Taking inspiration from others is, in many ways, the best path to success. You can either move through business blindly or learn from the lessons laid out for you. The good news is, there are many successful entrepreneurs to learn from, and all of them have found their ways using different methods. So, no matter where you’re at with your business, or where you started from, there’s something to learn from looking at others. Of course, there are endless figures you could turn to. The ones which speak to you more will vary from person to person. But, we’re going to look at three which have universal appeal to show you just how useful this method can be.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is a business inspiration to many. Though he passed in 2011, his legacy well and truly lives on. And, Job’s troubled background and personal struggles are what make him such an inspiration. He started life with adoption, and then went on to have various issues with schooling. While intelligent, he found it difficult to concentrate. He then dropped out of college after only six months.
That aside, he and partner Steve Wozniak started Apple in 1974, when Jobs was 21. Though far from the glamorous beginnings many of us imagine, it all began in a garage. With no funding behind them, the pair sold their belongings to pay for the venture. And, things didn’t hit it off straight away. Teething problems with manufacturing saw the two all but giving up until the 1990s when Jobs reinvented the company and made it what it is today.
Viatcheslav Kantor
With a net worth of $3 billion, Russian billionaire Viatcheslav Kantor is among the 34 top wealthiest men in Russia.Unlike the struggles of Jobs, business seemed to come easy for him from an early age. Even during his student years, he performed research for the gas supplier, NPO Spektr. After graduating, he opened a computer trading company, and then went on to manage a space laboratory! So, you see, success can come fast if you know where to look for it.
Now, Kantor boasts a wealth of titles, including Order of Friendship and Order of Honor. Ongoing participation in a variety of issues, including the fight to prevent a nuclear catastrophe, seem to be key to his success.
Sheryl Sandberg
And, of course, there are many inspirational female figures out there, too. One of the forerunners for the ladies is Sheryl Sandberg. Starting in the business world as Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sandberg is also the founder of Lean In. This non-profit organization funds the fight for women’s rights in the workplace and has made Sandberg a household name.
With regards to business inspiration, Sandberg is a fantastic example of taking what stands in your way and making something out of it. As a woman in the corporate world, she has faced criticism from every angle. Yet, she has used the criticism to become a major speaker on gender equality issues!
