Executive Summary
As we enter the 21st century, the world is full of opportunities for entrepreneurs. The opportunity is what many entrepreneurs chase after. Just the idea of starting a business excited them. Entrepreneurs are people who have characteristics of a high need for achievement, a willingness to take moderate risk, strong self-confidence, and a passion for the business. We all question what is the best age for getting started. There is really no simple answer to that question. Most businesses require some background knowledge. A certain amount of time is usually required to gain the education, experience, and financial resources of starting a business. According to the textbook “Small Business Management” by Longenecker, Moore, and Petty, research conducted by Paul Reynolds reveals that the highest percentage of startups is in age group of 25 to 35 years old; Truett Cathy was a natural entrepreneur at the age of 8.
In this context is a quick overview of Samuel Truett Cathy’s life as a child, experiences as an adult, education and training, personality characteristics, and entrepreneurial activities.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be successful? Some people are not born into success or wealth. Many successful entrepreneurs had a vision they turned into reality. Samuel Truett Cathy is one prime example of a man who lived out his convictions. An inventor of the beast-of-chicken sandwich, mall counter service in the days before food courts and Sunday closing as a policy, Truett Cathy celebrated his 80th birthday in 2001. Many might think of him as a true modern-day role model and hero. Some sees him as the Chick-fil-a man. From his book “It’s Easier to Succeed than to Fail”, Cathy represented a real-life case history showing that a determined and energetic entrepreneur can overcome anything. Cathy stated, “ The secret to success is not secret at all. It is very obvious, but we are too often blinded to the truth.” (Cathy, p. 191)
Background
Samuel Truett Cathy, born in 1921, is founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A, Inc. Cathy started the business in 1946 when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as the Dwarf Grill (later named Dwarf House). Today, Chick-fil-A is the third-largest quick-service chicken restaurant company in the United States...
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...sion, and dedication are the essential ingredients to a fruitful life. Reading the book, “It’s Easier to Succeed than to Fail,” touched my heart. The book was written very simple and from the heart. It contained valuable lessons and inspirational challenges that will inspire young and old people to strive for the very best. I love the book. It is truly a must read book. I highly recommend the book. It will make you glad to be in a world with people like Truett Cathy.
Conclusion
Truett Cathy not only presides over one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains known as Chick-fil-A in America, but he’s also a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. It is evident that through WinShape Centre Foundation, WinShape Homes, and Camp WinShape he has always had a special place in his heart for young people. He has been a role model to many thirteen-year olds boys he has taught in Sunday school. Through the years Truett and his wife Jeannette have been surrogate parents and big brother and sister to many. He has helped many young people to prepare themselves for leadership in the world. Truett Cathy has been an inspiration to many people he has touched.
In 1946 two brothers, Ben and Truitt Cathy, opened a diner in Atlanta Georgia called the Dwarf House Grill. The Dwarf House served a variety of typical grill food that included everything from burgers to hot dogs. All of that changed in 1961 when a poultry supplier stopped buy and sold Mr. Cathy chicken breast that were too large for the trays that they typically cooked the chicken on. Truitt Cathy decided that he did not want to throw out the chicken so he breaded the chicken and put it in the pressure fryer. He realized that he could cook the chicken in the same amount of time that it took to cook a hamburger and it tasted great. He had hamburger buns and pickles in the restaurant already and this is how the first chicken sandwich was made. In 1967 the first Chick-Fil-A store was opened in Atlanta’s Greenbrier Shopping Center and in 1986 the first freestanding franchise was opened. Today there are more than one thousand seven hundred Chick-Fil-A restaurants in thirty nine states. One of the ways that Chick-Fil-A has been able to make their company a success is through their unique approach to customer service. They are able to provide excellent customer service by turning individuals into team players. Teams can be seen in the hiring process, community involvement, national sponsorship, knowing what customers want, and cooperate culture. All of these different teams lead to excellence in customer service.
The biggest downfall of Chick-fil-A is the fact that on Sundays they are never open. Chick-fil-A is family owned restaurant built on Christian beliefs that discontinues all business operations on Sundays. Others suggests that the fact that Chick-fil-A reserves a day out of the week for religious purposes over the temptations of monetary value is rare in the food industry and therefore is highly respected. Chick-fil-A has maintained its moral values that people have learned to appreciate, even though some groups boycott the practice. Chick-fil-A continues to dominate sales beyond other fast-food restaurants even while only operating 6 days a week. Chick-fil-A chicken is so great tasting that they have had record breaking sales. According to Business Insider, Peterson H. argued that “The fried chicken chain generates more revenue per restaurant than any other fast food chain in the US,” (Peterson, 2015). Chick-fil-A food chain has even surpassed the sales of KFC and
Chick-fil-A has become a very successful company throughout its history till today. Many different events have occurred throughout the history of Chick-fil-A. The owner of the first Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathy, opened his restaurant in Hapeville, GA in 1946. Later on the first Chick-fil-A acquired the nickname the Dwarf House. Later on Truett Cathy invented the first chicken sandwich by using a pressure cooker to cook a boneless chicken breast as fast as a burger. This simple process began the famous Chick-fli-A chicken sandwich. Chick-fil-A’s overall mission has always been and continues to be “Be America’s Best Quick Service Restaurant.” Chick-fil-A has been quite successful in living by and fulfilling this simple but effective mission. In
...ew from Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy's desire to "shape winners" by helping young people succeed in life. Today, the foundation provides several programs focused on creating strong youth through leadership programs and supporting families and enriching marriages (O'Connor).
