The Wisdom of Titans: Secrets of Success from Entrepreneurs Who Rose to the Top

Chapter One

Have Fun at Work

. . . if you can’t have fun doing what you’re doing, you’d better find something that you enjoy doing because you won’t be successful unless you do.

—J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr., Executive Chairman, Marriott International, Inc.

Becoming an entrepreneur takes energy and drive. Achieving success takes an unrelenting commitment to turning an idea into a plan, a plan into a start-up venture, and a venture into a sustainable business that generates a return and creates opportunities. For the entrepreneur—whether the founder of a business or the leader who takes an organization to the next level—a tremendous effort is required. Simply stated, the business is all-consuming.

The payoff, therefore, must be a level of intrinsic ...