Conrad Hilton

A biography

Known for his hospitality and honesty, he changed the face of hotels of North America.

Christmas day, Conrad Hilton was born. Gus hilton, his father, had much say in his town. He bartered and had a hand in any business in the little towns they lived in. Mary Hilton was his mother, and built a deep devotion in him. Both these people instilled a sense of drive and passion in doing well inside of Conrad. Conrad worked in his father's general store, and learned how to run a business himself.

Conrad grew into a strappingly handsome young man, and went into politics. His father didn't think it was a good idea. After his term was over, he kept some values of his work experiences. He tried his hand at many different things, and decided to start a bank.

Hilton started a bank on $1000.00. It failed miserably. He was now 29 years old, and he thought he'd have to go work for his father. But as it turned out, 1918 presented the World War I. Conrad was posted in Paris and found his job extremely enjoyable. But while he was in Paris, his father died, and he had to return to pay his respects.

Conrad went to Texas in 1919 with $500.00. He stayed at a hotel that had to turn people away. It brought in over $2000.00 a week, and Conrad bought it. He went on to buy more and more hotels. Customers got a bargain, and conrad got a profit. Business grew and grew. Conrad Hilton thought up the name "Minimax" mininum dollars, for maximum enjoyment.

Conrad went to church religiously, and there he met Mary Barron - his wife.

At age 40, he was a well known, wealthy man. But at this time, depression took hold. He lost everything except the El Paso Hilton Hotel. He refused to lose another penny. He tightened his belt and cut costs. He persevered through hardship and refused bankruptcy. As the nation recovered from the depression, Hilton's efforts revived and his image were stronger than before. People trusted him, because he was the one who was strong.

Conrad, after this, went to the west coast. He saw opportunity where others saw disaster. He was able to utilize the events around him to get on top of things. He was married to Jaja - a young hungarian actress, hoping to stike it rich. After this, Hilton even tried to go after the Plaza! But he decided against it.

Hilton's worth was estimated over 1 million dollars. He would bargain hard, but would never attempt to cheat someone. As hard as he worked, he had to play as well. He believed in the power of prayer. He created a name for himself that was amazingly well-known. He died at age 91 and left a legacy behind. He worked for the betterment of all, and had fun doing it. His legacy was to see that everyone that needs to be helped, can be.

I never knew about Conrad Hilton and his life. I admire it actually! Its much different than Paris Hilton's life. Everyone knows what Paris Hilton's life looks like. I mean, it's not even partially the same as Conrad's. Conrad has such a good heart and wanted everyone to be a little rich. He couldn't make that happen, but that was his heart. And thats what I like about him.

The Home Depot

Home Depot

The people originally behind Home Depot:

Bernie Markus - Jewish. Father was a carpenter. Taught him that you have to have money. You can't live without it. His service strength and cheerleading skills were inspirational to employees. Learned how to learn from other's stories of success and failure.

Arthur Blank - Lived with less in life. Father died when Arthur was 14. He played offense and defense in football. Got straight A's & senior class president. Was a jock and played a strong game. Had strength and organization.

Ken Langone - gave 2 million to the entrepreneur's idea and owned 70% of the company. He had the finances and knew how to get the money to support the good idea.

Pat Fareth - Came up with the idea of Home Depot essentially, but failed to run his own company. He ended up going bankrupt, and the young company hired him. He became in charge of marketting. He knew how to sell.

Home Depot was successful because the owners listened to the reviews of the customers. They took the customer's advice for a better run company. They tapped into a new trend of "do it yourself" thinking. They had good product. Low prices. Efficient brands. Home Depot was an idea hatched in a coffee shop that thrived. The people working were kind and helpful, and had so much fun, that they didn't feel like going home after the long day. Price, Assortment and service defined Home Depot.

So what? What does all this information on Home Depot actually say between the lines? Well, what it means to me, is that if you run a company that caters to people's wants and needs, and being courteous and helpful about it - chances are that people will come back. They kept on developing the idea of this wonderful company, even though it was inconvenient for them and they didn't like it.

Martha Stewart

The drive and the ability to do a job well is how Martha Stewart is defined. Martha Stewart was born just out of the great depression. World war two was coming to an end, and her father taught her how to garden well. She learned how to clean and cook very well from her mother. She didn't seem to be interested in playing with dolls, or other things children liked to do. She much preferred to cook and help her mother.

When she was schooling age, she aced everything she put her head to. She was excellent especially at art. She excelled through highschool and was one of the only girls who went into advanced mathematics.

