If you happen to be sitting in Starbuck’s reading this article, there is a good chance that the aroma-filled space you’re enjoying belongs to Magic Johnson.  Yes, that Magic Johnson, former L.A. Lakers point guard and one of the sports world’s most famous players.

Basketball stars snatching up endorsement deals (or entering the rap game) seem to be par for the course these days.  But Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s success has taken a slightly different path. Who would have thought that several years after leaving the basketball courts behind, the 6’9″ former NBA star would have the world at his fingertips? Watch these Videos of advice from the man himself on how he made the transition from Basketball to Business and what it takes to be a Successful Entrepreneur.

Magic Johnson & Peter Guber Talk About Success on Winning Voices

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnsons Winning Tips For Success

Quotes by Magic Johnson:

“If you want to be successful, you have to be willing to use every connection you’ve got.” – Magic Johnson

“If you want someone to be your mentor, you better be ready to listen and be humbled.” – Magic Johnson

I am a businessman. This is what I do each and every day. I love it. I love coming to work. I never have a bad day. – Magic Johnson

I wanted to do two things when I was growing up, about your age. I wanted to play in the NBA, and I wanted to be a businessman after my basketball career was over, and that is what I am doing now. – Magic Johnson

If you’re a competitive person, that stays with you. You don’t stop. You always look over your shoulder. -Magic Johnson

Research your idea. See if there’s a demand. A lot of people have great ideas, but they don’t know if there’s a need for it. You also have to research your competition. – Magic Johnson

Magic Johnsons Top 10 Tips To Live By:

1. Love Where you Live

2. Surround yourself with people smarter than you

3. Make friends, not enemies

4. Enjoy every moment of the climb

5. Believe in yourself

6. Know what you stand for

7. Have a good mentor

8. Strive for perfection

9. Engage your community

10. Do your homework

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No.1 Love where you live

Magic is Los Angeles. “I love the people, I love the city, I love the palm trees, the water. I love that we have so many different options to dine. I love Sunset, I love what they’ve done downtown with the Staples Center and L.A. LIVE. I think L.A. is about all the options. It’s a place that you can be successful in. It’s a place that if you want to just relax you can get away and do that. If you want the action, that’s available for you. It gives you anything in life that you want, and that’s what I love about L.A.”

No.2 Surround yourself with people smarter than you

“You know, our dynasty was built because we had some unbelievable players. When you think about Kareem, you think about James Worthy, you think about Michael Cooper, and Byron Scott, and Kurt Rambis, and Michael Thompson, Norm Nixon — all the guys I played with — they were all about one thing, and that’s winning. And then when you have a flamboyant coach like Pat Riley — a guy who really knows his X’s and O’s, like Pat Riley — that really made us a team to watch Because our style was different from everybody else. ’Cause we loved to run and so that “Showtime” basketball was contagious to all the fans. And, yep, the same model [carried off the court]. You hire great executives, you hire smarter people than yourself, and you hire people who believe in you and in the brand. You hire people who have high integrity, values, and you go out and really go and build something unbelievable, and that’s what we’ve been able to do.”

No.3 Make friends, not enemies

Not all business leaders get rich by playing nice guy. But for Magic, being admired has definitely been a good thing. “I think it’s important for me [laughing]. I enjoy being liked. I enjoy what we built on the court with the Lakers and then what I built off the court in my company. And I think because I did things the right way, and the people of Los Angeles know who Magic is, what he stands for. That’s why I think they like me.”

No.4 Enjoy every moment of the climb

Of course, many things Magic learned as player, both in college and the NBA, can be applied to business ventures as well.

“When you think about the NCAA tournament, for instance, every game is a pressure game,” says Magic. But he reminds young athletes (and aspiring entrepreneurs) that when faced with pivotal games to “enjoy the moment… play like it’s your last game ever. But don’t tighten up, don’t be scared — just enjoy the moment and go forth.”

No.5 Believe in yourself

“Stay focused, stay on the journey, don’t get discouraged, don’t let nobody tell you can’t do it. Don’t wait on somebody else to motivate yourself. Believe in yourself because that’s what made me the man I am. Because I believe in me. I didn’t let HIV keep me down. I decided, OK, I know I have to deal with HIV, but I still have dreams and goals, and I’m gonna go after these dreams and goals. And, oh, yeah, there were a lot of people who had doubts that my business could be successful. But I didn’t worry about them. I knew the numbers, I knew information, I did my homework. I knew what I was getting into, and I’m happy that I decided to invest in urban America… way before it was fashionable like it is now!”

No.6 Know what you stand for

Magic recently became a spokesperson for Dove. We asked him how that came about. “Yeah, I was already the Dove man before Dove actually called me, because I was already using the Dove Men+Care products… I think that when they told me what the campaign was gonna be about — men feeling comfortable in their own skin — I was like, ‘Oh, wow. That’s me all the way!’ So, it was a natural for me.”

As for if he thinks other men will follow suit, Magic says: “I think that Dove is making it cool for men to talk about beauty products, and of being conscious of what they put on their body.”

But what Magic values more is the message of the ad campaign and the facets of his life he shares in it. “Yeah, it’s just who you are, and who I am as a man, as a husband, as a father, who I was as a basketball player, who I was as a son. The campaign covers every part of my life, and what made me comfortable as a man today, and that’s what I appreciate.”

No.7 Have a good mentor

“You have to have mentors, no question about it, because those people can get you started, show you the ropes, you know, teach you how to do things the right way. You can use them for sounding boards, ’cause I did that a lot. I was very fortunate to have Michael Ovitz; he created CAA [Creative Artists Agency]. I had guys like that who really helped me out a lot. Even today, a guy like Howard Schultz at Starbucks… It’s just good to have great mentors. That’s what it’s all about.”

No.8 Strive for perfection

“I think [my success] is first of all about my work ethic, my focus, my preparation, my discipline. And I think you definitely learn by doing. You know, my dad was definitely a worker — a hard worker. He showed me that every day, and he instilled that in me every single day. And he was a perfectionist, doing things the right way, and so that helped me become a perfectionist. And then playing for Pat Riley for the Lakers, he was a perfectionist, and so that rubbed off on me as well.”

No.9 Engage your community

“Think about the $2 trillion-dollar spending power of urban communities… and you think about, there are no retailers, no quality retailers in our communities. We love going to the movies. That’s why I started Magic Johnson Theaters. We want the best cup of coffee just like everybody else, and that’s why I approached Starbucks. So [Starbucks CEO] Howard Schultz believed in the business plan and business strategy. We knew that there was a demand there for Starbucks, and it showed. We still are under-served when it comes to quality retailers coming into our communities. We want shopping options just like everybody else.”

No.10 Do your homework

“If you want to own your own business, just make sure there’s a business there. Make sure there’s demand for your business there. Never open a business just because you like it. There has to be demand for it — the consumer is asking for it or they want it. So I think it’s about doing your research and your homework. It’s about making sure that you’re financially secure, that you can make sure that you can open the doors, and — because we know first-year businesses very rarely make money — be able to withstand that first year. These are the things that you have to think about. But, also, don’t be afraid of the economy, because a lot of times there’s opportunity there, too, when the economy is like this.”

Tips By: AskMen.com