"The difference in winning and losing is most often not quitting." Walt Disney
Some days are easy, and everything seems possible. But on some days, your entrepreneurial journey may appear tough and giving up may seem to you the most liberating option. After all, rewarding as it may be, an entrepreneurial life is also a very challenging one. To succeed, you have to be passionate, disciplined, possess patience, and a generous amount of common sense. But most importantly, as an entrepreneur, you have to possess the ability to keep going even when the journey gets tough, as it's sure to get now and then! A couple of remarkable, inspirational stories drawn from the pages of history may be just what you need at such times.
Modern day entrepreneurs often turn to names like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg for inspiration. Today, though, let me take you further down the pages of history to find some remarkable entrepreneurial stories of grit and determination. Read these, elevate your spirits, and keep pursuing your dreams!
Andrew Carnegie
Entrepreneur, Business Leader, Philanthropist(1835–1919)
Born to an impoverished family in Scotland, Andrew Carnegie’s entrepreneurial journey is by far one of the most impressive ones in history. Carnegie worked his way up fro
m being a poor and hungry boy to becoming a legendary philanthropist, and one of the richest entrepreneurs of all times.
Andrew Carnegie was born with an entrepreneur gene. There’s an interesting anecdote in which Carnegie, still a young boy, enrolled his friends to help gather vegetation for the rabbits his family reared but had no money to feed. In return, Andrew would name a new-born bunny after each child that gathered food. This creative spirit, tenacity and work ethic propelled that poor youngster to work through the most trying circumstances to go on to become one of the richest steel tycoon and businessmen of the 19th century.
Coco Chanel
Entrepreneur, French Fashion Designer, Businesswoman (1883 – 1971)
"Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable." So said one of the shrewdest businesswomen of her times. Coco Chanel was a creative and wealthy fashion designer and perfume maker who started out as a humble milliner. She eventually opened many boutiques where she sold her luxury casual clothes, and finally launched her still-famous Chanel No. 5 perfume. Her company, Chanel, is about $4.5 billion today.
In spite of the fact that her entire life was marked by controversy, even her strongest detractors cannot deny the fierce determination, ambition, and energy that she applied to her professional and social life. Chanel’s journey to achieve the financial independence was not easy to come, especially for a woman in those times. She remains till date an awe inspiring, inspirational figure for women entrepreneurs everywhere.
George Eastman
Entrepreneur, Inventor, Businessman (1854–1932)
A high school dropout, who fared very poorly in the academic world, George Eastman is
the man behind Kodak, now officially known as the Eastman Kodak Company. Eastman came from a poor background, but even as a young man, he showed tremendous spirit and fortitude. While still young, he supported his widowed mother and two sisters when his father died, and his family became financially distressed.
George Eastman was an inventive genius. It is his innovations that marked the beginning of the amateur photography craze that is still going strong today!
George Eastman was one of the first American industrialists to embrace and implement the concept of employee profit sharing in the United States. He was a generous philanthropist, contributing more than $100 million of his wealth for philanthropic purposes during his lifetime.
Henry Ford
Entrepreneur, Industrialist, Automobile Manufacturer (1863–1947)
Henry Ford was the son of an Irish immigrant. On his 11th birthday, Henry received a fascinating gift of a watch. The young entrepreneur went on to construct his own time piece a year later! When he saw a "horseless buggy" plowing a field later, his determination to begin his entrepreneurial journey became stronger.
The founder of the Ford Motor Company got his start when Thomas Edison took an interest in his automobile concepts and allowed Ford to use his warehouse to manufacture his first vehicles. While his first business failed, the Ford companies bring in about $190 billion in sales annually today.
Madam C.J. Walker
Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Activist, Philanthropist (1867–1919)
An African-American millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker was born on a cotton plantation in Louisiana to recently freed slaves. She was orphaned at 7 and was subjected to abuse, hardship, and poverty for a long chunk of her life. When she developed a scalp disorder in her twenties, she began experimenting with hair care treatments to improve her condition.
Madam C.J. Walker went on to create specialized hair products for African-American hair and was one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire.
Anita Roddick
Entrepreneur, Activist, Businesswoman (1942–2007)
Anita Roddick founded The Body Shop, which she started with just 15 products. She used an adroit combination of low-key marketing, consumer education, and social activism, to build The Body Shop Ltd, a $16 billion global cosmetics business and make her one of the richest women in England. In 2003, Roddick sold the company to L’Oreal for over $1 billion.
Interestingly Roddick used the franchising model to expand The Body Shop. She called it “self-financing”.
There are no magic shortcuts to entrepreneurial success and fulfillment. Take small steps to reach big goals. And if you happen to fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself, read an inspirational story (or two) and keep moving forward. You’ll reach there for sure.
