I read a great article on Mark Cuban
, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. When Cuban bought the Mavericks in 2000, they were a moribund franchise that was one of the losingest NBA team in the 1990s. Now, they are one of the teams that NBA players want to play for because they are treated well, and one that has a hard-core fanbase.
Cuban is a self-made man, and the principles he speaks to in this article can be applied to almost any type of business:
"I came in and made sure that everyone realized that if you did your job and worked hard to be the best at what you do, whether you are a player, a sales rep or customer service rep, I would do mine to give you the support and resources you needed to be successful. That in turn changed the culture of the team, the image of the brand and the expectations of our customers."
Upon googling "Cuban bought mavericks", some more interesting articles turn up in Slate, Business 2.0, and TIME.