Lesson #3: Be a Dreamer
Lesson #3: Be a Dreamer
Millions of men around the world consider Hefner one of the luckiest men alive, and he agrees. “I’m the luckiest cat on the planet,” he exclaims. Less to do with luck than with having an entrepreneurial mind and fierce determination, Hefner knew as a teenager that he could achieve great things and he set out to do just that.
His Midwestern, Methodist home did little to stimulate his creative energies, forcing Hefner to escape into a world of music and movies that was more along the lines of the life he saw for himself. Hefner had no Hollywood connections, no publishing connections and no previous experience in the world of business. But, he had dreams that he was not just going to let slip by the wayside.
“First and foremost, see what it is you really want to do,” says Hefner. “Hold on to the specific dreams that you have and then stay focused on it.” He warns that one of the major problems for entrepreneurs is their loss of focus. It is essential that you strive towards your goals, or else motivation and focus will easily slip from your grasps. “We are handed a life by peers, parents and society; you can do that or follow your own dreams,” says Hefner. “Life is too short to be living somebody else’s dream.”
When Hefner first set out to launch Playboy, he only had $8,000 to his name. “You don’t start a national magazine with that kind of money,” he reflects. “Of course, I didn’t know that I couldn’t do that, so I went ahead and did it”. With just a table, typewriter and some letterhead in his home, Hefner set about creating the magazine. General manager, advertising director, and editor all in one, Hefner was undoubtedly dreaming big by thinking he could do this. But, when the first 50,000 copies immediately sold out, Hefner knew he was onto success. “The interesting thing is how one guy, through living out his own fantasies, is living out the fantasies of so many other people,” Hefner jokes.
He recognizes today that it was due more to his ability to dream up creative ideas than to any superior business sense that enabled him to succeed. “I’m fairy successful in business not because I’m a good businessman, but because I’m a very good entrepreneur,” says Hefner. “My skills are essentially marketing, editorial and creative. “It’s the products and services that I created that speak to people, the things related to my magazine and the company in my life. These are the things of which I’m proudest, and that I do best.”
Hefner believes that the rise of the Internet as a tool for business has enabled today’s generation to dream even bigger dreams than he ever could have. “The changes in technology make all things possible,” he says. “The opportunities are everywhere now.”
Lesson 3 Be a Dreamer
Like this article? Share it with your friends
“I’m a kid in the candy store,” says Hefner. “I dreamed impossible dreams. And the dreams turned out beyond anything I could possibly imagine.”
Millions of men around the world consider Hefner one of the luckiest men alive, and he agrees. “I’m the luckiest cat on the planet,” he exclaims. Less to do with luck than with having an entrepreneurial mind and fierce determination, Hefner knew as a teenager that he could achieve great things and he set out to do just that.
His Midwestern, Methodist home did little to stimulate his creative energies, forcing Hefner to escape into a world of music and movies that was more along the lines of the life he saw for himself. Hefner had no Hollywood connections, no publishing connections and no previous experience in the world of business. But, he had dreams that he was not just going to let slip by the wayside.
“First and foremost, see what it is you really want to do,” says Hefner. “Hold on to the specific dreams that you have and then stay focused on it.” He warns that one of the major problems for entrepreneurs is their loss of focus. It is essential that you strive towards your goals, or else motivation and focus will easily slip from your grasps. “We are handed a life by peers, parents and society; you can do that or follow your own dreams,” says Hefner. “Life is too short to be living somebody else’s dream.”
When Hefner first set out to launch Playboy, he only had $8,000 to his name. “You don’t start a national magazine with that kind of money,” he reflects. “Of course, I didn’t know that I couldn’t do that, so I went ahead and did it”. With just a table, typewriter and some letterhead in his home, Hefner set about creating the magazine. General manager, advertising director, and editor all in one, Hefner was undoubtedly dreaming big by thinking he could do this. But, when the first 50,000 copies immediately sold out, Hefner knew he was onto success. “The interesting thing is how one guy, through living out his own fantasies, is living out the fantasies of so many other people,” Hefner jokes.
He recognizes today that it was due more to his ability to dream up creative ideas than to any superior business sense that enabled him to succeed. “I’m fairy successful in business not because I’m a good businessman, but because I’m a very good entrepreneur,” says Hefner. “My skills are essentially marketing, editorial and creative. “It’s the products and services that I created that speak to people, the things related to my magazine and the company in my life. These are the things of which I’m proudest, and that I do best.”
Hefner believes that the rise of the Internet as a tool for business has enabled today’s generation to dream even bigger dreams than he ever could have. “The changes in technology make all things possible,” he says. “The opportunities are everywhere now.”
Lesson 3 Be a Dreamer
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. |
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 | ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Intro to M&A Integrity Guide Host Beneficiary Learn From Success 10 Ways To Go International |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||