The Hero’s Journey requires more energy than any one person can generate in isolation. We find strength and inspiration in the stories of our entrepreneurial predecessors and contemporaries and fuel up by digesting their biographies and interviews. Acton MBA students are even charged early on with the daunting task of approaching and interviewing their own entrepreneurial heroes.

One of my favorite entrepreneurial pick-me-ups is a visit to the Acton Foundation’s collection of hero stories at ActonHero.org. AFEE has gathered the stories of over 30 entrepreneurial heroes and shares their bios and videos online. You can browse by name and industry of course, but also by Major Struggle, Lessons Learned, and Key LOM Insights. Some of the latter topics include Fear of Failure, Don’t Build It Hoping They Will Come, and Transition from Military to Entrepreneurship.

Featured entrepreneurs include Catherine Rohr, who went from Wall Street financial mogul to founder and CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program; restaurateur and artist Phil Romano, whose Hunger Busters program feeds 3,000 people a week; and one of my favorites, Tom Nall. Mr. Nall, the developer of 2-Alarm Chili and creator of Republic Tequila, has this to say about entrepreneurship:

It takes a lot of determination, it takes some fear, and maybe it takes a little bit of insanity, too. But you can’t be afraid to fail. Be yourself, and don’t be afraid to be different. I like being different.

Photo courtesy of Chad Skeers

Tags: Acton Foundation, Interview

Posted in Blog, Featured Entrepreneurs