1. Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy

As founder of Aravind Eye Hospital, Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy (“Dr. V”) gave sight and hearing back to millions of people who would otherwise be blind and deaf.

Dr. V. came to the conclusion as a young man that “intelligence and capability are not enough. There must be the joy of doing something beautiful.” So, instead of retiring at the age of 65, Dr. V. mortgaged his home and opened a hospital to perform free or low-cost cataract surgery – if untreated cataracts can lead to blindness – on poor Indians. In his first year, Dr. V. performed over 5000 surgeries.

• See an article on “Dr. V” in Fast Company:
  http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/43/drv.html

• Aravind Eye Hospital Founder Profile:
  http://www.aravind.org/aboutus/founder.asp

• See his video “Infinite Vision”:
  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-430943131005128104

• See his profile on Wikipedia:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govindappa_Venkataswamy

2. Marian Wright Edelman

Edelman is the author and editor of a number of books on social justice, including Social Injustice and Public Health (2005), which expounds her belief that “a primary goal of public health is to address the root causes of social injustice: widening gaps between rich and poor, the unequal distribution of resources within our society, discrimination, and the disenfranchisement of individuals and groups from the political process.” Edelmen is the founder of Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) an initiative that encourages preventive investment before children get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown.

• See the profile of the founder of Children’s Defense:
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageNavigator/People_MWE
• See her profile on Wikipedia:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Wright_Edelman
• See her videos on You Tube:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWf-OpQvpKo

3. Byron Katie

Times magazine described Byron Katie as ‘A visionary for the new millenium’. Byron applies the Gandhian concept of “Be the change you want to see in the world” to one’s thoughts, with a deceptively simple technique and stunning clarity. She offers a constant ‘invitation’ to go inside oneself and to take responsibility for any situation by questioning one’s thinking.

Byron Katie’s method is called The Work, and is effective in bringing joy, happines, inner peace and an end to confusion. It has been described as a kind of Socratic Dialogue. “Believing our untrue thoughts is a sure way to scare ourselves to death” Byron Katie. ‘The Work’ has changed the lives of thousands of people.

• See and hear it here:
  Short Video and Audio Clips demonstrating Byron Katie at work
• See the official website for The Work: www.thework.com

4. Muhammad Yunus

Nobel Peace winner in 2006, Professor Muhammad Yunus has transformed Bangladesh and founded a bank that has loaned billions of dollars to millions of poor families, all without any collateral.. This country is the only one in the world which is on course to reach the millennium development goals of reducing poverty by one half by 2015. That is a statistic not to be missed!

His new book “Creating a world without poverty” outlines his vision for the eradication of poverty.

• See his official website:
  http://www.muhammadyunus.org/

• See his profile on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunus

5. Mario Capecchi

He lived as a feral child after the Nazis sent his mother to a death camp. His ‘unworthy’ ideas were rejected by the scientific establishment. Last year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for a medical revolution. He made his dreams a reality and never quit. He is truly exceptional!

• See his profile on Wikipedia:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Capecchi
• His Utah Lab Profile:
  http://capecchi.genetics.utah.edu/capecchi.html
• See his article in Time: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1670524,00.html

6. Mimi Silbert

In 1971 Mimi Silbert founded Delancey Street with four residents, a thousand dollar loan and a dream. She envisioned a place where substance abusers, former felons and others who had hit bottom would, through their own efforts, be able to turn their lives around.

Silbert has since built an empire grossing 20 million dollars a year with locations in New York, New Mexico, North Carolina and Los Angeles. She has never accepted a single penny of government funds.

• See Mimi’s interview with PBS:
  http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/silbert.html

• See Mimi’s foundation:
  http://www.delanceystreetfoundation.org/president.php

• See Mimi’s article “the most successful rehabilitation programme in the world” on BBC:
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6245531.stm

7. Kailash Satyarthi

Kailash Satyarthi has been instrumental in freeing thousands of child slaves from numerous industries. He has evolved various strategies and methods to secure freedom for the slave children. These include direct action, secret raids, judicial interventions, parental motivation, community mobilization, persuading and pressurizing employers, etc. Hundreds of real life stories of his liberation operations have motivated countless people to join the fight against child labor.

• See his official website:
  http://www.kailashsatyarthi.net/

• See his profile on Wikipedia:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kailash_Satyarthi

As you know, this list is by no means complete, there are several truly exceptional people that should be included on this list – so, if you have a blog take some time and write about them also. Let’s give credit where credit is due.

“Don’t confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.” – Erma Bombeck

The most successful entrepreneurs, in my opinion, seem to practice these three very common habits (not necessarily in this order):

1.  Sell, sell and sell!

Everyone is your customer.  I attended a sales kickoff last July when Joe Roebuck, an ex-Sun VP of Global Sales wrote something on the black board.  It spelled out R.S.A.P. – Revenue Solves All Problems.  For an entrepreneur to get anywhere – they need to focus on selling. Their product(s), their business, service(s). Regardless of what type of business it is, no money is made until the sale is made. Many start ups get stuck working on the details of operations, they forget that selling is more important. When you’re in business for yourself, you have to work smart. You don’t have the time or resources to sell to everyone. The more you can define–and refine–your target customer, the better you can concentrate, and therefore maximize, your sales efforts.

2.  Always be networking!

Entrepreneurs, especially successful ones, must network constantly.  Use your friends for introductions. Join the local Chamber of Commerce. Get involved in something you are passionate in like a charity or volunteer committee (notice I said get involved, not just join). Whatever networking strategies you come up with you should always be on the lookout for new ones. Every public activity has networking potential, from a plane trip to an elevator ride to a stroll through the parking lot. It is much easier to approach people that you met before you make your pitch. Wouldn’t you like to make new friends more than you would like to make sales calls? Once you have met them and have learned more about them, follow up with them to see if you can talk about business. This works for any kind of business, even if you are just driving traffic to a retail store or a website.  Good networking habits are invaluable and will save you a great deal of time and resources.

3. Must Be Innovative – Avoid Being Status Quo!

The more innovative the entrepreneur, the broader their idea base – true innovators look for differences, while imitators look for similarities. This explains entrepreneurs’ open-mindedness and their willingness, at times, to think the unthinkable.

Here are a few of the selected responses from LinkedIn members.
For the entire thread and complete list of responses please see:
LinkedIn Answers (“What Are Three GREAT Common Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs?”)

Zale Tabakman, business success consultant says:
1) Having clear and identifiable goals.
2) Consistent and meaningful action towards some goal each and every day.
3) Forming and maintaining a Positive Mental Attitude to each and everything in your life.

HD Gupta, Enterpreneur, Managing Director at Island Resort Pte Ltd,Singapore says:
1) Courage to take risk which mostly cant
2) Ability to do much bigger than resources are available
3) LUCK factor-which know one has seen perhaps

Chad Everson, Owner of The Clay Empire says:
1) They have a vision and spend little time with those who they can not share this vision with.
2) Their passion is infective to those more talented and gifted they always surround themselves with.
3) They are already working on their next idea.

Dr. Deitra C. Payne, Founder & President, C. Payne Consulting & Training says:
1) Believe in yourself.
2) Positive mindset.
3) Be grateful.

Venkdesh Balasubramanian, Media & Communication Professional says:
1) Visionary Leadership
2) Business Acumen
3) Community Involvement

So now it’s your turn! What are the three GREAT common habits of successful entrepreneurs?  I’m interested in hearing what you have to say.

Respectfully,
Rob