DIFFERENT

SUCCESSFUL
ENTEPRENEURS
(REFLECTION PAPER)

Submitted to:
Ms. Cristita Durano
Submitted by:
Jenimey F. Sacay
 “Reflection Paper of Different Successful Entrepreneurs”

Being an entrepreneur should not be just about making money, but

also making a difference. It should be about making life better not only for
ourselves, but for others as well.

Entrepreneurs are leaders, which mean that they should be able to

impart positivity with their employees. It’s not always about the money, it
should also be about the harmony among co-workers.

It is a challenge to develop and sustain a spiritual life. Thus, it is one

of the challenges that we need to overcome. Although we can provide what
our body needs, there is also a need to nourish our souls through reflections.

You may have come across businessmen who have negative

reputation with their employees due to arrogance and stubbornness. This is
where some entrepreneurs fall short. Although there is a need to take the
business seriously, employees who feel unhappy in their work environment
are less likely to become productive.

From what I have learned from my father, it’s true that we must find
ways to support the needs of our family. But there comes a time when all
you want to do is to help others and not expect anything in return. You pray
that through the help extended to them, they too can become successful in
the future.

Here are some successful entrepreneurs who have inspiring and

interesting stories of their lives because of their struggles in the business
world.

Andriew Carnegie

Overall, there wasn't really an extremely challenging aspect of this

project. The hardest part was probably going into as much detail as possible
without being repetitive or monotonous. I tried to elaborate on my point as
much as possible and provide as much background information as I felt was
necessary, but at the same time attempted to interpolate different ideas into
the subject matter. Finding the balance between fascination and boredom on
the reader's part was the most difficult aspect of this project, but I feel
relatively confident that I successfully overcame that obstacle.

While it is impossible to be one hundred percent efficient with time

usage, I feel as though I did a good job of using my time wisely in class,
granted I did miss many of the work days we were afforded in school. Of the
time I was there, though, I believe that I did use my time effectively in
class. However, because I missed class so many days because of track
meets, most of my work was done outside of the classroom. About eighty-
ninety percent of this project was completed outside of class, mostly
because I missed class, but also because it is hard to stay focused in the
relaxed environment of the computer lab. Overall though, the cumulative
time I spent on competing this project was used quite effectively.
 There were not many surprises when it came to researching
information for this paper because I had already learned a plethora of
information about Andrew Carnegie through my history class this year.
However, I do find it very interesting that Carnegie gave back the majority
of the wealth he earned to help others. This was pleasantly surprising
because the majority of people become selfish with their wealth as they
accumulate it. While there are those that do give to charitable causes, no
one has ever given to the extent of Andrew Carnegie. He was so concerned
with benefiting mankind that he gave away almost all of the wealth he had
tirelessly worked to accumulate throughout his life, leaving him virtually
penniless upon his deathbed. This selfless act is what drew me towards this
subject, since it is such a massive diversion from what we experience today
in the modern world. I was also intrigued by Carnegie's work ethic and his
ability to overcome severe poverty in order to become successful.

Joyce Clyde Hall

Hall's early life was marked by a nearly constant struggle to

overcome abject poverty. His father, an itinerant preacher, abandoned his
family, leaving Hall and his two older brothers to provide for their semi-
invalid mother. He took his first job as a farm hand at age 8, and a year
later he was selling cosmetics and soap door to door for the California
Perfume Company (which later became Avon).

Just when success seemed to be within the brothers' grasp, disaster

struck. In 1915, just a few weeks before Valentine's Day, fire swept through
their warehouse, destroying their entire inventory of Valentine's Day cards
and leaving the brothers $17,000 in debt. "If you want to quit, that's a good
time to quit," Hall says of the calamity. "But if you're not a quitter, you
begin to think fast." And that's exactly what he did.

Encouraged by the success of this initial venture, the Hall brothers

expanded their card themes to include birthday wishes, anniversary tidings,
inspirational greetings and get-well messages. World War I added to the
brothers' success, as folks back home rushed to send "missing you" cards to
loved ones stationed overseas.

