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Hi I’m Evan Carmichael and welcome to a special video edition of Ask Evan. Today’s post is brought to you by American Express Canada. They have just launched an exciting new contest on their Amex for Business Canada Facebook Page where you can enter for the chance to win $10,000 and a consultation with Facebook Canada but I’ll talk more about that at the end of the video.

Today I’m going to answer a question from one of my readers, Ahmed, who asked for a recommendation on  my favourite books for strategic vision:

Evan,

Can you help by recommending books to me which talk about competitive intelligence or strategic vision?

Thanks for your concern.

Ahmed.

Thanks for the question Ahmed. If you haven’t already seen my page of my favourite books you should check it out!

My favourite book for strategic vision would be Radicals & Visionaries by Thaddeus Wawro. The book highlights the stories and advice from over 70 famous entrepreneurs. I’m a strong believer in modeling success so whatever challenges you’re facing right now with your business, there’s a good chance that at least one of these entrepreneurs had to overcome it as well.

Here are three of my favourite profiles that I hope you can learn from:

1) Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com

“Our vision is to be the world’s most consumer-centric company, where customers can come to find anything they want to buy online.”

If you’re looking for a visionary and someone who disrupted his competition, Jeff Bezos is a great person to model. At age 30, Bezos was already senior vice president at a Wall Street investment bank. He was making a six figure salary and was on the fast track to corporate success.

In 1994, he saw that the Internet was growing at 2,300% a month and wanted to capitalize on it by launching his own business. He made a list of 20 potential products to sell and settled on books. He realized that physical bookstores could only carry a limited amount of titles, giving him a huge advantage online. He launched Amazon.com in 1995 with over 1 million titles and called it “Earth’s Biggest Book Store.”

Today the company has over $34 billion in sales, thanks in large part to Bezos’ unrelenting vision to focus on customer satisfaction. He’s constantly monitoring trends and following his customers into new markets which have fueled the company’s growth.

2) Ray Kroc, McDonald’s

“The definition of salesmanship is the gentle art of letting the customer have it your way.”

Ray Kroc was a milkshake machine salesman and, as he approached his 50th birthday, had a successful career in sales by paying personal attention to his clients.

When he met with the McDonald brothers to sell them his milkshake makers he was impressed with how they ran their restaurant. He crafted a vision where they could go from a single location into a national chain. When they told him that they weren’t interested in doing it themselves, they sold their business to Kroc and let him run with it.

Today, McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast food company with sales of over $24 billion. To think that it all began with a single restaurant location that wasn’t even his to start with is a testament to the visionary qualities that Kroc possessed.

3) William Hewlett and David Packard

“What I’m most proud of is the fact that we really create a way to work with employees, let them share in the profits, and still keep control of it.”

Bill and Dave started their business with $538 in a small garage behind Packard’s house. They flipped a coin whether to call the company Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett.

As the business grew, they became known for the sensitivity they showed towards the people working for them. HP became the first company to offer flexible hours and profit-sharing. They gave their staff more autonomy and created open offices to break down barriers between management and employees. Their philosophies became known as the “HP Way” and have been used as a model for generations of companies since.

Today, Hewlett-Packard has revenues of over $126 billion and Hewlett and Packard are considered two of the most respected businessmen in the country. It all started with $538, a garage, a passion for tinkering with electronics, and a desire to build a company where everyone could take pride in what they were doing.

Summary

I hope that helps Ahmed! These are just a few of the stories that are highlighted in this book. There are over 70 profiles that you can draw inspiration and ideas from so I hope you go pick it up!

Thank you for joining me for another edition of Ask Evan. This post was brought to you by American Express Canada. Now I promised at the start of the video that I’d share with you the details about the Take Off With American Express Facebook contest. Here’s the deal. They’re looking to reward a Canadian business owner with a $10,000 cash prize and a 1 on 1 consultation with Facebook Canada to help reach more customers online.  To enter, all you have to do is visit their Amex for Business Canada Facebook page and tell them where you’d like to take your business. Good luck and stay tuned for the next episode!

Evan.

