of leader. I’m an introvert, needless to say. 
 
2. Sometimes you just have to fire the unhappy people. Some people will just never be happy and will always find the negative side of things no matter how fortunate their circumstances. They are like a noxious weed. Get them out of your organization as soon as you can. 
 
3. Play with your kids. It’s good for them, and it’s even better for you. 
 
 
 
“Be courageous, stay hungry and make wise decisions,” says Fred Mouawad, who joined the YPO Thailand Chapter in 2010. He co-guardian of the 125-year-old Mouawad family jewelry and watch business and chief executive officer of seven companies. With his younger brothers Pascal, a YPO member since 2014, and Alain, they are leading the <a href="http://www.mouawad.com/" target="_blank">Mouawad</a> world-renown brand, introducing innovation and edgy marketing campaigns. 
 
1. Be courageous: Without courage not much can be accomplished in life, no risks are taken, and therefore one cannot lead effectively. 
 
2. Stay hungry: Without hunger, complacency creeps in. Complacency gets people in their comfort zone, and as a result one is not likely to innovate and deploy the required effort to improve the world around them. 
 
3. Make wise decisions: Wise decisions all along one’s life is what eventually leads to value creation and personal happiness. 
 
 
Follow your passion, trust your gut and make plans to achieve your goals. That’s what Catherine Hodgson says can help make your work not feel like just a job. She is joint-CEO of The Hodgson Group and has been a member of the YPO Cape Town Chapter in the <a href="http://www.ypo.org/?page_id=311">Africa </a><a href="http://www.ypo.org/?page_id=311">Region</a>since 2009. 
 
1. In order to succeed and for your work not to feel like a job here is what I believe in: Follow your passion (ask yourself what are you good at and what do you love to do – does it feel natural to me?), trust your gut (in my case my instinct is usually the one to follow – don’t over-analyze everything) and plan to reach your dream (you always should have a dream/goal), otherwise it only remains a wish. 
 
2. Continue to learn. We stay young as long as we keep learning. 
 
3. Take time out for yourself every day. I have learnt the importance of meditation and it has helped to get me through some difficult times at work as well as personally. Somehow you feel more centred, more calm and able to see things more clearly. I also go for walks on the mountain with my dogs – being in nature helps me to see the bigger picture and how insignificant some of those problems actually are. 
 
(The author of this article is Jovie Baclayon, YPO Director of Social Media) 
 
(Cover photo: Thinkstock)

5 CEOs Share 15 Insights for Business Leaders

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35034362831@N01/2757536235/in/photolist-5cF6sc-674Sfu-6zxkPA-6Dofhz-aA5q4z">Flickr/Joi Ito</a>Marc Andreessen</div></div></div>A new business app created by Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield is creating a ton of buzz in Silicon Valley right now.
<a href="https://slack.com/is/everything-in-one-place">It's called Slack</a>.
Like many other business apps, this one is all about collaboration, meaning it lets teams of coworkers chat, send private messages, or share files and pictures.
But it's going viral right now because it also lets them search. They can easily find snippets of conversations and files, and, more importantly, they can use it to search through a bunch of other popular cloud apps that the team might use together like Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Twitter, Asana, and others.
Investor Marc Andreessen tweeted an image that shows Slack going from about 4,000 daily users in January to somewhere in the 15,000-user neighborhood today. The app, which works on phones and browsers, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/14/say-hello-to-slack-the-newest-enterprise-social-network-and-the-latest-effort-from-flickr-co-founder-stewart-butterfields-tiny-speck/">officially launched in August.</a>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="https://twitter.com/pmarca/status/432675881434095617"></a><a href="https://twitter.com/pmarca/status/432675881434095617">Twitter/@pmarca</a></div></div>
Andreessen has good reason to praise Slack. He and his VC firm Andreessen Horowitz helped fund Butterfield's company, Tiny Speck, which has raised $17.2 million in three rounds so far, <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/tiny-speck">according to Crunchbase</a>.
And Tiny Speck's first app failed. It was an online game called Glitch. Butterfield shut down Glitch in 2012 and laid off most of Tiny Speck's 30 employees, TechCrunch's <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/15/as-flickr-co-founder-butterfield-shuts-down-glitch-is-he-planning-a-new-photo-service-you-will-know-it-well-he-says/">Ingrid Lunden reported at the time. </a>
Slack is a reboot for the company.
To be sure, 15,000 users isn't bad considering that the company doesn't even have a Facebook page yet, <a href="https://twitter.com/SlackHQ">just a Twitter account</a>. It really hasn't done much marketing beyond posting the love tweets it gets from users like this one:
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="https://Slack.com/love">Slack</a></div></div>But Slack also faces stiff competition. There are a ton of collaboration apps already out there, each with their own schtick: Yammer, Chatter, Work.com, Basecamp, Tibbr, Tomfoolery, and the list goes on. Even diamond billionaire Fred Mouawad launched a similar app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fred-mouawad-launches-taskworld-2013-12">last year called TaskWorld.</a>
Plus, viral popularity doesn't always translate into commercial success. For instance, 37Signals, which makes a popular chat app called Campfire and a popular project management app, Basecamp, <a href="https://37signals.com/">said last week </a>it was dropping Campfire and its other apps to concentrate on Basecamp, its one real commercial success.

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