She heard that she could get into modelling, and got an amazing job getting paid $15/hour. She also pulled together the prom with her father in 1959. Upon graduation, She recieved a scholarship to Barnard College and continued to model to make a living through college. In 1961, martha was living in New York and learned how to utilize work as her relaxation ethic.

She had fallen in love with a man named Andy Stewart. So she married him, and dropped out of college. She worked full time to get Andy through law school. After he had finished and they both travelled the world together, she went back to Barnard, and trained herself to take care of both of them. She became pregnant and her modelling career became slack.

1968 - 1971 Marth was commanding a six-figure salary working as a broker. She and her husband moved from the city and moved to Westport, and bought a old farm house. They transformed the old farmhouse into a beautiful place. She built up her reputation of an excellent hostess. She successfully created a catering business. Unfortunately, she lost her temper, and stuck to her perfectionism. A lot of her employees couldn't take it.

When her and her husband celebrated the release of one of his books, a publisher loved her food and presentation so much that he wanted to publish a cookbook for her. After "Entertaining. By Martha Stewart" was released, her career took off.

The more she got into her business, the more she fell away from her family. Her husband left and divorced her, and her daughter went off to college. She lost touch with her mother and her siblings as well.

She lived through her mistakes and continued to run her empire. She is now worht 638 million.

From Martha Stewart's life so far, I can learn that you can surround yourselves with interesting and successful people, and learn from them. I also learned that you can incorporate skills and passion into a career that gets you far. By making smart moves, you can build an empire for yourself... Love comes first. Whether thats referring to your spouse, to your children, or to your other immediate family and friends. Integrity and honesty come next in line. I think if you maintain those key elements, you can have the success you seek.

The apprentice

As soon as the show opens, the teams change around players, and the game has changed from the inexperienced against the experienced to the battle of mixes. Magna and Networth go head to head, seeing who can auction off different levels of interaction with a celebrity, by holding an 11 minute on-air auction for the opportunities.

John, takes it upon himself to pitch the ideas. He presents it to them in such a way, that he's rude toward the girls... He steps over them, and cuts them off when they try to say something, or try to help to put thier two cents in.

Both teams came up with ideas on how to raise the most funds for AIDS research, but they had all these pre-concieved ideas, that even if the artists would have had better ideas for making more money, they would have not been heard by the young apprentices.

Both teams did a great job. Net worth raised $11,000 and Magna raised $21,000. By presenting the option of them putting their own ideas into the hat, Magna scored higher by having the artists interested in donating money personally.

Net worth is sent to the conference room, and one person must be fired. Chris - the team manager, chooses to bring John and Erin back with him to the conference room. In the conference room, Chris is confronted about not managing the jobs well enough, but in the end, John's inability to pitch a good offer got him fired.

This episode has taught me that I need to keep the options open for God to actually use a situation. Also the leader wasn't delegating the jobs to people's ability. He delegated the main job to a friend. You know the statement "It's nothing personal - its just business." Well, this time it was everything personal and nothing business. I think that was a huge mistake that thankfully did not get him fired, but at least he knows for next time.

Mike Kind - The Last Lecture

Key # 1. If you learn from someone else's mistakes, you can learn from failure. It's how you respond to the failure. Failure IS the key to success in almost every situation.

Key # 2. Opportunities are vast and unlimited, so keep your eyes open! Observe and stay alert for new ways of doing things. Be open to a "Eureka!" moment.

Key # 3.Refine and define an idea. Transform it from a good idea to a great idea - that works! Fix a problem or a glitch that people have gotten used to.

Key # 4. Increase the cirle that influenced you for the better. Spend time with people that sow wisdom into your life. You can learn from thier experience. You can grow from taking advice and go further faster.

Key # 5. Think Rocky Balboa. Do not quit. When you've tried everything - take it and learn from it. Never throw the towel in.

Key # 6. Don't stop learning. Your brain needs to be trained just like the rest of your body. If you stop working out, you get weak and incapable of endurance. Stop learning - you get more and more incapable of learning. You can learn something new every day.
***** ***** ***** *****

The one key that stands out to me the most is to increase your circle of influence. I have experienced success in this area already. I always find that when I sit down with one of my mentors, I leave encouraged, a little wiser, and a little more confident than when I first came in. Its all fine and dandy to spend time with friends - preferably the one equipped with a better attitude, but you need to schedule in time with people you admire and look up to. I would encourage anyone, that when you find someone you admire, to get into a friendship with them. Have them influence you for the better. It really helps. Trust me.

The Apprentice

The show opens, and there is so much conflict between the team of apprentices, and nobody can find common groud. There is a lot of problems with one of the women, Audrey. She brought some personal problems to the show, and they are biting her in the butt. The challenge of building a miniature golf course is presented to the two teams by Mr. Trump, and they head out on their ventures.

