That LeadAmerica conference wasn't my first brush with entrepreneurship. My great-grandfather, Howard Taft Bolles, was an entrepreneur. He was a tree warden in Massachusetts, one of thirteen children and fierce. Never will I ever see a man in a three piece suit and cap on the beaches of sunny Sand Key again. Howard used to follow his employees home on pay day to make sure they didn't spend all their money at the bar, but that same man robbed his own family's bank--by which I mean, he spent all their money not that he actually robbed a bank--to purchase a piece of land. It is said that my great-grandmother, Ruth Ford, hit him with a pan when she found out and that her screaming could be heard on the mainland--they lived on Cape Cod.
But Howard made an investment so successful that my family still lives off of that land today. It's minutiae but for a long time we leased the land to a luxury car dealership, and it's presently occupied by a Honda dealer who has made several offers to purchase the property, the latest at $13 million.
So how is it that a man who came from severe poverty and had no formal education--and was missing one finger because one of his pet foxes bit it off but that's another story--was able to solidify his family's future indefinitely? That's why I'm here. Will ENT3003 teach me how to make a whizbang investment that will float me through life? Not directly but maybe I'll discover a part of me that's been lying in wait. I've always been called impulsive, and I think many of those impulses, which I like to re-market as intuition, have paid off. Time to wonder.
Hello Kelly, and wow great story! I am fascinated by your way of telling it in your post. Most of us have witness an entrepreneur in action or have had experience with one, but your story is quite amazing. In your story you define exactly what an entrepreneur is- someone who takes risk at organizing a business or making a profitable investment. Your grandfather is a clear example of what a successful entrepreneur is. It’s great to see someone who perhaps had no formal education be a successful entrepreneur. He played his cards very well and made an investment that not only benefit him, but his family today. With a story like yours you might consider yourself to become an entrepreneur, and that’s great, but don’t feel pressured to do so. This course (EN3003) has many great things to offer and I hope you are able to discover and experience what you desire. I really enjoyed reading your post, once again your story is amazing and very inspiring. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Great job!
ReplyDeleteMy story is very similar to yours, in my case my grandmother was an entrepreneur herself. Here is the link to “My Entrepreneurship Story”. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed reading your post.
http://susanamorales0129.blogspot.com/2016/01/my-entrepreneurship-story.html
Hey Kelly,
ReplyDeleteYour story is well written and truly inspirational. All it takes is one savvy business decision to completely change your life and the life of your future generations. My grandfather to came from nothing and made himself something through wise business decisions. Land is almost always a good investment (at least overtime). I too hope that this class will influence me to make similar decisions. If you get a chance check out my post and let me know what you think.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8729527358278987898#editor/target=post;postID=6964601949585026290;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=3;src=postname
Thanks for your comments, Eric and Susana! I can't wait to check out your posts.
ReplyDelete