It’s been a while since my last video update (Graffiti Letters: Will Using Graffiti Hurt My Business? – Ask Evan) so I thought I’d share some of the new videos I’ve added recently profiling famous entrepreneurs and answering reader questions.

I’d love your feedback if you want to leave a comment below or ask a question!

Business Ideas: 3 Business Lessons From Visa Founder Dee Hock

Sales Training: Is Paying Salespeople Commission Only A Good Idea?

Make Money Online Selling Advertising

Should I Get A Job Or Start A Business?

Business Ideas – 3 Business Lessons From Calvin Klein

I’d love your feedback if you want to leave a comment below or ask a question!

It’s time to launch our latest famous entrepreneur profile, this time of Jean Claude Biver from the luxury watch company Hublot.

You can read the complete profile at http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5683/summary.php.

“The watch does not represent the indication of time anymore,” Biver once said. That is, in large part, thanks to the work of Biver. Watches – Biver’s watches – have become pieces of art for the wrist. They are eagerly sought after in many markets and making fast inroads in others. What makes them so different from the rest? How did Biver build a luxury lifestyle around a watch?

Vision: “One of the fundamental errors that new CEOs make when they take the helm is that they fail to build on the brand’s roots and foundations that are already there,” says Biver. “Instead, they try to start all over again. But when they do this, their brand becomes fragile – it doesn’t benefit from the foundation and strength that history provides.” To that end, Biver made it a point to build on the existing brands instead of remaking them. Creating a new fusion between old and new became his trademark, and a successful one at that. “The past became my friend and not my enemy,” he says. “The past provided credibility.”

Exclusivity: “I abused limited editions,” says Biver. “But they did not to any lasting damage and we had it corrected.” Despite his errors of one limited edition watch too many, Biver’s strategy of limited distribution created high demand, thereby adding to the appearance of luxury and exclusivity.

Branding: “The key is that marketing and branding success is never due to just one element,” cautions Biver. “The key is everything must be aligned. There must be total alignment between the message of your brand, between the product of your brand, between the communication of the brand and your distribution. If any of these are not in synch you will fail. If you have all these you have the tools to be successful, provided that what you produce has aesthetic emotion and appeals to your consumer.” Biver implemented a unique branding strategy that utilized strategic sponsorships that created a lifestyle image – a lifestyle that complimented that of Biver’s customer.

Investment: “I always tell my people now is the moment to invest, but in what?” asks Biver. “Invest in travel costs, in promotions, in research and development.” During the most recent recession, Hublot’s sales under Biver had dropped by 15% by November 2009. In comparison to the industry standard of 30%, however, Biver is considered to have been very successful. That is due in large part to the investments he put in while others were cutting back. “We have to carry on with our creativity, with innovation, our marketing investments and that’s it,” he says.

Adaption: Biver had the business sense to understand that not all markets had the same requirements and priorities, and that he would have to adapt accordingly if he wanted to be successful. He also knew that despite the fiercely competitive industry in which he found himself, competing brands could at times be found on the same side of the fight.

“Success brings satisfaction but it brings enormous obligation,” says Biver. “First of this is the obligation to share. Success belongs to everyone who helped you. You are the tip of the iceberg and your team is everything that you don’t see. Second, success must be transmitted to others to perpetuate and repeat this success. Third, your obligation is to stay humble because you never know what the next step of your life might be. You have success today but you might have defeat tomorrow. The Tibetans say when you have reached the top of the mountain, go on climbing.”

Again, you can read the complete profile at http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5683/summary.php.

What do you think of the Jean Claude Biver story? Are there any other famous entrepreneurs you would like to see profiled?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

I’m excited to announce the newest famous entrepreneur profile on EvanCarmichael.com: Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer.

You can read the complete profile here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5634/summary.php

“Now computers are a big business,” says Wozniak. “Sometimes I wonder, ‘Am I the master of the computer?’ When we talked in our club, computers were going to be so simple to use that everyone was going to be a master and be able to create whatever they wanted to. Now I feel like a slave sometimes. I have to do it their way. It wasn’t the feeling we were after in the first days.” Wozniak might not like the direction the IT industry is headed, but it is an industry he undoubtedly helped build. From a school prankster to a computer whiz kid, how did he build one of the world’s most recognized and beloved companies?

