How Jeff Bezos got rich with his first job at McDonald's

Sometimes it's when you start your first job as a young person that you realise that the skills and knowledge you've acquired will be useful later in life. But sometimes they don't become apparent until you're an adult and working.

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One of the most popular workplaces for teenagers is restaurants. This was also the case for one of the richest men in the world, whose first job was at McDonald's. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has spoken about how this early low-paying job shaped his professional future and set him on the path to building wealth.

Learning to take responsibility

“In interviews over the years, Bezos has noted how burger-frying helped him learn management skills, take on responsibility and have fun,” Fortune reported.

Bezos said he was a behind-the-scenes employee and faced the challenge of making sure everything ran at the right pace during busy times.

In “Golden Opportunity: Remarkable Careers That Started at McDonald's,” author Cody Teets quoted Bezos as saying, “You can learn responsibility in any job if you take it seriously. As a teenager, you learn a lot at McDonald's. It's different than what you learn in school. Don't underestimate the value of that!”

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Gain business insights

Bezos also emphasized that his work in the fast-food industry taught him important skills that helped him in his career as an entrepreneur and business leader.

That includes how to run an efficient operation and meet customer expectations, according to Bezos. Although he didn't have much interaction with McDonald's customers, Bezos said he learned to value fast, effective service and to embrace the importance of customer satisfaction. According to Bezos, customer satisfaction became a cornerstone of Amazon's business philosophy.

Bezos also learned to manage workflows early on, realizing the importance of efficiency and speed in business. In addition, as many other executives who have worked in fast-food restaurants and retail have expressed, valuable lessons can be learned from Bezos about how to handle pressure while maintaining a high level of customer service.

Accept hard work and risks

Bezos' early employment at McDonald's also helped him build a business empire. Having learned the value of hard work during his time in the restaurant industry, he was able to do the work necessary to build Amazon. But he also had to take risks – which he believes is an important mindset to have if you want to be successful.

“When he was just 30 years old, Bezos had a Wall Street job at hedge fund DE Shaw, but he saw potential in the future of the internet economy and came up with the idea of ​​building an online bookstore,” CNBC Make It reported. “Bezos' boss agreed that the idea had potential, but still tried to convince Bezos that it would be less risky to keep his job.”

Bezos said he learned to take risks so he would have fewer regrets later in life. Bezos seized the opportunity, founded Amazon in a garage and launched the website a year later, setting him on his way to becoming one of the richest men in the world.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Jeff Bezos' first job at McDonald's made him rich