Does it Matter if You're a Lion or a Gazelle? No, but Here's What Does

By Fabio Lamanna @ Shutterstock.com

Last week I told you about Babson College’s 100th anniversary, and the reception for it Becky and I attended in Newport, RI. Babson’s president, Stephen Spinelli, himself a great entrepreneur, spoke about the culture of entrepreneurialism Babson instills in its students. In Babson’s Thought & Action online magazine, Jackie Villaci picks up that conversation of the entrepreneurial culture at the college and discusses it with some famous Babson alumni. She writes:

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The world’s most famous entrepreneurs didn’t just change the game in their respective industry, they disrupted the norm. While some are known for creating a new industry from the ground up, others took an existing business and completely transformed it. But, their path to success didn’t magically appear at the snap of their fingers. As the Twitter co-founder Biz Stone would say, “Timing, perseverance, and 10 years of really hard work will eventually make you look like an overnight success.”

We took a deep dive into previous Babson interviews with famous entrepreneurs and rounded up some of the best pieces of advice on creating a new business. To our surprise, the best lessons weren’t solely about investing and work, but about life, how to be a better human, and how that can be applied to a future business endeavor.

Find Your Joy

Babson alumnus and Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda MBA’82, P’14 sent Babson’s graduate Centennial class of 2019 off with a heartfelt Commencement speech, encouraging students to “Have fun. Really figure out what makes you happy in life. What brings you joy … find what makes you happy and don’t let go.”

When it comes to business, his advice: “Do the right thing. Because if you do the right thing, the money will follow.”

There Is No Finish Line. Keep Moving.

Arthur Blank ’63, H’98, co-founder of the Home Depot, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta United soccer team, likes to tell a story about the lion and the gazelle.

The story goes, in Africa during the early mornings, the gazelle wakes up knowing one blunt truth: To survive, it must run faster than the lion. At the same time, the lion wakes up knowing an equally hard truth, that if it doesn’t run faster than the gazelle, it will have nothing to eat.

Blank says, “Whether you’re a lion or a gazelle, you’ve got to get up and move in the morning.”

At 75, Blank is still moving. He owns two ranches and the PGA Tour Superstore with locations across the country. In addition, he finds time to give back with the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.