Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Visionaries | Thomas Edison
The Visionary Chronicles Podcast
CHRONICLE: February 22nd, 2023
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” – Thomas Edison
Visionaries | Thomas Edison
There are many great quotes on failure and the barriers you must overcome to succeed, but few resonate from such great leaders, the Visionaries.
Not a one-hit wonder but a generational success; luck is usually not part of the formula, just hard work, knowledge, and persistence.
Only a few true Visionaries have graced our planet, and even fewer today than in the past. These Visionaries, Rockefeller, Carnegie, JP Morgan, Ford, Einstein, Edison, and Jobs, contributed significantly to our way of life today.
Having discussed a few, I would like to discuss the greatest inventor of all time, Thomas Edison. Think of our world without music, voice communication, movies, or light. Yet, only a few know that Edison was also the father of the innovation process through teamwork.
Edison invented life-altering products like electric power, voice communications, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions included the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the electric light bulb, and each has had a lasting impact on our world!
He established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed. Over his desk Edison displayed a placard with Sir Joshua Reynold's quotation: "There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking." This is an awesome quote, and when you are looking for continual inspiration, it is best to have one which reflects what the average person aspires to achieve and never realizes, versus those who have impacted our world, the Visionaries. I am always curious as to what, or who inspired these great Visionaries, and finding a quote such as this provides some insight.
Throughout his life, Edison did not always find success, even though his products provided life-changing solutions, such as DC power. The DC world would soon turn to AC, supplied by Tesla. The fight for control would become legendary and involve some of the most powerful men in the world, such as JP Morgan. Eventually, AC would win out and provide the current electrical grid.
Edison would later establish a botanical laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida, with businessmen Henry Ford and Harvey S. Firestone and a laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, that featured the world's first film studio, the Black Maria. Imagine the mastermind power of Edison, Ford and Firestone. A legendary team!
With 1,093 US patents in his name and in other countries, Edison is regarded as the greatest inventor of our time. Edison married twice and had six children. He died in 1931 due to complications from diabetes.
True Visionaries impact not only our life but generations beyond, which is why there are so few. Edison was a legendary Visionary, inventor, and Idea generator. He carved the path for others to follow, but few, if any, will ever match his impact on our lives.
Stay True, Stay Authentic, be Different, and be Great!
Enjoy the Journey!
Bryan Smeltzer, President
LiquidMind Inc.
#TheVisionaryChroniclesPodcast
#TheVisionaryBrandBook
@LiquidMindsite.com
@BryanSmeltzer.com
© All rights reserved, Bryan Smeltzer, 2023
Bryan Smeltzer is a consumer products business executive and entrepreneur. He has held executive-level roles in business development, product, and marketing with some of the world's most prestigious brands, including; Oakley, TaylorMade, Adidas, K-Swiss, and Schutt Sports, among other international brands. He also founded a men’s apparel brand, successfully running a profitable business for ten years, eventually selling to a VC firm.
He also hosts a Podcast called The Visionary Chronicles, and recently finished his first bestselling book, The Visionary Brand, The Success Formula Behind the World’s Most Visionary Brands, and recently received the prestigious Readers Favorite Award for BEST Non-fiction, Marketing Genre book.
He is also a member of the Board of Advisors at UCI’s BCIE along with their New Venture Program, an Innovation Advisor at the UCI’s Applied Innovation program at the Cove, a Mentor/Advisor to UCLA’s Price Center Venture Accelerator Program, and a Mentor/Advisor at the San Diego Sports Innovators Accelerator (SDSI) center.
Bryan oversees LiquidMind Inc., a global brand strategy firm that partners with start-ups and established mid to large-cap consumer brands to empower businesses to think differently, be different, drive a passionate culture, and execute relentlessly.
You can contact or follow him at;
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