The Mafia works like a company. In fact, its organisation is structured like any other business. Its managers are what we might call “wasted talent”: take Pablo Escobar, for example, put him in a legitimate company, and he would have been businessman of the year.
His organisation had a solid structure, industry professionals, influential contacts and a solid distribution network; in other words, everything any company needs to grow and take over the market.
The problem is that the company, the product and the methods are all illegitimate. Even so, even this kind of company, the Mafia, is governed by principles we can perfectly well apply to the business world, because let’s make no mistake: the Mafia is a very profitable business.
A few months ago we published an article drawn from an interview with a cartel member. We have no regard for him as a person, but we admire the principles, commandments and advice he offered for anyone looking to succeed in business legally.
Lessons from how these organisations work
Surround yourself only with professionals and people you trust blindly. If you don’t trust someone, don’t keep them on the payroll a minute longer than necessary. Better a former employee who resents being pushed out of your organisation than an incompetent one who is happy and grateful to be working alongside you.
Be a better distributor than manufacturer. Success lies in a good distribution network, because keeping control of manufacturing costs and profits is very difficult. With good distribution, you know what you’re buying at, the profit the sale will leave you and the commission you can agree with your distributor.
Never underestimate your competition, however small, because a small fish can feed and grow into a big one. Talk to the small entrepreneur who is just starting out in the business and try to bring them into your company, or offer them a partnership.
A person without principles gets nowhere. Whatever you do in life, you need to know there are lines you must never cross. If you lose your principles, blinded by success, you stop being the fighter who made it to the top.
Be ambitious, but set limits on greed
An ambitious person earns respect; a greedy person paints a target on their own back and becomes the focus of attacks.
Never draw attention to yourself. You can be rich quietly and enjoy a good standard of living, or you can flaunt your wealth and live in fear that everyone wants to take away what you’ve achieved.
Always treat your employees well. Involve them in your projects and set them goals. An employee needs to grow; otherwise, sooner or later, they’ll leave the company. Your employees aren’t machines, and they aren’t slaves either. You have to build a family and make each of them feel part of it. An employee speaks ill of their boss; a family member defends their own tooth and nail.
These are the principles the Mafia applies in its organisation, principles we should apply in any company. If Al Capone gave us his personal advice, I imagine he’d tell us to keep our taxes up to date.
Further reading
- How to become a successful businessperson
- The 15 commandments of the entrepreneur
- Motivational quotes and proverbs for entrepreneurs
- Warren Buffett’s rules
Featured image: Thesab, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
