Final Post

 

If you had one final lecture to share with a group of students on what you have learned from this course, what would you share?

I was so impressed with Tom Monaghan’s story that I read this week.  His story is what I would share.  I loved how he just decided to buy a pizzeria that was for sale called “Dominicks”.  After turning it into the most successful delivery pizza store, Dominick withdrew his permission to continue using his name.  A delivery driver helped him come up with the Dominos name.  How crazy is it that such a household name was born by a pizza delivery driver?  Isn’t that how so many successes begin, just by happenstance?    I was also very impressed with Tom Monaghan who read CS Lewis’s book called “Mere Christianity” he said, “he basically was telling me that the reason you work so hard and try to accomplish all you had was to have more. Not just more but more than other people and that hit me right between the eyes that I couldn't sleep that night.” (Monaghan)  I love CS lewis.  My father quoted him all the time, but I never knew anyone who took what he said to the extreme that Tom Monaghan did.  He used his money to start a university.  He even lives in a dorm.  I am so impressed with his story; I can’t stop thinking about it.  What is this quest to become rich?  Is it only to have more than others?  I am pretty set with my way of life.  I am very comfortable.  My desire is to have a cabin where we can enjoy a place to retreat on weekends with the family.  I also want to have not credit card debt.  I am not trying to have more than anyone else, just a few more things.  But maybe I just need to be satisfied with what I have and give away more.

What would be your last bit of advice to someone wanting to begin the entrepreneur journey?  I would tell them to find their passion and pursue it.  Nothing more wasted in life than someone to afraid to pursue their dreams.

What words of advice, direction, or caution would you give him or her if you had only one chance to give your own last lecture?  I would advise them to keep their day job until they have enough to support themselves.  Work hard and be prepared to work even harder.  Get educated.  I loved the example of Randy Haykin and how he began his entrepreneurial career by first getting the formal education, then going out in the business world and working for some of the biggest companies and learning all he could from them, discovering what is lacking, and then branching out on his own.