Experimentation: Wozniak loved designing and building computers. That is why, when one idea did not pan out, he was perfectly happy to go back to the drawing board and start over. He did not have hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he did have the creativity and patience to try new things, and to keep on trying when they did not work out.

Creativity: Wozniak is living proof that necessity is the mother of invention. When he had no money for new parts, he scrounged around for old ones or, even better, designed his computers with even less parts. He was skilled at making do with what he could and, indeed, found that Apple users would reward him for his creative simplicity.

Collaboration: Wozniak became a member of his high school computer club in order to share information and learn from others. If he needed a new code, he could ask another member. If he had a spare part, he would give it away to yet another member. It was this spirit of collaboration that was not only behind the launch of Apple, but that helped carry it through some of the company’s tougher days.

Improvement: When Wozniak was working well, he was a workaholic. His computers became his life, and he needed 100 percent concentration to make a design work. To that end, he knew that nothing he did would ever be perfect; the nature of the industry would mean he had to keep changing with the technology. To this day, he spends his time teaching youth in order to encourage their creativity that might just one day change the industry again – à la Wozniak.

Fun: Wozniak is a natural born prankster. For whatever the reason, he just could never help himself when he saw a good opportunity to play a trick on someone open up. But beyond the jokes, his fun nature spilled over into his work. He put subtlety and elegance into his products, without overcomplicating them with too many features. They were just advanced enough to make people think, but easy enough to understand, just like his pranks.

Wozniak is admittedly not as famous as the ‘other’ Steve (Jobs), but his contributions to the computing world, and now to the educational system, continue to push the realm of possibilities, and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and geeks alike.

Again, you can read the complete story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5634/summary.php

What do you think of the Wozniak story? Are there any other famous entrepreneurs you would like to see profiled?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

I’m pleased to announce our latest famous entrepreneur profile of Jack Dorsey Biz Stone and Evan Williams, the founders of Twitter.

You can read the complete story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5527/summary.php
“We wanted to capture that feeling: the physical sensation that you’re buzzing your friend’s pocket. It’s like buzzing all over the world,” recalls Dorsey of the name-choosing process. “We came across the word ‘Twitter’ and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information,’ and ‘chirps from birds.’ And that’s exactly what the product was.” So just how did this inconsequential information come to make such a consequential difference on the world – both online and off?

“We came across the word ‘Twitter’ and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information,’ and ‘chirps from birds.’ And that’s exactly what the product was.”

Constraint: “Design is a career where you learn creative decision making,” Stone once said. “It’s a renewable resource. You never run out of it. It’s never like, ‘That’s it, there is no more.’” As much as the co-founders could have added new features and designed Twitter to death, their success came from exercising constraint and keeping the service as simple as possible.

Fun: They did not have a business plan, or even a revenue model. They even admitted that there is no market. But they did think that their idea was pretty cool. And, with that, they set off to turn their dream into a reality. It might not have been the most useful tool in the world, but then again, neither is ice cream, and people seem to enjoy a lot of that.

Collaboration: Twitter launched in one of the world’s most highly competitive industries, which might make one think it would be highly competitive in return, and guarded of its activities. But the three co-founders took a different approach. They wanted to work with and learn from their competitors to make the industry a healthier place for all, and thus promoted the open exchange of information.

Culture: Twitter employees get free catered breakfasts and lunches when they get to work. Does it get any better than that? At Twitter, in fact, it does. From Thursday concerts to Friday tea-times, employees have a myriad of opportunities to enjoy themselves and communicate with each other at work. That is the kind of open culture the co-founders wanted to instill in their company.

Commitment: If Twitter was a comedian, it would have been laughed off the stage before it even got started. But the three co-founders remained determined to finish their act. They turned their cheek to the criticism, and refused to be bought out. Until they prove what they want to prove, they are not backing down.

