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From Busker To Billionaire: How Guy Laliberté Achieved Success

Article Overview: Until 2010, Laliberté will have his hands full with the opening of three new shows and a special Christmas production. “Our biggest goal is to continue to force ourselves to always start our creative work on a white page and not take advantage of past successes and challenging ourselves,” he says. Just how did this one time street performer turn a group of young buskers into a performing troupe that has become a global phenomenon and a billion-dollar enterprise?

From Busker To Billionaire: How Guy Laliberté Achieved Success

Until 2010, Laliberté will have his hands full with the opening of three new shows and a special Christmas production. “Our biggest goal is to continue to force ourselves to always start our creative work on a white page and not take advantage of past successes and challenging ourselves,” he says. Just how did this one time street performer turn a group of young buskers into a performing troupe that has become a global phenomenon and a billion-dollar enterprise?

Creativity: “I believe there are so many other disciplines and themes that we still haven't explored yet,” says Laliberté. “It’s infinite what we can apply our creativity to.” At Cirque du Soleil, their working space is considered a fantastical playground, where a few rules guide the overall direction, but where curiosity, creativity, and excitement are allowed to roam free. It is by fostering creativity and remaining only as hands-on as need be that Laliberté has created a company that continues to be inspiring both on stage and off.

People: At Cirque du Soleil, recruiters use the analogy of Michaelangelo, when he replied that his great sculpture David was already inside the stone; he just needed to find him and chip away all the pieces that were not David. The people and performers at Cirque are recruited for their passion, their abilities, and the potential for what they could become. Laliberté encourages an open working environment where people are free to work together in cooperation and push their limits.

Risk: When Laliberté decided to book Cirque as the opening act for the Los Angeles art festival, he was taking a huge gamble. “I bet everything on that one night,” he recalls. “If we failed, there was no cash for gas to come home.” From opening in Los Angeles, to building permanent theatres in Las Vegas, to reinventing the circus itself, Laliberté’s career is defined by his willingness to go for broke.

Awareness: Laliberté’s vision for his circus is not just about providing entertainment. His is a vision that embraces the world in its entirety, from its cultures to its major issues. He has created a production that is not only representative of its audience, but also relevant to them. He has tailored his shows to speak to important social problems, hoping to be a catalyst for change.

Poker: Now a CEO by day and a professional poker player by night, Laliberté is proving that the skills it takes to run a business are little different from those it takes to win a poker game. From reading his opponents to bluffing to knowing when to play and when to fold, Laliberté plays both the game of poker and the game of life strategically and to win.

“I am blessed for what I have, but I believed in it from the beginning,” says Laliberté. “Today, the dream is the same: I still want to travel, I still want to entertain, and I most certainly still want to have fun.”

Related Articles
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  Lesson #3: Risk Yesterday’s Success for Tomorrow’s Promise
  The Circus Kid: Guy Laliberté Is Born
  No More Clowning Around: Cirque du Soleil is Formed
  Lesson #1: You Are Only As Good As Where You Work

Article Tags: analogy, art festival, billionaire, busker, buskers, christmas production, cirque du, creative work, creativity, curiosity, dollar enterprise, global phenomenon, michaelangelo, opening act, special christmas, street performer, white page, willingness, working environment, working space



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Re: New from Seattle, USA - Welcome to the club. It is nice having a Billionaire among us
Re: Alexa Ranking Goals - Thanks for the monthly update Evan! And congrats to everyone who has gained. Also, not that I am worried about it, but I am showing my site as under 265,000 right now so that would put me in the Goal Achieved category instead of the gaining momentum! I'll make my new goal 200,000 for next month.
Re: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD...RIGHT NOW!!! - Success = Thinking (Head) + Heart (Feeling / Interest) + Hand (doing/ action). Success - H3 Robert
Re: Just a simple comparison & contrast of our truths in crisis. - I I totally agree you have to be extremely grateful. I am extremely grateful because I have all my body parts complete, look all the people that don't. Look at all those soldiers that honoring their country go to war get killed. Believing in their cause not only now but threw out history that never left no children. We all must be Thankful for those that helped our loved ones the old ancestors that were so wise in been abundant and fruitful that left us a body to live in. Man and how blessed are we can you imagine how many people never had children or couldn’t and we are the lucky descendants of the ones that could. Come on now bless be the Lord Almighty King and Lord of heaven. By just existing you should be humbled and eternally meek for such success. A sacred quote from a very wise woman If that is not enough, look at all the sperms that fought for your place and you’re the winner. I wish I could have reached that Billionaire with this or any person thinking that it is a great shame and people should mourn and be sensitive to that evil that won and prevent it from happening again. A person in that position or any alive would have influence allot more people before going. But unfortunately you do not know what you have until you don’t have it. That’s why it is wise to be close to your creator the founder while you can.
Re: Success - I study success intently, and would like to share: Here's two excellent and nearly identical success-formulas from a couple of the world's masters. FIRST FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Clear, Definite Purpose 3. Committed Decision 4. Take Action In Faith (Bonus Secret Sauce: 5. Repeat Consistently) I made a video about this, but am not allowed to link it yet. Google "Ryze Success Steps" for it. Oh, and this is Napoleon Hill's (Master Of Success Laws)'s Formula. SECOND FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Understand It Is Already Done (Faith) 3. Relax & Allow It To Unfold (Go about your life calmly) This one is courtesy of Abraham-Hicks (inspiration for the movie The Secret). Hope that helps!


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