August is What is Your Legacy Month so I thought it only fitting to share just a few business leaders who left a legacy that changed more than their own lives and that of their employees, they shaped the future of business. Here they are:Sam Walton left a legacy when he started WalMart and then Sam’s Club with their low priced and warehouse shopping environments.
Howard Schultz changed how coffee was marketed and sold when he purchased his first coffee store in Seattle and created Starbucks.
Walt Disney changed how families vacationed when he opened Disney Land.
Walter A. Haas Jr. changed fashion when he invented Levis.
Ray Kroc changed fast-food restaurants when he started McDonalds.
Fred Smith changed mail and parcel delivery when he founded Federal Express.
Martha Stewart changed homemaking and entertaining when she started her company Martha Stewart.
Oprah Winfrey changed talk television, magazines and a host of other things with her company Harpo.
Tim Berners-Lee got the World Wide Web off the ground when he designed and built the first Web browser, editor and server.
Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight watchers created a diet program that worked and lead to dozens of other companies doing the same.
Bud Paxson realized the potential of home-based commerce when he founded the world’s first shopping channel, Home Shopping Network.
Not to mention all the technology companies and their inventions…. I could go on and on, but this would then be a book and not a blog post.
The point: is it time to take an inventory of your business and your life? Are you on track, heading in the direction of your goals? Are you still passionate about what you do? Or is it time to make a change? Will you leave a legacy in your industry, your community, and/or for the people who work for you?
So, what’s your legacy?
(feel free to leave your comments about who changed the face of business in the 20th and 21st century
August 5th is also:
International Beer Day
National Underwear Day
While you are thinking about ways to promote your business, check out Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.
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