Harvey Norman chairman, has told www.news.com that one of the secrets to his success was his habit as a young man of “sucking the brains” of people much older than himself.

"When I was 19 and 20, I didn't spent too much time with people who were my age. I spent time with people of 45 and 55 and sucked their brains all day because I could see no point in talking to another 22-year-old who knew nothing.
"I would go straight to anyone who had brains who had done well in the world and suck their brains day and night. My wife (Kate Page, managing director of Harvey Norman) is the same, she is a natural and always had a business brain," he told news.com

A businessman at six
While many in the industry could probably tell the media more about Harvey than he could himself, some may not be aware that Harvey’s entrepreneurial career commenced early. By the age of six in country NSW he was setting rabbit traps before school, skinning the animals and selling the fur.

"Even when I was kid, I was thinking up ways to breed chooks and sell them, or selling flowers. It doesn't matter what it is," he said

He told the site that he is turning 70 next month and is still on a “mission“. It is not about the amount of money I have made, it is more about what you achieve and I am still trying to pull things off. "The advantage I have now is the backing I have behind me, the money from my organisation, which you cannot do as a loner. That's where I get the kick and get the adrenalin flowing.

"You don't necessarily think about the $100,000 or $1 million you just made but it's the fact you did it. It's all about achievement. I've tried to analyse it over the years and good competition makes me even sharper. If you get that the money follows, so chase the deal. If you think 'I want to make a lot of money' that is just a want, and if you are just money-hungry it won't work for you,” he added.