Stories+of+Resilient+People

Stories of Resilient People

** JK Rowling **
=== J.K. Rowling, author of the //Harry Potter// books, is currently the second-richest female entertainer on the planet, behind Oprah. However, when Rowling wrote the first //Harry Potter// book in 1995, it was rejected by twelve different publishers. Even Bloomsbury, the small publishing house that finally purchased Rowling’s manuscript, told the author to “get a day job.”At the time when Rowling was writing the original //Harry Potter// book, her life was a self-described mess. She was going through a divorce and living in a tiny flat with her daughter. Rowling was surviving on government subsidies, and her mother had just passed away from multiple sclerosis. J.K. turned these negatives into a positive by devoting most of her free time to the //Harry Potter// series. She also drew from her bad personal experiences when writing. The result is a brand name currently worth nearly $15 billion ===

** Walt Disney **
= As a young man, Walt Disney was fired f rom the Kansas City Star Newspaper because his boss thought he lacked creativity. He went on to form an animation company called Laugh-O-Gram Films in 1921.Using his natural salesmanship abilities, Disney was able to raise $15,000 for the company ($181,000 in 2008 dollars). However, he made a deal with a New York distributor, and when the distributor went out of business, Disney was forced to shut Laugh-O-Gram down.He could barely pay his rent and even resorted to eating dog food. Broke but not defeated, Disney spent his last few dollars on a train ticket to Hollywood. Unfortunately his troubles were not over. In 1926, Disney created a cartoon character named Oswald the Rabbit. When he attempted to negotiate a better deal with Universal Studios --the cartoon’s distributor -- Disney discovered that Universal had secretly patented the Oswald character. Universal then hired Disney’s artists away from him, and continued the cartoon without Disney’s input (and without paying him). = = As if that wasn’t enough, Disney also struggled to release some of his now-classic films. He was told Mickey Mouse would fail because the mouse would “terrify women.” Distributors rejected //The Three Little Pigs//, saying it needed more characters. //Pinocchio// was shut down during production and Disney had to rewrite the entire storyline. Other films, like //Bambi//, //Pollyanna// and //Fantasia//, were misunderstood by audiences at the time of their release, only to become favorites later on.Disney’s greatest example of perseverance occurred when he tried to make the book //Mary Poppins// into a film. In 1944, at the suggestion of his daughter, Disney decided to adapt the Pamela Travers novel into a screenplay. However, Travers had absolutely no interest in selling //Mary Poppins// to Hollywood. To win her over, Disney visited Travers at her England home repeatedly for the next 16 years. After more than a decade-and-a-half of persuasion, Travers was overcome by Disney’s charm and vision for the film, and finally gave him permission to bring //Mary Poppins// to the big screen. The result is a timeless classic.In a fitting twist of fate, The Disney Company went on to purchase ABC in 1996.At the time, ABC was owner of the Kansas City Star, meaning the newspaper that once fired Disney had become part of the empire he created. And all thanks to his creativity (and a lot of perseverance). = = Now, the one place where persistence is really required is in raising capital. If you successfully raise capital, you can build the business of your dreams. But without capital, you may never get your chance. If you're raising capital from private investors, you can improve your chances of funding success with a professional [|private placement memorandum]. Call 877-478-4467 to speak with a Growthink consultant. =

Steve Jobs
= You always hear about a “long road to the top,” but perseverance isn’t limited to the early stages of a person’s career. Often times, failure can occur after a long period of success.Steve Jobs achieved great success at a young age. When he was 20 years old, Jobs started Apple in his parents’ garage, and within a decade the company blossomed into a $2 billion empire. However, at age 30, Apple’s Board of Directors decided to take the business in a different direction, and Jobs was fired from the company he created. Jobs found himself unemployed, but treated it as a freedom rather than a curse. In fact, he later said that getting fired from Apple was the best thing to ever happen to him, because it allowed him to think more creatively and re-experience the joys of starting a company.Jobs went on to found NeXT, a software company, and Pixar, the company that produces animated movies such as //Finding Nemo//. NeXT was subsequently purchased by Apple. Not only did Jobs go back to his former company, but he helped launch Apple’s current resurgence in popularity. Jobs claims that his career success and his strong relationship with his family are both results of his termination from Apple. = = Are you building the next Pixar or Apple? Get expert business planning advice from a Growthink [|business plan consultant]. =