lessons from business history: choose a business hero column I recently read “Flying High,” a The biggest of the big ideas for me, himself above all a teacher of the deaf. biography of David Neeleman, who the most interesting concept I picked up After reading his biography, I went on founded JetBlue Airlines. JetBlue is only from the David Neeleman story, is that a pilgrimage to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 5 years old, but it is already the second he attributes so much of his success in where I spent hours in the Bell Museum paul allen most valuable airline in the U.S. with a the airline industry to his business hero taking photographs and reading about his market capitalization of more than and role model, Kelleher. “He was my scores of inventions and innovations. Bell Paul Allen has founded several companies including Infobases, MyFamily.com, and $2.5 billion. idol,” says Neeleman. “I studied what inspires me to want to change the world. 10x Marketing. He has taught entrepreneurship Neeleman has revolutionized the Kelleher was doing and I tried to do it a Internet entrepreneurs can get at UVSC and he blogs at www.infobaseventures.com/blog. airline industry. He started using little better.” inspiration from the book “Net computers to schedule flights and By learning how Kelleher had turned Entrepreneurs Only.” It contains a assign seats in the early 80s. In the regional carrier Southwest into such a big biographical chapter on a dozen founders 90s he developed the first ticketless success, Neeleman learned most of what of dot-coms, including Priceline, eBay reservation system and built an army of he needed to know to run his own airline. and Broadcast.com. phone reservation agents who work from is another business I’ve added a number of biographies home, decreasing costs and increasing superstar who attributes his success and business history books to my library productivity. In 2000, JetBlue was the first to great teachers and mentors. Buffett in the last two years, including books airline to offer in-flight television for claims to be “15 percent Philip Fisher about Sam Walton, Willard Marriott, all customers. and 85 percent Benjamin Graham.” Jim Sorenson, Warren Buffett and Neeleman’s innovations go on and He synthesized his investment . on. But most of his ideas about running approach from these two legendary My three living “business heroes” a profitable airline were not unique. investment strategists. are Bill Gross, founder of idealab and Neeleman admits he learned them by My question for you is this: who is your about 40 other companies; Jim Clark, studying the practices of his “business business hero? the only entrepreneur in history to found hero,” Herb Kelleher, chairman of Whose life inspires you? Whose three billion-dollar companies; and Southwest Airlines, the most valuable keys to success have you chosen to Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, who airline in the U.S. study and adopt for yourself? Have you has committed to give away 99 percent For any aspiring entrepreneur, ever carefully studied a biography or of his wealth in the next 20 years for Neeleman’s story is worth studying. autobiography of a great entrepreneur? humanitarian purposes. He is a creative genius with a flair for Have you chosen from the vast field of The outstanding biography of Jim Clark marketing. He has always been able to fill history a hero whose example can help entitled “The New, New Thing” captures seats in airplanes. you achieve your goals? well the motivations and skills of this At age 22, he dropped out of college to Great entrepreneurs in history great entrepreneur. I’m still waiting for focus on running his travel agency, which sometimes leave behind works that we books about Gross and Omidyar. was generating almost $8 million per can study. Some business historians Another business figure I want to learn year in revenue. Later, he joined Morris and biographers have identified the key more about is David Eccles, the first Air and then sold it to Southwest Airlines. factors in the success of great innovators multimillionaire in and part of the He also made great contributions to and entrepreneurs. ultra successful Eccles family. He started WestJet, a regional Canadian airline. My greatest business hero is Alexander with nothing as a poor immigrant from As I studied the book “Flying High,” Graham Bell. He was motivated more Scotland, but at the time of his death, he I followed the advice of Tim Sanders, by changing the world than he was by owned more than 30 companies. author of “Love is the Killer App.” He making money. In addition to inventing How did the great entrepreneurs suggests that you write in the back cover the telephone, he made contributions in succeed? I think the best way to find out every “big idea” that you learn from a aviation, boating, optical communications is to study their lives and extract from book along with its page number. My and genetics. He was also a founder them the keys to their success. And then, “Flying High” book is marked up with and early president of the National like Neeleman, try to do it a little better almost 100 “big ideas.” Geographic Society. But he considered than they did. fin

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