Johns-Treat, C. V. (1994). More than ever, companies need visionary leaders and highly motivated workers. The Business Journal, V11 n40, p 19. City Business/USA Inc.
“I believe that you can combine biblical principles and good business practice. I testified before congress... On how to be honest and successful at the same time.” –Truett Cathy- This is a famous quote of Truett Cathy. He believed that being successful in a business did not require any entrepreneur to be a liar in order to be successful. He believed that if he prayed and followed in the path in which God prepared for him things would work out. For Truett Cathy this was part of him becoming a successful entrepreneur. He had a planned that he stuck to and that he was very successful in.
It's almost more about looking at obstacles as hurdles rather than a fence or looking at the challenges in life as bumps rather than things that will stop you. A successful person is the person who would get over the hurdle, rather than let it stop them. John Glenn is this person. Although John had many challenges in his life, he was able to overcome all of them with the power of his mind and determination. John was truly a person that was “out of the ordinary” and had accomplished more in his life than two people could even accomplish together. To live a successful life, it takes a lot. It doesn’t come easy, but with a lot of determination and focus anything is possible. The most important key is to never give
In the book “Think and Grow Rich,” the author, Napoleon Hill, provides a set of principles that he calls the key to financial success. The idea at the center of these principles is that one becomes what he or she frequently thinks about, in this case success (i.e. rich). Hill lays out a method he created to translate one’s thoughts into reality, creating an insatiable hunger and drive within an individual to succeed. Using the examples of his son and some of America’s legendary iconic business leaders, of which Hill studied and interviewed, including Edwin C. Barnes, he demonstrates that anything one puts his or her mind to can be produced and conceived.
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” As you watch mainstream media you notice that the rich and successful are always joyful and confident. This eludes you from the hard work it takes for someone to become successful. Main stream media has falsely popularized the true definition of being successful. Many people start to believe that you’re only successful if you own an enormous house with multiple rooms that you can sleep in a new room each night, or having luxurious cars, owning expensive items, traveling anywhere you want at any given time, but in fact the true meaning of success is far from that. In
Being successful in life has ever been an easy thing, let say it is not a piece of cake. All of the successful people have inclined themselves to some rigid principles. Those principles require that you spent nights without sleeping while the others are sleeping. It requires you working longer than the others. In one word, in order for you to be successful, you must accept to sacrifice yourself. Those principles are valuable not only for men and women, but also for the company. Organizations are characterized by principles, rules norms. Once these items are neglected, the organization is subject to fail (bankruptcy). Conversely, what makes Lincoln Electric Company so prosperous? What makes it different in the industry it operates in? What makes it the company the world's largest manufacturer of welding machines and electrodes? I am pretty sure after a careful lecture of this essay you will be able to answer these questions and apply those rules into your own personal life. So don’t worry if you are not able to provide an appropriate respo...
This was the lesson I learnt from my father, an unceasing learner and a person who would never give up no matter how many and how difficult the obstacles may be. Having understood from him that success is a moving target, the years of my life with my family have inculcated in me a desire to achieve perfection.
The success of a business is greatly dependent on its entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is someone who takes the financial risk of starting and managing a new business venture. In order to be a successful entrepreneur, one must be ready to take a risk and invest one’s own savings into a business. The job requires that the individual be ambitious and committed to working hard in order to achieve the set targets. A successful entrepreneur is able to multi-task and communicates effectively with people, possessing leadership qualities such as confidence and motivation. The individual must play the role of constant motivator and inspire employees to improve their work performance, whilst ensuring a comfortable environment for the employees to work in. According to Schumpeter (1982), an entrepreneur is more of a ‘heroic’ than an ‘economic’ figure; his motivation should not solely be monetary, rather stemming more from inspiration and ambition.
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Majalah Niaga(2013); Super Entrepreneur Tip: Do not Ever Stop Trying- edition 26; available from [magazine] pp 30-32. Retrieved on 7 March 2014