The future for Twitter is uncertain, and Williams has called the option to go public “a possibility.”

“Our goal is to change the world, and we’re going to build the best company we can to realize that goal, reach Twitter’s potential.”

“Our goal is to change the world, and we’re going to build the best company we can to realize that goal, reach Twitter’s potential,” he says. “At some point going public may make the most sense. We’re nowhere near thinking of that. At one time I might have said ‘that’s ridiculous’, but I don’t say that any more. We can be more creative than IPO or being acquired.”

Again, the bottom line for the three Twitter co-founders comes down to creativity. Until their creative juices run out, there is little chance of any of them slowing down.

Again, you can read the complete story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5527/summary.php

What do you think of the Twitter story? Are there any other famous entrepreneurs you would like to see profiled?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

I’m pleased to announce our latest famous entrepreneur profile of Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix.

You can read the complete story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5338/summary.php

Netflix is one of the most closely watched home entertainment companies around. Why? The reason lies not only in its current success, but in Hastings’ intent to continue to roll out many of the latest technologies, including Blu-ray and video-streaming into the company’s services. But how did this once-math teacher in rural Africa create a billion-dollar business that has become a household name?

“Guessing right is a skill developed over time,” he says. “Not all smart risks work out, but many of them do.”

Risk: When Hastings decided to switch revenue models and focus on a subscription service, he was not sure if customers would be as enthused as he was. It was a risk, a major risk, but Hastings knew that with great risk came great reward. “Guessing right is a skill developed over time,” he says. “Not all smart risks work out, but many of them do.” He opted for a radical new idea in the movie rental world, and the idea paid off.

Flexibility: “We tried not to get drunk on the future, but actually to predict it accurately,” Hastings once said. In looking ahead and predicting the future, Hastings knew that he had to keep his company flexible enough to respond to changing trends.

Fear: Hastings has learned the hard way that a certain amount of fear does a company good. In his early years, he admits to making several mistakes by underestimating the competition, including going public too early. “I found I was definitely underwater and over my head,” he says. “I was doing white water kayaking at the time, and in kayaking if you stare and focus on the problem you are much more likely to hit danger. I focused on the safe water and what I wanted to happen. I didn’t listen to the skeptics.”

Perspective: “Experts and analysts have written the obit on Netflix so many times I’ve stopped ordering flowers for the funeral,” says Hastings. Despite the ups and downs that have come his way, Hastings has been able to weather the storm by adopting a long-term perspective, and taking actions that he knew would bring results in the years to come.

Employees: “Avoid chaos as you grow with ever more high performance people, not with rules.” Hastings was a firm believer in surrounding himself with the best, and in turn rewarding them with the freedom they needed to perform to the top of their abilities. By weeding out the worst and rewarding the best, Hastings and his team of superstar employees took Netflix to the top.

Hastings once said, “When there’s an ache, you want to be like aspirin, not vitamins. Aspirin solves a very particular problem someone has, whereas vitamins are a general ‘nice to have’ market. [The Netflix idea] was certainly aspirin.”

“Experts and analysts have written the obit on Netflix so many times I’ve stopped ordering flowers for the funeral”

Having locked onto his aspirin idea, Hastings was ready to ride it to the top. In April 2009, Netflix announced it had mailed its two billionth DVD. With an American Customer Satisfaction Index score of 86, nine points above the industry average, the company shows no signs of slowing down.

You can read the complete story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5338/summary.php

What do you think of Reed Hastings’ story? Are there any other famous entrepreneurs you would like to see profiled?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

Famous Entrepreneur Trading Cards Launch In Support Of Kiva Charity

33 Top Business Bloggers Team Up To Unveil “Entrepreneur Heroes” Series
http://www.evancarmichael.com/Heroes/

EvanCarmichael.com has partnered up with bloggers Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Darren Rowse, Tim Ferriss, Chris Brogan, Tom Peters, and others to create a line of famous entrepreneur trading cards called “Entrepreneur Heroes” – the profits from the sale of the cards go to support entrepreneurs in Africa through Kiva, a micro-financing non-profit organization. So far over 825 new business owners in Africa have been helped!

