7 Success Lessons From Colonel Sanders

You’re listening to “The Future of Business” podcast with Jim Collins. Jim Collins is the author of “Good to Great”.

Colonel Sanders failed at nearly every job he’d ever had. He worked at the post office, the gas station, selling newspapers, and even tried to make his own version of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

There were rumors going around about the Colonel having affairs and his marriage to Josephine falling apart. He had 3 children by Josephine.

The life of an entrepreneur isn’t an easy one. You work long hours, you get criticized and rejected many times, you put in long periods of time where you aren’t making any money, and you go through a lot of personal issues and challenges along the way. Nevertheless, if you really want to make it in business, it’s all about putting in the time and effort.

Colonel Sanders’ Success Lessons

Colonel Sanders was born on the 13th of April, 1910. He was the son of a poor family which could not afford to pay school fees. He was born in a small village and his family had to borrow money in order to afford an education. It was only at the age of 13 that he started studying at Kentucky College. He was still in college when he found his first job in the kitchen. It was an experience he did not enjoy. However, his next job as a cashier was the most profitable job. He was determined to succeed and after a few years, he set up the KFC chain.

For anyone, regardless of age, it’s important to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need and not putting yourself at risk of falling into debt.

1. You Have to Go Through Failure to Get to Success

Colonel Sanders is mentioned in the intro above. He was rejected more than 1000 times before successfully selling his KFC recipe.

…It’s a big deal, but…it’s actually pretty mild.

He tried to sell shoes, he tried to sell newspapers, he tried to sell cars, he tried to sell houses, he tried to sell stocks, he tried to sell real estate, he tried to sell insurance, he tried to sell insurance again, he tried to sell insurance with a friend, he failed at the above jobs and his first business.

I’m happy and proud to be an entrepreneur, and there’s no end to the stories I can tell about the ups and downs of this industry. There is always another idea and a new lesson to be learned. I just started my own company about a year ago and I’m learning every day from this industry. I started as an intern on this website about a year ago, and now I’m building an app and a successful business model, all while being an entrepreneur.

2. You’re Never too old to Succeed

Colonel Sanders sold Kentucky Fried Chicken for $2 million which is like $15 million in the world of today. He retained the role of “spokesman” for the company for life.

To paraphrase a famous proverb, great people don’t look back, they look forward.
Even in his old age, it didn’t stop Colonel Sanders from dreaming about the future and creating a better future for us.

You are never too old to work hard and become successful. The most important part of a successful person is their desire to succeed.

3. The Past Doesn’t Define Your Success

You have the power to decide and take control of where you go in life. You can start from the bottom, and work your way up, or you can start at the top and work your way down. You can put your past behind you, and use your experiences to inform your future success.

Success is achieved by those who overcome their past.

This seems to be the case, when it comes to the government and the current administration, when you hear them talk about job creation and helping those in need, it all sounds great, but the way they’ve handled this situation is pretty appalling.

4. Giving up is the Only Sure Way to Fail

The KFC story proves that giving up is a surefire way to fail. If you fail at something, no matter how many times you fail, the possibility of succeeding is still always there.

You’ve never been a failure. You’re just a person who has never been successful.

Even though we’re old enough to know better, we still have to learn from the mistakes of our youth. Remember to never give up because you’ll wake up one day and realize that you never did.

You don’t need to go to the gym to gain muscle. Just go to the kitchen and eat some real food!

5. It’s Never too Late to Start Over

He wasn’t really interested in anything that was not cooking and so that is what he decided on. But at first, he was not good at it. And it was not until later that he figured it out.

When you know that you have to try to do a lot of different things in your life, it can become stressful. One’s life can really get all mixed up.

Despite aging in mind and body, Colonel Sanders went on to open his first restaurant at the age of 70, finally achieving his goal and being able to leave the restaurant business at age 78.

6. Take a Risk on Doing What You Love

It’s no secret that following your passion is the key to happiness and success. When you’re following your passion, your dream job becomes a living reality.

This shows that the 20’s should be a time when we begin to really pursue our dreams and passions.

French:
Maintenant, je vous recommande de regarder votre état de santé
et la façon dont vous vous sentez dans le moment.

I am a firm believer that we all have passion for things. In my own life I can tell you that I am passionate about many things and this has helped me to get to where I am today. It has also helped me to keep me going.

In the end, a pursuit of something you love makes you a successful person.

I’ve used a different phrasing for the first line in the “Paraphrase” because I feel it sounds better. The first line is something that makes you happy. The second line is something that will stick with you forever.

7. Don’t be Afraid to Start Small

Sanders started selling Kentucky Fried Chicken by the side of the road, on a small scale. After selling the recipe, it grew, and has now expanded to international markets.

The lesson here is, be smart about which way you grow your career and which fields you choose.

You could start a brand new website, and it might get a bit of traffic, but it will hardly get the kind of traffic that could make a living off of it.

You should be a little bit more prepared before launching your website. Have a look at the following resources and maybe one of these will help you out.

Just start. Just do it. Just make your dreams come true.

If you love progression, and have the time to build up, then go for it and when you’re ready, start out small and work your way up.
This advice will make you an early member of the club, because you will have some games under your belt to give you more confidence and knowledge.

Summary

He taught soldiers to do three things: 1) be ready when the enemy decides to attack, 2) attack first, and 3) always win.

I know going into the future I’ll have to overcome many obstacles, but I have to believe in myself and my ability to make it.