Page 6 - Midas Touch

Preface

Dreamer… or

Entrepreneur?

One entrepreneur, a mechanically minded man since childhood, saw his
chance to change the world. He saw a way to better it for people

everywhere. So he set out, not to build his fortune, but to build his dream
of a new way of life for everyday people.

He struggled with the challenges of honing his idea, prototyping countless
versions of his product—each one a slight improvement over the last—and
building his company. But his greatest struggle was with people who
couldn’t see his vision, who couldn’t expand their focus and see things as

they could be, rather than as they were. The battles were many, but he kept
going. He doubted himself, made plenty of sacrifices along the way and
got sidetracked many times. He failed often and, because he always loved
famous sayings, he called failure “the opportunity to begin again—more
intelligently.”

He wasn’t a good student and learned very little in school, but he did love
to take things apart to see how they worked. “Dismembering watches” was

a favorite pastime. He had no advanced degree, but he did attend night
school to hone his skills. His mind was brilliant, and eventually he became
a much-loved teacher of his craft. He attracted students who, like him,
were enthusiasts. In the late hours of the night, they would volunteer their
time to work on projects and learn in the process. His ability to attract
talent and work with others was enviable. In his business, he surrounded
himself with people who knew what he did not.

He succeeded at raising money from investors who believed in his
product. The problem was that they didn’t always believe in his vision. He
grew despondent because they only focused on money. At one point, he
was fired from his own company, the company that bore his name. A lesser
man would have called it quits and found a job.

Years earlier, he had given up a steady job with a prominent company.
Entrepreneurship didn’t pay very well so his family moved countless