Get the Ultimate Entrepreneur Collector’s Item

The Entrepreneur Heroes trading cards are instant collectibles. Each of our top 33 business bloggers were asked to pick who their favorite famous entrepreneurs were and gave reasons why. A trading card was then created for each entrepreneur chosen and includes an artistic picture on the front, an inspirational quote on the back, a true story / fun fact about the entrepreneur and other personal information. If you’ve ever collected cards of your favorite sports stars, the Entrepreneur Heroes trading card series gives you a chance to collect your favorite business founders from Steve Jobs to Richard Branson to Benjamin Franklin.

Raise Entrepreneurship Awareness

Just like today’s youth look up to sports, music, and movie stars a goal of the Entrepreneur Heroes trading cards is to inspire the next generation to become entrepreneurs and view starting their own business as an empowering adventure that can help them reach their potential and change the world for the better. To this end EvanCarmichael.com has partnered with Junior Achievement a global leader in youth financial literacy, to use the Entrepreneur Heroes trading cards to raise awareness in business among our young students who on the verge of starting their professional lives.

Support a Good Cause

Profits from the sale of the cards will go to support entrepreneurs in Africa through Kiva and so far over 825 new business owners in Africa have been helped through our efforts. Kiva began in 2005 as a micro-finance project of Matt and Jessica Flannery. Their work has grown into an organization which achieved a repayment rate of 98.27% with over $68 million in completed loan terms helping real individual entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial spirit is not confined within Silicon Valley , but is also very strong among the global poor, and stories have a powerful way of connecting people across the world to help.

Who is Involved: Our Checklist

Here is a list of the famous entrepreneurs we are profiling, the companies they founded, and the bloggers who selected them.

# / Famous Entrepreneur / Blogger

1 / A.P. Giannini (Bank of America ) / Evan Carmichael (evancarmichael.com)

2 / Steve Jobs (Apple) / Guy Kawasaki (guykawasaki.com)

3 / Seth Godin (SethGodin.com) / Darren Rowse (problogger.net)

4 / Vince McMahon (WWE) / Gary Vaynerchuk (garyvaynerchuk.com)

5 / Michael Arrington (TechCrunch) / John Chow (johnchow.com)

6 / Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines) / John Jantsch (ducttapemarketing.com)

7 / Terry Matthews (Mitel) / Paul Kedrosky (paul.kedrosky.com)

8 / Tony Hsieh (Zappos) / Jeremiah Owyang (web-strategist.com)

9 / Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com) / Andy Beal (andybeal.com)

10 / Martha Stewart (MSLO) / Anita Campbell (smallbiztrends.com)

11 / Milton Hershey (Hershey Company) / Yaro Starak (entrepreneurs-journey.com)

12 / Craig Newmark (Craigslist) / Leo Babauta (zenhabits.com)

13 / Bill Gates (Microsoft) / Tim Ferriss (fourhourworkweek.com)

14 / William Gaines (Mad Magazine) / Mark Frauenfelder (boingboing.net)

15 / Peggy Short / Jane Saunders (Body Shop) / Danny Sullivan (searchengineland.com)

16 / Muhammad Yunus (Grameen Bank) / Robert Scoble (scobleizer.com)

17 / Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania Gazette) / Steve Rubel (steverubel.com)

18 / Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post) / Tara Hunt (horsepigcow.com)

19 / Jeff Hawkins (Palm) / Dylan Tweney (wired.com)

20 / Guy Kawasaki (Alltop) / Chris Pirillo (lockergnome.com)

21 / Duncan Hines (Ducan Hines) / Seth Godin (sethgodin.com)

22 / Ray Kurzweil (Kurzweil AI.net) / Adam Pash (lifehacker.com)

23 / Reed Hastings (Netflix) / Rand Fishkin (seomoz.org)

24 / Howard Rheingold (Rheingold Associates) / B.L. Ochman (whatsnextblog.com)

25 / Steve Wozniak (Apple) / Jeremy Zawodny (zawodny.com)

26 / Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Library) / Frank Gruber (somewhatfrank.com)

