My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a business is to model the strategies of people who have already done what you’re trying to do. I call it Modeling the Masters. My last post with almost 70 comments was 3 Success Tips from George Lucas.

Today we're going to look at how a man who had all the odds stacked against him rose up to the challenge, proved his critics wrong, and became one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the world. This is the story of CNN founder Ted Turner and the top 3 lessons that you can learn from his success.

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"Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise." - Ted Turner

Ted Turner (born November 19, 1938) is an American media mogul and philanthropist. He is the founder of the cable news network, CNN, and is known for his $1 billion gift to support United Nations causes. Growing up, Turner was a 'C' student and was rebellious, eventually getting expelled from Brown University for having a woman in his room with him. In the following years his parents divorced, he got married and divorced, his 12 year old sister developed terminal lupus and his father went so far into debt with his advertising company that he committed suicide. Turner was 24 years old and his father's company was almost bankrupt but he decided he would take over the family business.

Nobody believed the young rebel would ever make anything of himself. Turner set out to prove them wrong. He built up his father's advertising business and then expanded into radio and television ventures. He went on to create the CNN television network and Turner Broadcasting Systems (TBS). He would also go on to buy the Atlanta Braves baseball team and Atlanta Hawks basketball team to provide original content for his stations.

Turner came a long way from a 24 year old who nobody believed in. In 1991, Turner became the first media figure to be named Time magazine's Man of the Year. He owns over 2 million acres of land, has the largest private bison herd of 50,000, and donated $1 Billion to United Nations causes. His current net worth is over $2 Billion and he currently dedicates his time and resources to making the world a better, safer place for future generations.

Action Item #1: Decide You'll Be A Success

A turning point for many entrepreneurs comes when they commit to their business and decide that they are going to see things through until they become a success. It doesn't mean that it's going to happen overnight but it's a commitment to reaching success and putting the daily effort into making that goal become a reality.

Stunned by his father's suicide, Turner realized that he had to set ambitious goals for himself so he always had something to live for. He committed to changing his path and getting serious about his life. Despite advice to sell off Turner Advertising after his father’s death, Turner fought to keep the company and worked to bring in enough business to pay off all its debts. As he grew his business he kept striving for higher goals to keep himself challenged and gave his best effort every day.

According to Turner: "If you’ve got an innovative idea, and the majority does not pooh-pooh it, then the odds are you must not have a very good idea. When people thought I was loony, it did not bother me at all. In fact, I considered that I must really be onto something... You should set goals beyond your reach so you always have something to live for... I decided I wanted to be a success."

Action Item #2: Never Quit

When you're an entrepreneur there's always a temptation to quit when the excitement of starting up wears off and you're into the daily grind of running your business. Don't quit! Remember, you decided that you're going to be successful and that comes from doing something every day that will move your business forward. Remember why you started the business and think about all the people you're going to be able to help. Find that motivation to keep going even when people around you think you're nuts.

Almost every venture that Turner started or every business that he acquired, critics told him that it would never work and he was spending his money foolishly. When Turner told people that he wanted to create a 24 hour news only network, they thought he was crazy. Nobody would tune in to watch news all day long - it was a suicide mission, they said. Undeterred, Turner fought tooth and nail until he finally launched CNN which revolutionized the media industry and became a rapid success.

According to Turner: "All my life people have said that I wasn’t going to make it. They laughed at me when I started with CBS. They laughed at me when I started CNN. They laughed at me when I bought the Braves. They laughed at me when I bought the Hawks. They laughed at me when I bought MGM... You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win."

Action Item #3: Work Hard

There are many paths to success but one common theme you'll find if you model successful entrepreneurs is that they worked very hard to get their businesses going. Being an entrepreneur is not a 9 to 5 job. You're going to work harder than you've ever worked before and will hopefully love (almost) every minute of it because you're doing something that you're extremely passionate about.  Success does not come without the hard work behind it.

When Turner was launching CNN he frequently worked 18 hour days. He converted his office into an apartment and slept over most nights at CNN headquarters. CNN staff regularly saw him leave his office to grab a cup of coffee in his bathrobe. Turner felt that the best way to lead is by example and he inspired his staff to work almost as hard as him to achieve their common goal. A former employee one said of Turner: "He was much more than a cheerleader. He was the kind of guy you’d want to run through a wall for."

According to Turner: "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise... CNN came out of my heart and soul... I see what keeps people young: Work!"

True Story

Turner has a longstanding bitterness with News Corporation's Rupert Murdoch. It began in 1983 when a Murdoch-sponsored yacht crashed into Turner's boat during a race causing it to sink only 10 kilometres from the finish line. Turner was an avid sailor and won the America Cup, sailing's most prestigious award, so he took the crash personally. He challenged Murdoch to a televised fistfight in Los Vegas - Murdoch declined.

More Quotes

"Do something. Either lead, follow or get out of the way."

"Watch me. I’m like a bulldog that won’t let go."

"You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win."

What Do You Think?

Have you committed to being a success? How hard to you work in your business? What part of Ted Turner's message impacted you the most? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

Evan Carmichael

To learn more check out my list of Ted Turner articles or my website, EvanCarmichael.com.