Audrey turns out to convince her team "Net worth", that she is strong enough to be project manager, and begins to put people in charge. She has made a decision not to make any decisions so that is anything went wrong, she could point the finger. She would not give clear direction. In the end, the team made just over $300.00.

The other team, "Magna" is run smoothly and clear direction is given out. They marketted wisely and got a lot of attention. The team successfully made over $500.00.

Heading to the board room, "Net Worth" gets a little "ratted out" for their low presentment of the business. Audrey, Craig, John and Angie argue and defend themselves. Audrey blames and points the finger away from herself. Audrey is fired, and the team is down one person.

I learned from this that teamwork and excitement for the job are very important. Leaders and managers must be passionate about the program - so passionate that she could have picked up the slack. She needed to take responsibility for the downfall of the project.

Eswaldo

Master Moves is a product that balances you, builds muscle and tones your whole body with one move. Eswaldo has come to try and get $300,000 for 30% of the business.

He came in with no experience, but only the ability to sell the product. All the dragons thought that the investent asking was too high a risk. His evaluation was way off. All of them had ducked out, and as Eswaldo walked away, one of them offered $300,000 for 100%.

I don't know if that would be an offer worth accepting, but I personally would invest in it, simply because it looks like a great product. I would firstly want to see how much bark is behind the bite in this fitness breakthrough before I invested in it.

Uro Club

Dr. Floyd Seskin is trying to get support for the "uro-club". The "uro-club" is a device that helps older men relieve their bladder pressure on the golf course. He wanted to get $25,000 at 51%. He had sold 3000 of these "uro-club".

One of the sharks decided he'd offer Floyd 70% for $25,000. Floyd was happy with the offer, because he simply wanted the product to be out there. He is a doctor, he doesn't need the money, he just wants to see something in his life, spread its wings and fly.

Uro-club is still successful, surprisingly to me. It has no relation to me, so I would not have invested in it.

Pork Barrel Spice Rub

Brett Thompson & Heath Hall

Pork Barrell is a barbeque sauce company run by these two men, who are also politicians. 50k for 10% was their initial offer. However, their first concern would be their initial job, not the company. They were hard working, but spread thin. All but one of the sharks ducked out of offering anything at all because of these reasons.

The last shark standing offered 50k for 50%. Both accepted the offer. I honestly don't think that they would have gotten another offer, and they were willing to give it a shot.

I wouldn't have offered to support them. I don't honestly think their heart was in their product, and they wouldn't invest everything they had nor take risks for the sake of the product. They didn't have enough passion to impress me.

Trends

Trends

Top 10 Trends:

Economic turmoil
Green Power
The Senior Market
Discount Retail
Local business
Education
Parental Outsourcing
Health and Wellness
Texas
Affordable Alcohol

Education


Education is a very important step in any individuals life. With the stress on the economy, many people are choosing to upgrade in order to get better paying jobs in order to be more successful. With close to 12 million people enrolled in post secondary education the future is looking promising. Enrollment at less expensive junior colleges, trade schools and online universities is also on the rise, particularly since student loan financing is still in short supply. Education is also a great investment in the future as it is always needed. Their will always be students to teach.

Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture.

Randy Pausch's last lecture was interesting, and a messy array consisting of words of wisdom - armed with a successful name behind his advice. He talked about the importance of being happy, and having fun while learning. He compared this to asking the crowd whether they were a "tigger or an Eeyore". He mentioned that arrogance was a limiting factor - a thing that he learned from experience earlier on in his life.

He told the class listening that you need to listen to what your mentors and teachers say, and you also need to pay attention to what your friends, and fellow students say to you and about you. One thing that I thought was awesome was how he said that every brick wall is a chance to prove your determination. He said that we needed to raise the bar higher for ourselves and keep trying.

2 Pizza, 1 Pop, and 1 Home made cookie - $4

During our entrepreneurship week project, of selling 2 slices of pizza, a can of pop and a homemade cookie - all for four dollars, we had so much success. It was so much fun, and we all learned how to cooperate with eachother. I learned that through teamwork, and people working with you armed with a good attitude - you can overcome any problem that comes up. The team was willing to reposition themselves so that they could bring success to the whole team. It was a blessing working with them, and something I won't soon forget.

TOMS Shoes - A History

TOMS shoes was founded on the idea to help others. Children in Argentina don't have shoes to protect their feet. Blake Mycoskie decided to do something about it. He wanted to create a shoe popular in argentina called the "alpargata" and sell it in the United States, and eventually all over the world. With every shoe bought, he intended to give one to a person in need.

