P. T. Barnum

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Master every detail personally

  Management

  A proprietor must understand their business thoroughly through personal experience to avoid being cheated and to spot errors.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The art of money getting  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid the chronically unsuccessful

  Strategy

  Do not partner with people or places that consistently fail, as repeated failure often stems from hidden faults in character or judgment.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Hire thinking brains not just hands

  Hiring

  Value employees who use their intellect and think critically about their work rather than those who only perform manual tasks.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Avoid Visionary Overextension

  Focus

  Do not jump from project to project based on mere hope; focus on one business until it is proven or exhausted.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The great ambition should be to excel all others engaged in the same occupation.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Repetition drives action

  Marketing

  Advertising must be repeated multiple times before a customer notices, reads, considers, and finally decides to purchase.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Be careful to advertise it in some shape or other because it is evident that if a man has ever so good an article for sale, and nobody knows it, it will bring him no return.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Leverage current events for attention

  Marketing

  Capture the audience's attention by starting with the most talked-about news of the day before transitioning into the product pitch.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Many persons have such a horror of being taken in, or such an elevated opinion of their own acuteness, that they believe everything to be a sham”

    “Mr. Pease's plan was to seize upon the most prominent topic of interest and general conversation, and discourse eloquently upon that topic”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Control the Environment

  Strategy

  Success in performance or persuasion often depends on setting specific conditions that favor the operator's strengths and hide their weaknesses.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Mediums always insist upon certain conditions, and those conditions are just such as will best enable them to deceive the senses and pervert the judgment.”

    “Before a trick can be exposed it must be learned.”

• Leverage Jargon to Mask Ignorance

  Content

  Use complex, nonsensical language to sound authoritative and prevent people from questioning the lack of substance in a claim.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Beware of middleman dilution

  Strategy

  A product can be diluted or altered at every step of the supply chain, leaving the final consumer with almost none of the original quality.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid the trap of speculation

  Strategy

  Sustainable wealth comes from legitimate business activities that provide value, rather than gambling on market bubbles.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Leverage the Power of Imagination

  Marketing

  Understand that a customer's belief and imagination can be as powerful as the product itself in achieving a desired result.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Meet Customer Expectations for Value

  Customers

  Sometimes customers only feel they are receiving value if the process involves some level of difficulty or visible intensity.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Master the Art of Attention

  Marketing

  Use entertainment, music, or visual spectacles to gather a crowd before attempting to sell a product.

  Supporting quotes

  • “It is much better, as a rule, to call attention up to you rather than charity down to you.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Capitalize on Rivalry and Scarcity

  Sales

  Creating a situation where vendors fight to get the latest update first increases the perceived value and reach of the content.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Target Specific Audience Biases

  Customers

  Successful content often mirrors the existing beliefs of a target group to make them accept even extreme or absurd ideas.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The public are often favored in our journals with dissertations upon various abstruse matters by men who are entirely ignorant of what they are writing about.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Identify Repetitive Scams

  Learning

  One should recognize that many humbugs rely on a 'mess of phrases worn out over and over again' to sound convincing to the gullible.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Study the history of deception

  Learning

  A business owner should understand past methods of persuasion and delusion to recognize how people are still influenced today.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Use Social Proof and Proxies

  Marketing

  Establishing credibility by appearing to have access to high-status individuals or exclusive locations can convince others to invest in a scheme.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Leverage the desire for deception

  Marketing

  People often have an innate desire to believe in something extraordinary, making them willing participants in their own deception.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages  (opens in a new tab)

• Adaptability in Crisis

  Resilience

  A founder must be willing to step into any role, even performing tasks outside their expertise, to ensure the customer is not disappointed.

  Source Barnum  (opens in a new tab)