The creator of the iconic Mickey Mouse cartoon, the name Walt Disney has been etched in the minds of young adults and oldies alike. To think of it, Walter Elias Disney- the innovator of the 27,000-acre campus of Disneyland, also coined as the happiest place on earth, is one the most fascinating and awe inspiring entrepreneurs of animation and entertainment world on the planet.
Walt was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. The December born Sagittarius later went to become one of the greatest names in showbiz industry. His name is akin to a celebrated legend. Disney was a man of many talents. He was an entrepreneur, animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer. Even words will fail short to describe his greatness. The television giant holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations.
Unfortunately, Walt Disney passed away on December 15, 1966 leaving behind a giant legacy that is still celebrated by billions of people across the globe. Today, the Walt Disney Company, commonly just Disney, is the world’s largest multinational entertainment and media conglomerate with many subsidiaries and affiliates.
Starting from the rock bottom, Walt Disney was not born to privilege. In fact, he made his way up and with sheer hard work he succeeded in establishing The Walt Disney Company.
So, how did Walt Disney- a struggling animator with little money went on to establish the largest media industry in the world?
Don’t worry, we have the answer.
Table of Contents
Eminent Astro Strategist and Business development expert brings you 3 life changing lessons that every entrepreneur must learn from Walt Disney:
You are the best salesman for your business:
No one would give you an opportunity, if you don’t believe in your ambitions. You need to pitch your idea to the public in the most elaborate and convincing manner, then only you can expect good feedback. In that matter, Walt Disney was an incredible salesman. Nobody believed in his dreams at first. But Walt was adamant in selling his vision and eventually people also realized its potential and started investing. As Walt Disney once said, “Dreams take money and money comes from selling.”
Seek inspiration from mundane things:
Walt Disney was a young penniless animator working for a run down advertisement company. However, he never stopped seeking inspiration from random things. In fact, the iconic mickey mouse cartoon was born when Disney encountered some mice. From one of those he took inspiration for Steamboat Willie. The irony is, he was able to find inspiration from trash and turned it into a thing of beauty.
Don’t hesitate to take risks:
Many said that Walt Disney was too ambitious. With sheer grit and hardwork, he proved each of them wrong. When he started building Disneyland, nothing like that had ever been attempted. The project was very expensive and it could have made the company go bankrupt. However, had he not taken the risk, we would not be able to witness Disney the way it is today. He marketed his idea well enough and created such a huge hype for the theme park that people were eager to visit Disneyland once it opened.
Conclusion
“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing started with a dream and a mouse.” – Walt Disney
What started with a pen and a paper turned into a multinational corporation catering to children and adults across the world. I think there is some poetic justice in that. Throughout his extraordinary career, Walt Disney has taught us the importance of having a dream and taking major strides to achieve it.
Do not listen to people telling you that you are out of your mind and you’re never going to make it. If you really love something go for it, fight for your ideas and get what you want. Even if you fail once or twice, you need to remember that its okay to fail at times. Just get back up and have the backbone to start anew. Because sometimes failure is the beginning of a whole new experience- concludes Business strategist Hirav Shah.
Image Source & credit
Unknown authorUnknown author, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
