No matter whether you are a neophyte in business, an entrepreneur or an expert in your field, never let it be said you cannot learn something new by looking back at those that have been successful.
Politicians look to past senators, governors and presidents like Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton for sage advice and ways to handle a crisis. For those in the computer field, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs provide support and wisdom. By looking to the past, you can make your present brighter and ensure a prosperous future.
Let us take a look at some of the people previously mentioned and show how their methods for success, fame and profits came about. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, and Apple founder Steve Jobs started from humble beginnings. Microsoft was founded in November 1976 and partnered with IBM in July 1980 to make sure all IBM systems carried Gates’ software, which led to the creation of Windows in November 1985.
Jobs founded Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976 and broke through several years later with the release of the Macintosh computer in 1984. When he left Apple in 1985, Jobs founded NeXT Computer that year and then bought The Graphics Group the following year. You may not have heard of The Graphics Group, but you may have heard the name the company eventually became: Pixar, makers of movies from the Toy Story series to Finding Nemo.
Gates and Jobs were heavily involved in the manufacture and marketing of their products, making the two into billionaires. When they reached the pinnacle of success, both went to work in charitable areas. Jobs’ best work came with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported health and education around the world. Both used their success and fame to advance the greater good in this world.
Bill Clinton was a little-known governor in Arkansas before his improbable run at the White House in 1992. He may have earned success and fame, both wanted and unwanted, during his two terms as president, but some of his best-known work came after he left Washington. The Clinton Global Initiative supports programs that deal with global health and crusading against poverty. Barack Obama, the nation’s current president, looks to the Clinton Global Initiative to support his humanitarian work, which involves programs to help out disadvantaged children.
On the other side of the partisan aisle in Washington, almost every conservative looks to Ronald Reagan for hero worship and idolation. Reagan is considered the father of the current conservative movement and his policies are copied to this day by most Republicans – and even a few conservative Democrats.
Many other examples exist for people to refer to on a daily basis. CEO Reed Cagle, the president of HEI Resources, believes in oil and gas exploration, drilling, development and production. As a resident of Colorado Springs, he has access to athletes that train at the United States Olympic facilities and athletes from the University of Colorado’s campus in that city. His charitable work is quite like those supported by Gates, Jobs and our nation’s presidents. It all involves looking into something you believe in with all your heart and soul and going after that dream.
Starting out in business? Look to your idol. Know. Study. You might be surprised at what you find out and the lessons you can use in the future.
Vijayraj Reddy