Without having to sell his product, the concept of the product sold the product itself. The newspaper started the TOMS buzz, and the internet carried it. Word of mouth was the strongest, and continues to be the key advertising trick for TOMS shoes. If you would like to support the cause, you can go to their website at www.toms.com

Arnold - 3 things we can learn.

There are three things we can take from the life of Arnold Schwarzeneger.

Arnold supported many foundations and kept himself focused on what was really important to him. He brought his family to set and always put them first. From this, I learned that you can keep your priorities straight, even if you're in the world.

Arnold also promoted health and fitness in schools where students were affected because it was overlooked. He was the number one icon and example of a healthy body and mindset. He is an excellent example and role model for me to keep pushing, even if it seems impossible.

Arnold set the standard for pushing for your dreams as well. He had extremely humble beginnings, and fought for what he wanted in life - to be the strongest, and to be an actor. He kept fighting past the hurdles of a hard and "future-less" life. He proved everyone wrong by succeeding at everything he said he would.

The Foldio

Christian Lane came looking cfor an investment of 30,000 pounds for 15% for a company named "Foldio". A product that holds a big peice of paper folded, but leaves no fold marks behind. Only two dragons stayed in. One offered 80,000 for 35% for support and mentorship from the investor himself.

3 ideas come out of this product presentation:

1. Every idea is good.
2. Homework is important.
3. Mentorship is key.

This guy was only 19 and got approximately 200,000 dollars for this idea that turned out good.

Element Bars

The entrepreneur who makes Element bars - a natural energy bar made with regular ingredients came to the Shark Tank. He asked for $150 000 investment for 50% of the business. He went for giving up 30% of his business for a licensing agreement where he gets 4% of sales and $150 000 for investment.

The funny thing was, that he went back and forth with the sharks. He negotiated with the sharks and refused every offer, until the last one was re-made. He knew his product was valuable and decided the last offer made was worth it.

Streamline Fitness

A high-end, sophisticated gym, dedicated to helping you achieve your fitness goals. Enthusiastic trainers, high-end equipment, and a postive surrounding atmosphere will encourage growth, perseverance, and determination. There will be a tanning salon, a supplements and juice bar, sauna and a massage therapy option located inside the gym. There will be an optional "women's only" side to the gym as well.

This gym will not be open to public without a $30.00 drop in fee. This is a members-only area, dedicated to your success. The monthly membership can range anywhere from $50.00 - $100.00/month. We will be in association with nutritionalists and physiologists so that we can work with the injured or medically impaired clients.

Ray Kroc

The ultimate competitor in the food industry was Ray Kroc. He was born in 1902 and his first business ventures were lemonade stands, grocery stores and soda fountains. In grammer school all he cared about was making money - and he jumped at the chance to join the army during World War II. He trained, but the war ended soon, so he went back home, and at the prompting of his parents - went back to school. But he only returned for one semester.

In order to get his father's permission to marry his love - Ethel, he began to sell paper cups. He also found work at a local soda fountain. He conviced them to use his paper cup, so people could bring a soda home, and he was right. It revolutionized the face of the soda fountain.

Work was everything to ray after this, and he barely made time for his family. He left the paper cup business and went into milkshake machines. His business slowed over time, but one restaurant continued to order these machines. He flew out to California and went to meet the men of McDonalds.

The McDonald brothers revolutionized fast food. They created an assembly line like that of FORD. Every burger was the same. No questions asked. Kroc joined the team, and thought he could open franchises for them, making more money for their great business model. At 52 years old he made the cover of American Restaurant Magazine. He sold 18 franchses and kept 1% of the sales; giving the McDonald brothers only 0.5%.

In 1951, he ended his marriage with Ethel. He married a woman named Jane out of convenience and continued to make money. He wanted more control of franchises and sought out new locations. He always looked where there were churches. Where there were churches, there were good families - the perfect customers. He bought McDonalds from the brothers for 2.7 million. He then utilized TV commercials for the business.

Later on, he found his absolute true love, divorced jane and married Joan - the woman of his dreams. He then used his money to start a scientific medical research company and bought the San Diego Padres baseball team. He suffered many strocked and in 1984 - died at age 81

McDonalds was mostly into the real estate business - not necessarially all wrapped around the food industry. The company developed an innovative food production and delivery system. Ray Kroc wanted to make sure everyone got good value - essentially what they deserved.

Dream Maker Lottery

This is the quick informational speech I will be giving while trying to sell tickets for the car Sardis Secondary is drawing for.

