Tag Archives: lesson from dad

What My Father Taught Me About Being An Entrepreneur

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“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

Author Unknown

Story contributed by Brad Handler*

Brad Handler entrepreneur

Brad Handler

My younger brother, Brent, and I are fifteen months apart. We grew up with a father obsessed with business and real estate. Any time we passed a lot for sale my dad would take his eyes off the road and wonder aloud if the parcel was a good buy. My mom had to remind him every time he had my brother or me in the car, to pay attention and not let his eyes wander. He was constantly looking for the next “big deal” in Denver’s real estate market.

Other kids would play catch with their dad but not us. The only competitive sport in our house was Monopoly. My dad, brother and I would spend long weekends in marathon games at the kitchen table. Dad would coach each of us on how to best build an empire. He’d then go off to work on Monday morning and build his. READ MORE 

Failure … High Five From Dad!

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“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

—Thomas A. Edison

Today’s story is about Sara Blakely.

Every night at dinner Sara’s dad asked, “What did you fail at today?” Sara would excitedly report back, “Dad, I tried out for this sport today and I was horrible!” Or that she auditioned for a play—and was wonderfully bad!

Dad’s response? “Way to go!” A high five came next.

Sara Blakely, high five

Sara Blakely at the 2012 Time 100 Gala
Photo: David Shankbone

Sara Blakely’s nightly failure reports, and celebratory high fives, ended up shaping her life. It was a lesson from Dad that paid off big! This 42-year-old entrepreneur recently graced the cover of the Forbes billionaire issue. (The youngest self-made female billionaire to do so).

Sara is the founder/inventor of Spanx — special slimming, no panty-line underwear. Thousands of women around the world swear by them. Reality star Kim Kardashian wears Spanx. Jennifer Lopez does too. Over 10,000 retail locations carry the product.

There are over 200 types of the body-shaping garments, even Spanx designed for pregnant women. Spanx swimwear. Yes, even Spanx for dudes, too. READ MORE 

Six Lessons I Learned From My Dad

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“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.”

—Vernon Law

Today’s story is from Josh Linkner.

Six lessons from dad

Three generations: Josh (red shirt), his dad, and his son Noah (who will be 16 next month).

Robert Linkner was one strange dude. He forged his own path as he journeyed from hippie to psychologist to retailer to financial planner. He had a hilarious, dark sense of humor, was an incredible chef and had a series of oddball hobbies. He took pride that his tastes in music, travel, food, and life were always a bit different than the average Joe. His life ended far too early when we lost him to cancer in 2007.

It’s natural to miss your dad on Father’s Day, but this year I began to reflect on the lessons he taught me. Sometimes mysterious in his ways, I now realize he was quite deliberate as he instilled his philosophies in my sister, brother, and me. His wisdom has shaped who I am today, and there’s much to learn from his irreverent, non-traditional approach. READ MORE 

Dad’s Incredible Toaster Plan

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“Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it explodes in your face. Keep your eyes open. Be fleet on your feet.”

—Harold “Chubby” Hague, Businessman, Remarkable Dad, Toaster King

by Greg Hague

My dad’s nickname was Chubby. I never knew why though, he was so fit and trim. “A name he picked up in the Air Force during the war,” Mom said. I asked him once… “I had that name before I knew I had it!” he laughed. “My old war buddies stuck me with it. I still have no idea why. I mean, look at me!”

After the war, Chubby came back home to Cincinnati. Married mom. Had me and my sister, Linda. Many of those war buddies came home too, and they needed to buy homes. Dad saw an opportunity.

Dad's Incredible Toaster

Dad’s Incredible Toaster Plan

A short exam. A fifty-cent fee. He picked up his real estate license at the local apothecary (how times have changed). The Harold W. Hague Company was born.

Dad worked incessantly. His company flourished. Most clients needed loans to buy homes. He saw another opportunity.

Dad founded Columbia Savings and Loan. Rented a small building right across the street from his real estate office. In those days, a savings & loan earned a profit the old fashioned way — by accepting deposits, then making loans from those deposits. Dad needed deposits.

Introducing Dad’s Incredible Toaster Plan!

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The Battle of Troy

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“A real father is there for any child who needs him, not just his own…”

—Unknown

Today’s story is from Reade.

Another freezing winter in small town Britton, Michigan. Another pregnant cow, ready for birth. But it was different this time. Dad yanked and tugged. He tried hard to coax her into the barn. She wouldn’t budge.

Father, Bob, and his granddaughters

Dad, Bob, and his granddaughters

He even went back out late into the night. Mom was in labor. But she wouldn’t move. Shivering, exhausted, Dad retreated for a few hours sleep, praying she would hold ‘til morning. No such luck.

He was up before daylight, but it was too late. Frozen. Shaking. Barely alive. The mother left her baby for dead. Natural instinct.

My dad’s natural instinct? He didn’t hesitate. He heaved up all 50 pounds of that slimy, wet calf. He sprinted 300 yards, straight back to the house… a dying calf would not survive in the barn. READ MORE 

Dolly Parton – No Patience for Pretense

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“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.”

—Judy Garland

Story from Dolly Parton’s autobiography, ‘My Life and Other Unfinished Business.’

That silly preacher picked the wrong day to bother Lee Parton. His daughter remembers it well. Lee was “sweatin’ and a’groanin’ tryin’ to get a stump out of the ground.”

Dolly Parton's album, First Gathering

Parton’s first self-produced album

That snooty ol’ preacher? There he was in his starched collar, grinning at Lee over the fence. “This particular preacher wasn’t much of a help to anybody. And he seemed to show up only when he was out beatin’ the bushes for money,” Lee’s daughter, Dolly, recalls. (Yes, that Dolly Parton. This is a story from Dolly’s autobiography about her very smart dad.)

At the time, Dolly was around five, and the Partons were poor as dirt, but rich in pride. They were coming up, too. Dolly’s dad worked hard to provide. READ MORE 

Emotion of Fools

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“The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves.”

—William Penn

Today’s story is from Melanie.

Emotion of fools. I learned it from Dad.

Was I careless that day? Or was it jealousy? I was Daddy’s little girl. His favorite. His world revolved around me. At least that’s what I thought…

jealousy

The Dodge

Dad brought her home on a Sunday. I watched through the window. They pulled up together. She was impressive I have to admit. Jealously? It flooded through me. There they stood, side by side. She had stolen Dad away from me! I was dismayed.

“Tons of power. American-made…” he shouted out to our neighbor across the way. “And I got a heck of a deal!” Yes, that’s right. She was a brand new, top of the line Dodge. A pickup, it was. Jet black. Shiny bright rims. Oversized bed. It had it all. READ MORE