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Destined or Doomed?

Article Overview: Jobs, Gates, Buffett, Turner, Wynn, Trump. Household names associated with very successful companies. Were there signs early on that foretold their future empires? This article offers a unique look at the names behind the men.

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Destined or Doomed?

As the world adjusts to Apple without Steve Jobs (again) and all the experts asses Job’s role, legacy, success and successor, it is interesting to note how telling his last name is. For one, he created tons of new jobs at Apple, Inc. But further, he focused on what customers are trying to do - what job they’re trying to get done - not how they are currently doing it. Apple, it seems clear, was not restricted by the status quo, which allowed it to introduce so many distruptive innovations, not just incremental inovations.

If this is true of Steve Jobs’ name, is it true of other business icons and leaders? Let’s look at other examples:

Bill Gates: Interestingly, a gate has a dual function. It let’s people in and keeps people out. Microsoft opened the world to personal computers. At the same time, it kept competitors out.

Steve Ballmer: Stepped in to a difficult role, succeeding the richest man in the world, with a partial goal to sooth the company like a balm after it’s founder stepped down. However, Ballmer’s style is anything but, “soothing, healing, or comforting.”

Ted Turner: Turned the world of television and news upside down and gave viewers another channel to turn to.

Warren Buffett: Through Berkshire Hathaway, provides investors a buffet of great investment opportunities.

Richard Fuld: Received numerous accolades in first half of the 2000s, only to watch Lehman Brothers collapse. Perhaps he had everyone fooled, or was himself fooled by his success and the subprime market.

Richard Syron: Ignored the sirens going off all around him at Freddie Mac warning him against taking on risky loans and practically killed the mortgage giant, losing $25B in Q3 2008.

Daniel Mudd: After losing 90% of Fannie Mae’s value, his name now truly is mud.

James Skinner: Sounds like Skinnier, which is an oxymoron for the fast food giant he leads. On the other hand, he did slow expansion and increased sales and increased profitability at McDonalds. And, they have introduced a “healthier” menu under his reign.

Fred Smith: With a very common and almost generic surname, he created a company that is almost as ubiquitous and is the generic term for overnight shipping.

Steve Wynn: Why do people think they can go to Vegas and beat the house, especially when the house is owned by a guy named “Wynn”?

Donald Trump: Always seems to think he has a Trump card to beat others. And he usually does. Again, why would someone gamble at a casino owned by a guy named Trump?

And perhaps my all-time favorite, Alexander Graham Bell. Is it coincidence that phones ring?

An honorable mention to William Hickey. He is not necessarily a household name, but the I love the fact that a guy named Hickey runs a company that makes vacuum-sealed bags (i.e. the require suction). I'm waiting for a CEO named Wells to take over one of the major gas companies.

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Article Tags: Apple, Ballmer, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, FedEx, Fuld, Gates, Microsoft, Steve Jobs, Syron, Trump, Turner, Wynn

About the Author: Nate Silverman
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Nate Silverman is a serial entrepreneur and experienced advisor to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and rapidly growing companies. During his career, he has reviewed many thousands of business plans as initial deal screener for investors and has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs seeking seed capital from angel groups. He has helped create or manage about 10 angel investor groups and founded a number of companies to help entrepreneurs. His latest endeavor is www.mba123.biz, which provides a uniquely focused education for small business owners than traditional MBA programs, for a fraction of the cost.

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