"Hi there! I'm here on behalf of Sardis Secondary Highschool supporting our Dream Maker Lottery. We're raising funds for the dreams of our graduating students this year. You will be able to help students go for post-secondary education by providing more scholarships and bursaries to them. We also have many grads who cannot afford to even go to their own graduation banquet. Honda has kindly donated a 2001 Acura EL, and we are selling tickets for it. All the proceeds will go straight into our graduation legacy fund. The draw date is June 8th. We would really appreciate your support with this."

Shark Tank!! 2nd Attempt

Jeff Wolsky went to the sharktank for a swim. He asked the sharks if they would invest $75,000.00 in expanding his existing business - making bobblehead dolls available in a mall kiosk. He did not however inform the sharks that he had an existing online business, selling the bobbleheads already.

The sharks first accused him of being guilty of hiding his online business from them, and few of them opted out for this reason. Information and numbers were asked about this business, and he wouldn't give exact count for what it made - he would only give the answer "Between five and six hundred thousand a year."

After the offer for $125,000.00 for 20% was presented, Jeff almost accepted until the other sharks sent him out of the room to deliberate.

The sharks came up with a plan to give him $100,000.00 and 20% of the business. Jeff declined. After the offer was declined, the last shark offered once more $125,000.00. Jeff countered the offer and asked for $100,000.00 with only 7% of the business. The last shark finally ducked out, and Jeff was sent home.

What I don't understand is why he couldn't use his company's money to expand. He was called greedy and he called the others greedy right back. In reality, he was greedy. He wasn't willing to risk any of his other business for the new one. He refused every offer, and walked out the door empty handed.

His online business is still thriving, but the kiosks never really took hold. This was probably a good thing - considering a lot of money would have been lost from the sharks when it could have gone to a better place.

Top 100 Businesses

West Jet:
West Jet lets employees share in the company's success with a profit-sharing plan and helps them save for retirement with matching RSP contributions.

West Jet offers employees a variety of great financial benefits, including reduced airfares for employees, friends and family as well as preferred hotel and car rental rates.

West Jet also encourages employees to advance their careers within the company, with a formal career development program, career mobility workshops, and an annual "career mapping" event that helps employees learn more about WestJet's different departments.

Canada Safeway Ltd:Safeway manages a share purchase plan that all employees are eligible to join
helps pay tuition fees for employees pursuing further studies related to their current position (to $4000/year).

They subsidize the cost of memberships to a nearby fitness facility, and provides onsite shower facilities for employees who ride their bikes to work. They also maintain an onsite nap room for employees who need a break during the day. :)

ATB financial:
ATB financialsubsidizes the full cost of tuition for employees completing courses at outside institutions (with no annual maximum).

They encourage employees to pursue professional accreditation with financial bonuses (to $500) upon successful completion.

They help employees prepare for retirement with retirement planning workshops, and phased-in retirement work options.


University of Alberta Teacher:
UFA operates subsidized onsite daycare facilities for employees with young children, in addition to an offsite daycare subsidy of $2000 per child.

UFA gives employees free memberships to its onsite fitness facility, which includes a climbing wall and running track. They also help employees transition to retirement with phased-in retirement work options, and financial planning assistance.

Vancity:
Vancity lets employees "purchase" extra vacation days in exchange for reduced coverage under their flexible benefits plan.

They support alternative work arrangements, including flexible hours, telecommuting, shortened work weeks and 35-hour work weeks (with full pay).

Vancity bank provides generous tuition subsidies (to $2,400 each year) as well as a variety of in-house training programs to help employees continue their education.

Dave Thomas

In 1932 in a time when 13 million were unemployed, Dave Thomas was born in Atlanta City. Being born out of wedlock, he was adopted 3 months later by a young couple. At 5 years old his adoptive mother - the only mother he knew, died. It was now up to his father to raise him. His father took him to restaurants for meals every night. They moved to oakridge when Dave was 12 years of age - in the second world war. He was hired on at a local drugstore "Wall Greens" but fired soon afterward. Wanting to prove his value to his father, he applied for a job at a restaurant. In order to be hired on as a part of the staff, he had to lie about his age.

Stating that he was 16 years old - he was hired. He had a dream about starting his own chain of restaurants. At 15 years old he moved to Fort Wayne and lived at the YMCA, getting a job at the Hobby House Restaurant.