27 / Richard Branson (Virgin) / Chris Brogan (chrisbrogan.com)

28 / Walt Disney (Walt Disney Company) / Brian Solis (future-works.com)

29 / S. Truett Cathy (Chick-fil-A) / Jennifer Laycock (searchengineguide.com)

30 / Ev Williams / Biz Stone (Twitter) / Pete Cashmore (mashable.com)

31 / Wendy Kopp (Teach For America) / Tom Peters (tompeters.com)

32 / Checklist Front – Richard Branson / Michael Dunlop (incomediary.com)

32 / Checklist Back – Ray Kurzweil / Wil Schroter (wilschroter.com)

Contests, Promotions, and More Information

You can learn more about the Entrepreneur Heroes trading card series at: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Heroes/ . EvanCarmichael.com is raffling off an authentic Steve Wozniak signed baseball and limited edition hologram cards of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as well as a 20% off discounted rate for anyone interested in pre-ordering packs.

Questions or Comments?

Please comment below – I’d love to hear from you!

Me with Brett Wilson at an event I organized in Toronto.

It’s time to announce another new famous entrepreneur profile on our website: Brett Wilson!

When Brett Wilson was in university, he persuaded a local dancer to re-enact Lady Godiva’s infamous horseback ride across campus as a stunt. Campus feminists were none too pleased, but they would be proud of Wilson today. The self-described “capitalist with a heart” has made a name for himself not only as the “nice” Dragon on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, but also as a savvy businessman, and a generous and innovative philanthropist who divides his time among his many passions in life.

You can read the full profile here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5135/summary.php

In 1997, before Wilson had become something of a household name thanks to his appearance on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, he had already been ranked one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. Now in his 50′s, Wilson could surely sweep the title for this decade as well. How did this small town Prairie boy make it in the world of big business – and with a big heart to match?Passion: Wilson once had to seek treatment from a work addiction counselor because he spent so much of his time and energy devoted to his business. Though he has now achieved a more balanced life, Wilson’s dedication is evidence of his passion. “Entrepreneurship is in my blood,” he says. “My biggest high came from co-founding my first business.” It was that passion that enabled him to put in the hours to take his company to the top.

Marketing: Wilson once said, “One way to reach your fullest potential is to keep learning.” He applied that principle to his marketing approach, constantly watching and learning from others in the know. As a result, he has tapped into some of the most unique and successful marketing strategies in his industry.

“Commit to reaching your own potential for the good of yourself and everyone else.”

Diversification: “Commit to reaching your own potential for the good of yourself and everyone else,” says Wilson. That means getting more than a 4.0 GPA in school. For Wilson, that meant taking an outdoor survival skills training course. For others, he suggests it could mean joining a sports team, or volunteering for a charity. Whatever the route, making sure you are well-rounded in terms of experiences and skills will help you in every situation.

Charity: Wilson has never pretended that his charity work is entirely altruistic. Indeed, since the early days of FirstEnergy, it has factored into the company’s marketing strategy and budget. Still, both inside and outside of work, Wilson has made it a priority to give back to the community from which he came. Whether for good, or good for business, Wilson has become one of the country’s most generous philanthropists.

Failure: “Innovation is an absolute,” warns Wilson. “It’s a constant.” If a company is going to survive in today’s market, it does not matter what industry it is in, that company has to be innovative. So says Wilson who has made innovation a key priority at FirstEnergy. Still, with innovation comes failures, and the opportunity to learn from those failures. It is, in fact, in those lessons learned that some of the greatest discoveries can be made.

When Wilson learned of his prostate cancer, he says he went through the mortality thought process. “One of the early things I did was plan my funeral, which was more about the celebration I hoped would occur. But after a couple of hours, I truly closed the book and said, ‘Enough of that.’ It was a very cathartic process to feel that the end is planned. But now it’s ‘Let’s get on with living, because I have a fair number of new things to get done.”

He might have scaled back his participation in FirstEnergy, but Wilson is far from slowing down any time soon.

