Jack Cowin is the founder and chairman of Competitive Foods Australia, which operates Hungry Jack’s.
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82-year-old self-made billionaire Jack Cowin has many simple truths to share about life and business.
“I don’t come from (money)… I’m self-made. I use that term and I’m proud of it,” Cowen told CNBC Success.
He made a fortune selling fast food. In 1969, he Bought his first KFC store In Australia, the company eventually grew to 55 franchised stores. He sold it in 2013 for more than $71 million, according to company representatives.
Cowin is also the founder and chairman of Competitive Foods Australia, which operates Burger King in Australia as “Hungry Jack’s” – chain Today there are more than 400 restaurants. He is also the largest shareholder Domino’s Pizza in Australia and supports a plant-based meat substitute company called v2food.
Cowin told reporters his business is worth more than $3 billion and brings in more than $300 million in revenue annually CNBC did it.
Don’t be a dentist…you can’t make money when you’re not drilling teeth.
Jack Cowen
Founder and Chairman of Competitive Foods Australia
Before starting his fast-food empire, Cowan played football in college and even “briefly tried” professional football. “Business is a team sport,” he said.
“Don’t be a dentist… when you’re not drilling teeth, you’re not making money,” Cowan told CNBC Make It. “If you want to do something bigger and broader, you have to be a team player… In order to be a team player, you have to interact with people,” he said.
“Realize that you can’t do this alone,” Corwin said.
Business is not just about meeting your own needs, but also about meeting the needs of others, whether they are employees, customers, investors or business partners. He said being a “people person” and having a natural curiosity and desire to learn were keys to his success.
The first Hungry Jack store opened in Innaloo, Perth in 1971.
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When asked to offer advice to young people who may be feeling lost in their lives, Corwin said, “The short answer is – if you’re lost, do something about it.”
“I see people getting fired or having problems in their lives. They sit back and lose confidence… You have to be involved in order to be successful,” he said.
After taking some time to reflect, it’s important not to get stuck in a cycle of moping: “You have to get back into the flow of life by doing things and interacting with people,” he says. “Go ahead and don’t stand there thinking.”
Today, Cowin says his Domino’s Pizza business, which has 4,000 stores in 12 countries, and Hungry Jack’s business create about 150,000 jobs worldwide.
The 82-year-old said he has no plans to quit the company.
“If I were to sum up my life, I would view it as an adventure rather than a slog day in and day out,” he said. “It’s been an adventure of trying new things, new businesses, new this, new that, and it’s been fun.”
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