During the Korean War, rather than waiting for the the draft, he volunteered for the U.S. Army to have some choice in assignments. Having food production and service experience, Thomas requested the Cook's and Baker's School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was sent overseas to Germany as a mess sergeant and was responsible for the daily meals of 2000 soldiers. He later attributed his success in fast food to this experience in feeding large groups. Thomas was honorably discharged in 1953, with the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Before and after Thomas' Army enlistment he worked at a restaurant owed by the Clauss family, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During that time, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder, Col. Harland Sanders, came to Ft. Wayne to find established restaurants to buy franchises from him. At first, Thomas, who was the head cook of the restaurant, and the Clausses declined Sanders' offer, but the Colonel persisted and the Clauss family franchised their restaurant with KFC and later also owned many other KFC franchises in the midwest. During this time, Thomas worked with Sanders on many projects to make KFC more profitable and to give it brand recognition. Among other things Thomas suggested to Sanders that were implemented; reduce the number of items on the menu, focusing on a signature dish, and introduced the trademark sign featuring a revolving red-striped bucket of chicken. Thomas also suggested Sanders make commercials that he appear in himself. Thomas was sent by the Clauss family in the mid-1960's to help turn around four ailing KFC stores they owned in Columbus, Ohio. By 1968 he had increased sales in the four fried chicken restaurants so much that he sold his share in them back to Sanders for more than $1.5 million. This experience would prove invaluable to Thomas when he began Wendy's about a year later.

Thomas opened his first Wendy's in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. (This original restaurant would remain operational until March 2, 2007, when it was closed due to lagging sales.)[5] Thomas named the restaurant after his eight-year-old daughter Melinda Lou, whose nickname was Wendy, stemming from the child's inability to say her own name at a young age. According to Bio TV, Dave claims himself that people nicknamed his daughter "Wenda. Not Wendy but Wenda. So one day, I looked at her and said...'I'm going to call it Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers'."[6]

In 1982, Thomas resigned from his day-to-day operations at Wendy’s. However, by 1985, several company business decisions, including an awkward new breakfast menu and loss in brand awareness due to fizzled marketing efforts caused the company’s new president to urge Thomas back into a more active role with Wendy's. Thomas began to visit franchises and espouse his hardworking, so-called “mop-bucket attitude.” In 1989, he took on a significant role as the TV spokesman in a series of commercials for the brand. Thomas was not a natural actor, and initially, his performances were criticized as stiff and ineffective by advertising critics. By 1990, after efforts by Wendy's agency, Backer Spielvolgel Bates, to get humor into the campaign, a decision was made to portray Thomas in a more self-deprecating and folksy manner, which proved much more popular with test audiences.[8] Consumer brand awareness of Wendy's eventually regained levels it had not achieved since octagenarian Clara Peller's wildly popular "Where's The Beef" campaign of 1984. With his natural self-effacing style and his relaxed manner, Thomas quickly became a household name. A company survey during the 1990s, a decade during which Thomas starred in every Wendy’s commercial that aired, found that 90% of Americans knew who Thomas was. After more than 800 commercials,[1] it was clear that Thomas played a major role in Wendy’s status as the country's third most popular burger restaurant.

Thomas, realizing that his success as a high school dropout might convince other teenagers to quit school (something he later admitted was a mistake), became a student at Coconut Creek High School. He earned a GED in 1993. He later earned an honorary membership of Duke University's Sigma Phi Epsilon. Thomas was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1999.

Thomas was a Freemason, and a member of the Shriners. He was also an honorary Kentucky colonel, as was former boss Colonel Sanders.

Thomas was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003.

Thomas died at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a decade-long battle with liver cancer. He was buried in Union Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. At the time of his death, there were more than 6,000 Wendy's restaurants operating in North America.

Education and Creativity

Creativity in education should be just as important as education itself, and should be treated with the same respect.

We should approach life and creativity as a child. Kids aren't frightened about being wrong. If you're not prepared to be wrong, you won't come up with anything original.

Education came into line with the need of industrialization. Since we needed higher paying jobs, we needed more education to get these jobs. It's skyrocketed so much that kids go and get degrees, and sit at home playing video games.

If we actually paid attention equally to all sides of education and creativity, we could revolutionize not only the face of education, but the world around us.

Itelligence is:
Diverse - Different for everyone. It's suited to who they are as a person.
Dynamic - There is interaction in the brain happening and creating brand new ideas.
Distinct - We have our own trademark on our work.

We need to evenly mix the creative side of education that the majority of people disregard. If we did this, I can only begin to imagine what kind of doors would open and what kids of possibilities could take place.

A Healthy Organization

After entrepreneurship class today, we were asked to give a statement saying what we thought a healthy organization looked like. After looking through many definitions my friend and I were able to come up with a pretty good definition.

"A healthy organization is an efficient, growing company, offering quality products in a motivated and professional environment."