Once again, you can read the full profile here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5135/summary.php

What do you think of Brett Wilson’s story? Are there any other famous entrepreneurs you would like to see profiled?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

The picture above was from an event I organized for my Mastermind Group members in Toronto. Here is some video footage from the event:

I’m pleased to announce our latest famous entrepreneur profile of Trip Hawkins, the founder of EA Sports. You can read the complete story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5088/summary.php

“When I first saw a computer, I knew, this was the answer for me,” says Hawkins. “I was going to be able to make real life in a box and expose the kind of games I wanted to play to the public.”He knew what he wanted to do early on in life, and he took all the necessary steps to get there. From working and learning from others, to trying his hand at three different companies, Hawkins has made a name for himself in all of the video game, console, and mobile industries. How did a young boy who just wanted to play games go on to become a millionaire?

“If you’re going to be a successful entrepreneur, you’re going to have to be somebody who can tolerate a high rate of change, you have to be willing to put a lot more hours into it, you have to tolerate the fact that you’re going to make more mistakes and have a culture that responds to that.”

Persistence: “If you’re going to be a successful entrepreneur, you’re going to have to be somebody who can tolerate a high rate of change, you have to be willing to put a lot more hours into it, you have to tolerate the fact that you’re going to make more mistakes and have a culture that responds to that.” Hawkins still could have retired comfortable after having his second company go bankrupt, but he opted to try again. In the end, his persistence took him on to even greater things.

Risk-taking: “When I was young, I was completely fearless, and sometimes you have success because of that, sometimes you make horrible mistakes because of that.” Hawkins might have taken risks that resulted in failures, but it was in fact his greatest risks that led to his greatest successes.

Passion: “It’s not like business for me is a hobby that I’m especially passionate about. I have a lot of skills and experience at it, but I’m really there more for the art of what I’m doing,” says Hawkins. “I’m a total game addict, and of course I play games in all kinds of different forms. And obviously the mobile phone just happens to be the most convenient way to play today.” Hawkins took his childhood passion and turned it into a global business, which explains much of the success he has achieved to date.

Understanding: Hawkins knew that expanding into new markets meant having to understand those markets’ particular mobile development trajectory, and adapting to it. Even where he knew he might have taken a misstep, he also had the wherewithal to correct himself and move forward.

Cutting-edge: Hawkins refuses to take his businesses anywhere other than the cutting edge of development. In paying attention to trends, Hawkins is positioning himself as a global leader in the future.

“It’s a real thrill to just create something new that nobody’s ever thought of or heard of or didn’t know they needed.”

“Mobile is like the Internet was at the 9600 baud dialup stage,” says Hawkins. “In theory it’s all there, but it is a rare day when you can get everything to work the way you would like. But the infrastructure is good enough now and it is steadily improving, and we know what great things we have to look forward to…And it’s a real thrill to just create something new that nobody’s ever thought of or heard of or didn’t know they needed.”

You can read the complete story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/5088/summary.php

What do you think of Trip Hawkin’s story? Are there any other famous entrepreneurs you would like to see profiled?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

I’m proud to announce our latest famous entrepreneur profile to EvanCarmichael.com: Terry Matthews from Mitel who has built over 100 companies and has gone on to become a billionaire.

You might not know him by name, but this entrepreneur has started up almost 100 companies and, as Wales’ first billionaire, is richer than even Prince Charles. An engineer by training, Terry Matthews became Wales’ richest man by fixing and building things ever since he was young. What started as $4000 in capital and a “long, long holiday” has since become one of the greatest examples of successful serial entrepreneurship in the world.

A journalist once suggested to Mathews, “The standard wisdom is that Canadians are more risk-averse than Americans and therefore less aggressive.” Matthews’ response? “Okay, so I suggest you write some articles to stay that’s bullshit. Canadians need to just get on with it.”Get on with it is exactly what Matthews did, working to build almost 100 high tech communications companies in Canada and the United Kingdom, and finding success every time. How did he do it?

You can read the full Terry Matthews story here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/4955/summary.php

What do you think of Terry Matthew’s story? Are there any other famous entrepreneurs you would like to see profiled?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!