Danika Dahl

What if I told you there is a billionaire who controls your medical records. She started Epic Systems in a Wisconsin basement in 1979. And now she's the richest woman you've never heard of. 10 matter-of-fact messages from the Midwest billionaire, Judy Faulkner: 1. “If you see a snake, kill it; don’t form a committee on snakes.” 2. “What you put up with is what you stand for.” 3. "One of the things that made Epic strong when I wrote the original code was that it never occurred to me to do anything other than put the patient at the center. I developed a clinical system at a time when the health care world had pretty much only billing and lab systems available." 4. “I have never had any personal desire to live lavishly.  I’m probably among the billionaires who are indifferent to the lifestyle that great wealth can buy.  There is no apartment in New York or Paris.  There is no ranch in Aspen.  There are no private or even corporate jets.” 5. “I was a programmer, I thought it was fun.  I’m not sure in the beginning I felt that I’m here to save lives.  Why do you come to work?  For the paycheck?  For something interesting to do?  For customers?  For the competition?  For the mission?  If I had to circle one reason, it’s for my customers.” 6. “Programming is a mix of language, math and art, and I remain a software developer at heart.  And I have no plans to retire or even slow down.” 7. “[On living in Wisconsin] The first thing you’ve got to like is the people.  It’s the Midwest work ethic, the Midwest nice.  I was just in an area with gated communities.  I do like the Midwest where there is much more a feeling of… we trust each other.” 8. “I think it’s very interesting, the difference between ‘thank you’ and ‘congratulations.’  To me, ‘thank you’ makes it a personal thing, like you did it for me, and I don’t like to take that from a person unless it was something they did for me.  So, I prefer to congratulate them on a job well done if that was something they did themselves.” 9. “Many years ago I asked my young children what two things they needed from their parents.  They said ‘food and money.’  I told them ‘roots and wings.’  My goal in pledging 99% of my assets to philanthropy is to help others with roots – food, warmth, shelter, health care, education – so they too can have wings.” 10. “I took the route of higher education and took a risk starting a business.  My success didn’t happen overnight, but over time with steady improvement.” *** Remember: It's never too late to turn your dream idea into your dream business. *** That's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed these matter-of-fact messages from Judy. If you did: 1. Follow me @arjunmahadevan for more like this (and for more on how to turn your dream idea into your dream US business with @doolaHQ) 2. RT this, if you can, to share these messages with a friend