| Perseverance is undoubtedly an important aspect of | | | | Hershey's caramel recipe was a huge success. |
| successful entrepreneurship. The saying "If at first you | | | | Looking beyond caramel, Hershey believed that |
| don't succeed, try, try again" means that few individuals | | | | chocolate products had a much greater future, and |
| are able to achieve great things without first | | | | sold the Lancaster Caramel Company in order to start |
| overcoming the obstacles that stand in their way. | | | | the Hershey Company, which brought milk chocolate |
| Here are four examples - two from the past and two | | | | to the masses. |
| from the present day - of successful perseverance in | | | | In doing so, Hershey overcame failure and |
| business to help inspire you to achieve the seemingly | | | | accomplished his goals. He also created hundreds of |
| impossible. | | | | jobs for Pennsylvanians and was generous with his |
| Thomas Edison | | | | wealth, building houses, churches, and schools. |
| When he was young, Thomas Edison's parents took | | | | Steve Jobs |
| him out of school after his teachers declared that he | | | | Perseverance is not just limited to the beginning |
| was "stupid" and "unteachable." Edison spent his early | | | | phases of a person's career. In fact, failure can often |
| years working and being fired from various jobs, | | | | occur after a long period of achievement. |
| culminating in his firing from a telegraph company at | | | | Apple founder Steve Jobs achieved phenomenal |
| the age of 21. Despite these numerous setbacks, he | | | | success early in life. When he was 20 years old, he |
| Edison was never discouraged from his true calling in | | | | founded Apple from his parents' garage, and within ten |
| life: inventing. Throughout his career, Edison obtained | | | | years the company had grown into a $2 billion |
| more than one thousand patents. And although several | | | | juggernaut. However, when Jobs turned 30, Apple's |
| of these inventions -- such as the light bulb, stock | | | | Board of Directors fired Jobs from the company he |
| printer, phonograph and alkaline battery -- were | | | | created, and he found himself unemployed. Rather |
| groundbreaking innovations, the vast majority of them | | | | than seeing this as a curse, Jobs treated it as a |
| could be fairly described as failures. And now Edison is | | | | freedom to pursue new initiatives. In fact, Jobs later |
| famous for saying that genius is "1% inspiration and | | | | stated that being fired was one of the best things that |
| 99% perspiration." | | | | ever happened to him, since it provided him with the |
| One of Edison's best examples of perseverance | | | | opportunity to think more creatively and to start a new |
| occurred after he was already a successful man. | | | | company. |
| After inventing the light bulb, he began seeking | | | | After being fired from Apple, Jobs founded NeXT, a |
| inexpensive light bulb filament. At the time, ore was | | | | software company, and Pixar, the amazing movie |
| mined in the Midwest of the United States, and shipping | | | | company that has produced animated films such as |
| costs were very high. In order to combat this, Edison | | | | Finding Nemo. NeXT was subsequently purchased by |
| established his own ore-mining plant in Ogdensburg, | | | | Apple. After founding these companies, Jobs not only |
| New Jersey. For nearly ten years, he devoted his time | | | | went back to Apple, but he helped launch their current |
| and money to the enterprise. Edison also obtained 47 | | | | resurgence in popularity with the creation and success |
| patents for innovations that helped make the plant run | | | | of the iPod and iPhone. Jobs credits his career |
| more smoothly. And even despite those inventions, | | | | success and his strong relationship with his family to |
| Edison's core project failed because of low quality ore | | | | the fact that he was terminated from Apple. |
| on the East Coast. | | | | Simon Cowell |
| However, despite that failing, one of those 47 | | | | Although Simon Cowell is now a pop icon and wealthy |
| inventions (a crushing machine) revolutionized the | | | | man, Cowell faced struggles earlier in life. When he |
| cement industry, and actually earned Edison back | | | | was fifteen, he dropped out of school and worked |
| almost all of the money he lost. Later, Henry Ford | | | | various odd jobs. Cowell eventually received a job |
| would credit Edison's Ogdensburg project as the main | | | | working in the mail room at EMI Music Publishing, where |
| inspiration for his Model T Ford assembly line. And in | | | | he was able to work his way into the A&R |
| fact, many believe that Edison paved the way for | | | | department. After EMI, Cowell formed his own |
| modern-day industrial laboratories. Edison's foray into | | | | publishing company, E&S Music. |
| ore-mining demonstrates that dedication can pay off | | | | Unfortunately, Cowell's new company folded in its first |
| even in a losing venture. | | | | year of operation. As a result, Cowell was burdened |
| Milton Hershey | | | | with a lot of debt, and had to move back in with his |
| Milton Hershey had a long path to the top of the | | | | parents. However, he was persistent, and eventually |
| chocolate industry. Hershey dropped out of the 4th | | | | landed a job with a small company called Fanfare |
| grade to take an apprenticeship with a printer, only to | | | | Records. Cowell worked at Fanfare for eight years |
| be fired. Next he became an apprentice to a | | | | and was able to help build the company into a |
| candy-maker, and then started 3 unsuccessful candy | | | | successful record label. From there, he spent several |
| enterprises. | | | | years signing musicians and cultivating talent before |
| However, Hershey was not giving up. After these | | | | launching the "American Idol" and "X-Factor" franchises |
| unsuccessful attempts, he founded the Lancaster | | | | that would make Simon Cowell a household name. |
| Caramel Company. Despite his initial setbacks, | | | | |