Thats my definition. :0)

The Hunks and the Foxes.

College Hunks Hauling Junk has been a successful business in the United States. The two young entrepreneur's that stood behind and brought this company, also recently came up with a new business idea: "College Foxes Packing Boxes." They brought this business idea to the show "Shark Tank" to see if they could get some support. However, after the offers were made, they decided that sacrificing different amounts of portions of their two businesses just wasn't worth the support.

The fact is, everyone has junk that either needs to be packed or hauled away. They chose a very normal need to cater to. Their attitude for success, and bright marketting catchphrases throw them far as well.

These businesses can teach me that anything is possible for anyone. It doesn't matter if you're young or old. If you have a clever idea, you should put confidence and drive into what you believe in. They have learned to look like a strong business as well.

Going onto a international show such as "Shark Tank", these guys actually advertized more than they lost in offers. They sparked huge media attention to both company's, but actually, they created more attention for "College Hunks Hauling Junk". I think that even though the "College Foxes Packing Boxes" idea didn't catch on like they wanted, they didn't lose anything with "College Hunks Hauling Junk" in the end. I believe they won. They knew the risk of the businesses catching on, and were looking for a better offer. They knew thier limit and worked within it.

Sam's Wal-Mart

Sam Walton is often reffered to as a "bargain billionaire". He sold things cheaper than his competitor retailers - much cheaper. He was born in the dust bowl and grew up in the depression - learning to value the dollar and avoid unnecessary costs. He sold milk for his family after school every day. As he graduated into college with honors at the top of his class he was often referred to as "the hustler" because he had a knack for making money. He always had a classic leadership resume.

After college he began working in retail and studying it closely. He learned a way to capture the attention of customers by energetic service and dedication to the best price. After getting married he opened his own store and tried his hand in the retail business. He understood that a large amount of a very small number increased the number itself. Sam was simple and after many trials and heartaches of opening stores and yet falling deeper into debt, he finally opened a store double the size of his original locations and chose the no-thrills name "Wal-Mart". Sam watched his rivals continuously - was was the "stealth retailer". He was also the shrewd politician. He knew to to react in order to get a reaction.

Sam died on April 5th, 1992 and left behind him a legacy of low prices. He worked hard, believed in himself, outdid his competitors and put himself in the right place at the right time.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple and Pixar Studios. His fist story is about his life. His young single mother put him up for adoption, but would only sign the papers when his adoption parents promised that he would go to college. When it came to the time of his college, he dropped out. Seeing that he was draining his parents money on college classes that he could find no interest in, he could no longer see the value of it. He fought to make ends meet, and eventually got into a calligraphy class, which was the spark that created Apple.

He was successfully making money in business with Apple productions, and then all of a sudden he was fired. At 30 years old, he was free to go into new things. He created a new program called Pixar, and Nex. Pixar is one of the most successful animation studios ever. Apple bought Nex, and he was back working in Apple.

A year ago, he was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. The doctors told him to go home and get his affairs in order. However, when they examined it more carefully, they were relieved to find that it was a simple enough cancer to cure. When faced with death, he was able to realize that he still loved what he did.

This man has had many close calls, and took a lot of risks. He remained hungry for adventure, and kept dreaming big. He lived like life was running out and never gave up or settled for anything.

Three Key Statements:
"Trust your gut. Even if it will lead you off the well-worn path. You'll understand it when you look back."
"Keep looking. Don't settle."
"Don't waste your time living someone else's life."

"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They already know what they want to do. Everything else is secondary."

SHARK TANK!

Entrepreneurship class today was very interesting. We watched an episode of the popular show "Shark Tank". This is a show where entrepreneurs bring in business ideas, present them to investors, and wait to either being shot down, or supported under conditions. A man named Todd Wilson came in with what was left of a failing business in the food industry called Mr. Todd's Pies. He knew his information, and he recognized the potential in it. He was asking for $460,000 and he was willing to give up 10%. The biggest interest spark was when he informed the investors that he had McDonalds interested in selling his product.

The offer he took, was indeed the $460,000 but he also gave up 50% of his business. It was an offer worth taking for him. He wanted to see his business grow more than anything. He wanted to be personally successful - not just making wads of cash. This company was something he believed in and put his worth on. It made sense for him to actually go for the offer.

I would have asked for about 35% and I would have invested the full amount. He knew his facts, and he knew his information. He was passionate about his product, which means he knows how to sell it. I would have faith in Todd Wilson and *Mr. Todd's Pies.

Secrets Of Success - John D. Rockefeller.

