6 Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Learn From Walt Disney

6 Lessons Everyone Should Learn From Walt Disney's Entrepreneurship Skills

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6 Lessons Everyone Should Learn From Walt Disney's Entrepreneurship Skills

​As you surely know, Walt Disney is the founder of the multinational mass media corporation that shaped the childhoods and pop culture of millions of people. It is probably the most famous company ever in the whole world. This man built an empire starting from scratch. When he started, he wasn’t the man we think of today. He was struggling, he was working as an animator and had very little money. By devoting himself to his dream, he became the great animator we all love today. His journey should serve as an inspiration for all of us.​

Value Your Salesman Skills.

Walt Disney was an incredible salesman. In order to pursue your dreams, you will need to be able to sell them out. Dreams take money and money comes from selling, as Walt said. Nobody believed in his project at first. Everybody thought he would never succeed. Despite this,  he believed in his dream so much that he eventually convinced others to believe in it too. That’s how he managed to fund his first projects. He proposed his project to many different people until he found someone willing to support it.

Do What You Love.

Walt Disney loved drawing more than anything. In fact, he dedicated most of his time to do it. He was drawing both as a job and as a hobby in his spare time. He devoted his own life to art, and he was even willing to work other jobs just to fund his passion. What you can learn from this is, if you think your dream is impossible to achieve, don’t give up. Make sacrifices, take other jobs and save money in order to pursue your dream. Again, study, get prepared, work hard and get what you want. It will be hard but once you achieve it, you won’t regret all you’ve done.

Never Stop Looking For Inspiration.

Do you know where Walt Disney got the idea of Mickey Mouse from? He was a young, penniless man living out of the animated advertising company where he held a job. There, he encountered some mice. From one of those, he took inspiration for Steamboat Willie. After all, a bad situation taught him that inspiration can be found everywhere, even in the trash, and that you don’t have to give up even when you’re feeling hopeless.

Take Risks.

Walt Disney was often told he was attempting the impossible. When he started building Disneyland, nothing like that had ever been attempted. The project was very expensive, and it could have made the company go bankrupt. However, Disney’s inventor was quite savvy in terms of branding and marketing. By the time the theme park had opened, there were already many people who just couldn’t wait to go.

Think About Others.

For your product to be successful, you need to make it for the people and not for yourself. Likewise, Walt Disney didn’t draw animations for himself. He did it for his public. In a time when the Great Depression was running, he provided people with an escape from the crushing poverty and hopelessness they were living. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs earned 1.5 million dollars when it was released. Also, it happened during a time of crisis. Paying attention to people’s needs will give you the key for success.

Keep Improving Yourself.

Walt Disney didn’t just settle with his first success. As soon as he finished one project, he immediately started a new one. Even Mickey Mouse was constantly going through changes. His inventor would keep on redesigning it to make it better and better.

So what we can learn from this extraordinary man is to never give up, pursue your dreams even when they seem impossible to reach. Do not listen to people telling you that you are out of your mind, and you’re never going to make it. If you really love something, go for it, fight for your ideas and get what you want. If you fail, you will learn something and get inspiration for something new. Sometimes a failure is the beginning of a whole new experience.

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” – Walt Disney