5 Great Historical Figures That Every Entrepreneur Should Study

By Chad Howse on May 14, 2013

We can learn much about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur by studying great figures from history.

Below are 5 that possessed attributes that made them great during their time. Attributes that will also help us find success today.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Acquiring Knowledge

Knowledge is power. No one demonstrated, or knew this better than Napoleon Bonaparte. At the time of his birth, a person’s future was practically laid out for them depending on what class they were born in to.

Napoleon wasn’t born into a family of wealth or prestige, actually the opposite. He was born on the conquered island of Corsica, to a family with no influence or power, yet he grew to become the most powerful man on the planet.

How did Napoleon do this?

While his classmates at college partied, Napoleon read. Books became his love, the object of his affection. His lust for knowledge eventually served him on the battlefield. Napoleon’s ability to size up a battle and determine the best way to defeat the enemy was uncanny because it was as if he’d seen every battle formation that ever existed in the books he’d read. Nothing could trick him, and no one could out maneuver him.

How does this help the entrepreneur?

We can’t simply do the work, we also need to learn and educate ourselves. We need to understand our message, our goal, and the best possible way to accomplish it.

A large portion of our hustle should be given to the acquiring of knowledge. The more we know, the better equipped we are to find success.

Thomas Edison

Perseverance 

Thomas Edison failed more than 10,000 times in his attempt to create the light bulb. He, however, didn’t see those failures as failures, but rather as positive steps towards his goal.

Every entrepreneur will face failure and tribulation, those who succeed will be those who persist.

Winston Churchill

Sticking To Your Guns

We need to know our core values; those things that we hold most important in life. We also have to follow our gut. When Churchill thought something to be true  – whether it was or not – he stuck to his guns.

The leader of a company needs to do the same, as does the leader of a country, and an entrepreneur. We have a vision, we need to stick to that vision.

Does that mean we don’t listen to others? Of course not. Counsel is always welcome, and neededto get out of a rut, or to see things in a different light. But it’s our vision and dream we’re trying to create, and we need to be in line with our values. As a company grows, it’s easy to move away from our values, but it’s those values that led to growth. And it’s those values that will keep us true to our original vision and purpose.

Theodore Roosevelt

Embracing the Struggle

Teddy Roosevelt accomplished more in his 60 years than many would accomplish in 160. He embraced the strenuous life, as he called it.

Hard work isn’t something Teddy feared, but actively pursued.

As an entrepreneur, hard work needs to be your best friend, and laziness your worst enemy. A life of ease isn’t what an entrepreneur will get, probably ever. They’re always creating, innovating and working. But what you will get is freedom.

William Wallace

Do What Others Think is Impossible

Before the light bulb existed, no one could even comprehend that we could flip a switch that would light up a room. It’s the people that at leasttry the impossible, while others prefer to remain in comfort, that history treats kindly.

William Wallace, in his defiance of tyranny, fought an impossible battle against an enemy too great to defeat. Well, guess what? Wallace’s bravery and courage in the face of an impossible enemy, eventually led to the freedom of his nation.

No matter how great the obstacle, whether it even seems possible, or not, an entrepreneur will do his best to conquer it, and defeat it.

Impossible isn’t in an entrepreneur’s vocabulary. Keep that in mind. Whatever you’re doing right now, no matter how rough the road may seem, nothing is impossible. An entrepreneur is simply here to show the rest of us this universal truth.

Office Video Contest Begins Today!

Hey Everyone, This morning we announced our office contest for the next 2 weeks! Our team will be having some fun making videos for our new YouTube Channel. The winners will get thier video featured on the channel and get dinner with the management team.

Goodluck to everyone! Get creative!

3 Tips for Surviving As a First Time Manager

Here are some great tips for new managers!

3 Tips For Surviving As A First-Time Manager by Bill Gentry

Your first management job is a big win – a sign that you’ve done something right in your career. It’s also the first time that your success is completely tied to the performance of other people.

Those other people are your former peers, maybe even your current friends, and everyone feels a little weird now that you’re the boss.

Some of those other people have more experience and longer tenure at the company. At least one of them probably wanted the promotion, too – and isn’t too happy to be working for you.

Most likely, a few of your direct reports are much older than you. And I guarantee your team won’t be made up of people who think exactly like you, work just like you and act completely like you.

So what’s a first-time manager to do? If you’re lucky, you have an awesome boss, a company with a big training budget, and some wise mentors to help you figure out what you need to learn and how to learn it. Meanwhile, I offer three strategies to help you survive the first-time manager blues and boost your ability to be an effective leader.

It’s Not Me, It’s You.

Ever been dumped before? I bet the excuse you heard was “It’s not you, it’s me.” One of the simplest strategies to becoming an effective leader is to switch a couple of those words and adopt the following: “It’s not me, it’s you.”

When you’re promoted to a management job, the pressure is on. It’s tempting to be self-absorbed in your efforts to prove your value. That’s what got you promoted in the first place. But that’s the opposite of what you should do as a first-time manager. Instead, consider the other person’s perspective, needs, interests, skills and preferences. This simple mindset shift will go a long way toward working through the challenges of your new role.

As soon as you are promoted, get on the calendar of each of your direct reports to have an individual meeting that is all about them. Find out during that meeting what motivates them, what they like about their work, how they like to be led and what questions they have. Then talk about your vision for the group and how they can be a part of it.

When you start to figure out how to influence and communicate and motivate people in a way they care about – not just the way that is easy for you – you’ll start to be more effective as a leader.

Mentor others for a double win.

Mentoring has its benefits, usually for the one being mentored. But Center for Creative Leadership research has shown that mentoring can also benefit the manager who does the mentoring.

Managers who provide career-related mentoring to their direct reports by providing sponsorship, coaching and challenge are actually rated as better performers in their job by their boss.

Refer back to the “It’s not me, it’s you” approach and have regular check-in meetings with all of your direct reports every month or two. Give regular feedback – both positive and constructive. Mentoring others helps you become more effective and efficient in your own job. You gain information and support, expand your power base and reputation, strengthen your credibility and earn respect.

You are 100% the boss, only 50% of the relationship.

When you are the boss, you are always 100 percent the boss. People’s eyes are always on you, whether you know it or not. They are looking at what you are doing and what you are not doing. They are interpreting what they see and hear.

Are you inadvertently giving your friends on the team more time and energy than others? Are you unclear about your expectations around the work – or inconsistent about them? Do you struggle to set boundaries? Any of these actions send the message that either you don’t know what you’re doing – or that you are intentionally supporting some people more than others.

But even though you are the boss 100 percent of the time, a relationship between two people takes, yes, two people. You bring 50 percent to it, and the other person brings 50 percent. Too many first-time leaders think they are responsible for the entire 100 percent – in every work relationship. And it can’t be done.

You can do everything you can to be the best boss, but some people will still not be satisfied. You cannot “make” people act a certain way or insist that they agree with or like your decisions. You have no control over what others feel about you. All you really have control over are your own thoughts, ideas, behaviors and actions. Your job is to make sure your 50 percent is right – and let the rest go.

Sharp Acquisitions Recognized for Quality Sales!

Several of our representatives were recognized nationally for having the highest quality sales in April! Great job guys! The Framingham, Ma and DC offices were both included in this recognition. We are happy to be working with such great people and look forward to the things we can accomplish in the next few months!

 

YouTube Channel

Hey we started a YouTube channel! Here is our first video...

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