John D. Rockefeller was an American industrialist. His success in the petroleum industry defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and ran it until he officially retired in 1897. As the need for Kerosene and gasoline grew, Rockefeller's wealth and prosperity soared. He became known as one of the richest men. He is often regarded as the richest person in history.

Someone worth over a billion dollar's advice should definitely be heeded. So what are his secrets to success? Well it all starts at a young age. Rockefeller's father taught him that he should always make the best of any deal. He also taught him to keep a record of every penny he spent and saved. Even at an early age, Rockefeller displayed an excellent mind for numbers and detailed accounting.

Rockefeller continued to account for every penny he spent and saved far into his career. His organization and accounting skills plus his ability to see past a deal into the best result, thrust him far into the world of business success. He was able to use the money he had made for medical research and for hospitals to be opened. Even though many would say he had success on his own strength, Rockefeller once stated "God gave me money". I guess he saw that none of his accomplishments would be possible without the grace of God.

It is extremely important that we take all advice from people who have had immense success above us. We can still see the evidence of Rockefeller's success today, and his advice is worth taking to heart and applying.

Destined for Success...

Today in Entre-101 class a Entrepreneur named Mike Kind came and told us how he got started into business ideas. One thing he said was to be original in our thinking and try to make a good idea work. He told us to dream big and believe in ourselves. As normal as advice as this is, it made me actually stop for a second and ask "Do I really believe in myself?" I had to think whether or not I really could foresee success for my future. I decided I better start getting more excited about not only dreaming big, but getting creative about what I actually want to accomplish by the time I'm old and decrepid. I want to be able to set a good example for my kids and my grandchildren - to live a life destined for success.

5 Words: One Person - Me.

There are 5 words to characterize me:

Dynamic - I am energetic and effective in what I do - I love striving for excellence.
Active - I am a very active person who enjoys pushing my body to its limit.
Born Leader - Leading comes naturally and is easy for me. I slide into that role, even when I don't mean to. Others look to me as the calm and composed leader of the group long before I recognize it.
Artistic - I enjoy singing, writing music and lyrics, and I enjoy other creative writing such as poetry and short stories. I love expressing myself and what I love about life in works of art.
Relational - I value close relations with others. Loving and caring for others comes naturally to me. I am faithful to maintain these relationships and hold these in high value.

Knowing these 5 greatest strengths will help me immensely in the future of my career and interests. <3

Strengths

"...Who Am I?"

Typing in the website www.oneishy.com I completed a personality test and to my surprise, the test proved that my dominant personality type was Phlegmatic - the introvert, the watcher and the pessimist. As I read down the key strengths of this personality type I was pleased to read that I was a calm, cool and collected character who mediates problems, avoids conflics and is good under pressure. I apperantly do not get upset easily, and I am easy to get along with. I also have high levels of compassion and concern. However, the weaknesses of this side of my personality is that I am fearful and worried easily. The results also say I am indecisive. All these things were true of me. I was actually very surprised with how legitimate the results were to me.
My secondary personality type was Choleric - the extrovert, the doer, and the optimist. I found this highly entertaining, because I can never actually find the balance of whether I like being around people all the time or not, or whether I am optimisitic or pessimistic. (I guess I'm both!) Strengths of being a Choleric person include being a born leader and able to handle a lot at a time. I am dynamic and active, and I have a need for change. I delegate the work, I insist on production and I make the goal. I also thrive on opposition and excel in emergencies. Weaknesses to manage for this personality type are impatience, bossyness, and anxiousness. I give answers too quickly and I get impatient with poor performance. I am also convinced that I can do everything better then everyone else.

One may look at these areas and cringe at the weaknesses to manage, but one way to grow from reading these results is not to ignore, nor dwell on the weaknesses, but develop your areas of strength the most. One would be wisely advised to manage the weaknesses, but to work with your strengths the most.

Instead of seeing that I'm an impatient, indecisive and anxious individual - I recognize that I have huge potential to be strong leader, who can resolve conflicts and oversee big projects and excel in finishing work properly.

How to kill the entrepreneurial spirit

In his article "How to Kill the Entrepreneurial Spirit" Larry Farrell confronted the issue of having an uneven excitement and enthusiam between the product and the consumer killing the results of the even the newest most exciting products. Farrell stated that "Entrepeneurs by necessity have an inseparable vision of customer and product." This makes sense because you have to connect the two. The process must be one that is not only thought up, but carried out effectively. We can't start a job, and not finish it. We have to put our heart and soul into something we believe in, and we have to also be willing to make sacrifices for it. We must make sure that we have the perfect balance of leadership skills and qualified employees who are good at what they do - not only getting excited about a product, but seeing it pull through.