John Paul DeJoria

John Paul DeJoria is one of the great stories of achieving the

American Dream. Twenty years after being homeless, he was able to buy a
seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Along the way he built two iconic
companies. John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrón Spirits. Today, DeJoria
has a personal net worth of over $4 billion, but perhaps his most significant
contribution is his business philosophy, which is at the intersection of helping
the world, helping people individually and creating profit. All with a genuine
smile on his face. He’s definitely having fun. I recently sat down with
DeJoria.
 John Paul DeJoria give an advice that he’d like to tell everybody is
that there are two things. One, be prepared for a lot of rejection, people
saying “no” to the service or the product you want to sell. People saying,
“Oh, it's too difficult. I don’t to do it.” If you knock on 100 doors and they all
say “no,” on door 101, be just as enthusiastic. The second thing is that the
big difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that
successful people do all the things unsuccessful people don’t want to do.
Whatever business you're in, make sure the quality of your product is so
good that people will want to reorder or do business with you again. This
way you have sustainability, even though you may not have any money for
advertising.

Jan Koum

He developed an interest in computer programming at a young age.

He taught himself how to write codes without any formal schooling. He then
went on to work at Yahoo Inc. as an IT engineer. It was during his career
stint at Yahoo that he made friends with Brian Acton. His friendship with
Brian Acton led to the founding of Whatsapp. And the rest they say is
history. Who better to inspire you to kick start your life/business than Jan
Koum, the man who sold WhatsApp to Facebook for $19 billion. While some
of Koum’s story seems straight out of the Silicon Valley handbook, there are
some interesting deviations that may prove useful to the aspiring Master of
the Tech Universe. He already made some successful advice for the
entrepreneurs:

-Your background is not an excuse for failure in life

-School is overrated

-Details matter

-For serious thinking, grab the pen and paper

-Be a lifelong learner

-Don’t allow disappointment to overwhelm you

-Be passion-driven not money-driven

-A good product will advertise itself

Colonel Sanders

Sanders was born in 1890 in Henryville, IN. When he was six years old, his
father passed away leaving Sanders to cook and care for his siblings. In
seventh grade, he dropped out of school and left home to go work as a
farmhand. Already turning into a tough cookie. At 16, he faked his age to
enlist in the United States army. After being honorably discharged a year
later, he got hired by the railway as a laborer. However, he got fired for
fighting with a co-worker. While he worked for the railway, he studied law--
until he ruined his legal career by getting into another fight. Sanders was
forced to move back in with his mom and get a job selling life insurance. And
guess what? He got fired for insubordination. But this guy wouldn't give up.

After years of failures and misfortunes, Sanders finally hit it big. KFC
expanded internationally and he sold the company for two million dollars
($15.3 million today). Even today, Sanders remains central in KFC's
branding and his face still appears in their logo. His goatee, white suit and
western string tie continue to symbolize delicious country fried chicken all
over the world.

If you're overwhelmed by rejection or discouraged by setbacks,

remember the story of Colonel Harland Sanders. Fired from multiple jobs,
ruined his legal career, was set back by the Great Depression, fires and
World War II, yet still created one of the largest fast food chains in the
world. Sanders wouldn't let anything or anyone defeat him. We should all be
more like Colonel Sanders (besides the fighting and getting fired part).

Previously, I have shared with you the story of successful

entrepreneurs I have met. What is inspiring about them was that, despite
their struggles in life, they were able to build very lucrative businesses. This
does not happen every day to everyone. But probably because they have
strong faith, they were able to reach their dreams. Many have tried to start
their own business. Many have also failed. We may have a great concept in
mind, we may have the resources to start a business, but if we lack the
skills, then we are just wasting time and money. Success cannot be created
overnight. As I always say, it takes patience and perseverance before we
can see the fruit of our labor.

In most of my talks, I do not just focus on letting people understand

how to become entrepreneurs. Before delving into entrepreneurship, the
right mindset should be created a mindset that aims beyond one’s benefits,
but seeks to help others as well.

No business can succeed with a boss who is focused solely on

making his millions. When entrepreneurs acknowledge the worth of the
people who work for them, when they share their own blessings with their
staff, they will get back more than what they could have imagined.