Dedicated to Suzana Mavity of Acaboom for all she’s done to raise money for “Do it for Dom” in support of Huntington’s Disease Association.
Inventorpreneur
Thomas Edison is perhaps best known as the inventor of the modern day lightbulb. It’s written that his first 10,000 attempts failed indeed he’s alleged to have said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
What I find particularly remarkable about Edison is how entrepreneurial he was. Had he not been the greatest inventor of his age, indeed one of the most influential of all time, he’d still be renowned for his business nous.
He left school at 11 although his mother is credited with continuing his education. At the age of 12 he started selling newspapers on trains and at 13 created his own publication, “The Grand Trunk Herald” named after the railway line he worked on. It’s reported he made $50 profit a week, (approximately $1,560 today).
During his career he founded 14 companies including General Electric, still one of the largest companies in the US (as defined by gross revenue).
Edison was almost completely deaf as a consequence of contracting scarlet fever in childhood and also having his ears “boxed” when thrown off a train having set fire to a carriage whilst conducting an experiment. He would listen to a piano by chomping into the wood to absorb the sound waves into his skull. The waves would then pass through the cochlea and into the auditory nerve and finally into his brain. Despite this condition he invented the phonograph (which later developed into the gramophone and record player).
For more information, insight, ideas and inspiration (four-i) from business development coach Peter Knight, browse and share our ‘Thought for the day’ archive.
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