Entrepreneur Blog » Masters

Away on Vacation

Evan Carmichael — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:56:54 +0000

As of today I’m officially on vacation!

I’m heading to Europe for a family cruise with Disney and spending some extra time in London before the cruise and Madrid after the cruise.

I won’t be posting while I’m gone and will be back in action on August 17th.

While I’m away here are some recent Modeling the Masters posts that I wrote that should keep you busy and motivated until I get back.

Enjoy!

Photo credit: Matt Pasant

New Video – How to Promote Your Business like P.T. Barnum

Evan Carmichael — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:54:14 +0000

It’s been a while since my last Modeling the Masters video but I recently created a new video and would love your feedback on it. This time the video focuses on how you can promote your business like P.T. Barnum, one of the greatest promoters of all time.

Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and entertainer. Above all else, P.T. Barnum was a salesman and promoter who knew how to get people talking.

Today, the legacy of his work lives on in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, still billed as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth.’

Some of the key points I talk about in the video are:

Action Item #1: Sell Something Unique
Action Item #2: Promote, Promote, Promote
Action Item #3: Showcase Yourself

You can also see the post I wrote about P.T. Barnum at the Telus blog.

How are you promoting your company? Do you have any big promotional plans for this year? As always, I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

The Terry Matthews (Mitel) Story – Modeling The Masters

Evan Carmichael — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:59:55 +0000

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!

Harley-Davidson, Milton Hershey, and Walt Disney – Modeling The Masters

Evan Carmichael — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:57:58 +0000

I’ve always been a big fan of modeling success. The concept is quite simple – if you have a goal that you want to accomplish, and you want to accomplish it quickly, find someone who has already achieved it and learn from their success.

You can take what took them years to figure out and put it to work in your business immediately.

My first real business was a biotechnology software company I became an owner in when I was 19 years old. I didn’t know anything about biotechnology or software at the time but our plan was to model the successful strategies of other software companies to build our business. We copied what Microsoft, Intuit, and Quicken did to grow and we soon had over 450 customers in over 30 countries.

Modeling The Masters Quotes:

“We worked every day, Sunday included, until at least ten o’clock at night. I remember it was an event when we quit work on Christmas night at eight o’clock to attend a family reunion.” – Walter Davidson (Harley-Davidson Motor Co.)

“Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising in the world.” – Milton Hershey

“Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.” – Walt Disney

One of the most popular sections of my main website is to profile famous entrepreneurs. I’ve also started a video series called Modeling The Masters in partnership with Phanta Media which I will be featuring in this blog.

Here are the first three videos that we’ve put together – so far they have been viewed over 16,500 times. We examine the business success of Harley-Davidson, Milton Hershey, and Walt Disney. I’ve yet to decide on the best format for the videos and you can see that each one takes a slightly different approach.

I look forward to your feedback on which you like the best and how I can make them better and more valuable for you!