American painter Georgia Totto O’Keeffe is best known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. The Mother of American Modernism has braved dramatic artistic paths with a personal insight into courage that everyone can be inspired by:
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.”
Howard Schultz knows a lot about building brands. Former owner of the Seattle Supersonics and Chairman & CEO of Starbucks , Forbes ranked Schultz as the 354th richest person in the United States, with a net worth of $1.5 billion. He renamed Il Giornale with the Starbucks name and aggressively expanded its reach across the United States growing the company rapidly and retaining ownership of every domestic outlet. Schultz wrote the books Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time and Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul.
Howard Schultz’s words should resonate like a strong cup of coffee with every entrepreneur:
“The most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. The (brands) that are lasting are those that are authentic.”
American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist Christopher D’Olier Reeve is best known for his motion picture portrayal of the comic book superhero Superman. He has also appeared in other critically acclaimed films such as Street Smart and The Remains of the Day and Chris received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the television remake of Rear Window.
Chris Reeve’s reflection is as valid for reinvention as it is for acting:
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
Six time Grammy Award-winning American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer Billy Joel is the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States. And, he’s #1 with a bullet on the entrepreneurial charts when it comes to the simple wisdom of doing what you want in life:
“You can get what you want or you can just get old.”
Twentieth century literary giant Franz Kafka produced such iconic works as The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle. Trained as a lawyer, he worked after law school graduation at an insurance company, dedicating his spare time to writing; reminding me of Patrick J. McGinnis’ book, The 10% Entrepreneur: Live Your Startup Dream Without Quitting Your Day Job.
Validation of Kafka’s passionate pursuit of and commitment to writing comes from the fact that few of his works were published during his lifetime and those that were, such as Contemplation and A Country Doctor, received little public attention. His motivation came from a deep, authentic calling not unlike that felt by entrepreneurs for whom his advice is on the mark:
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
American entrepreneur Tony Hsieh is the epitome of success. After co-founding Internet advertising network LinkExchange and selling it to Microsoft for a cool $265 million, he led online shoe and clothing giant Zappos to household name recognition and financial success.
Yet, Tony Hsieh’s advice to entrepreneurs puts the passion horse before the revenue cart: “Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you.”
English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels and films, Neil Gaiman’s gift for words fills the pages of such outstanding works as The Sandman, American Gods, Coraline and The Graveyard Book. He has won such recognition as the Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards and is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work, The Graveyard Book. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was voted Book of the Year in the British National Book Awards.
His profound wisdom that has meaning for every entrepreneur is this: “The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.”
