Modern day business heroes #1 Malcolm Bricklin

I am starting my series of articles on my TOP 10 modern business heroes. This article is my way of identifying people that I respect and admire, as examples of amazing & winning business minds. There is a close correlation and "fine line" between raw genius, real business savvy, and being an artist recognized for their genius. This series features folks that have a unique compliment of all three types. Rankings within this group do NOT apply, this is not a comparison, simply a list of my own personal heroes, and a bit on why they are heroes to me.

First up, the father of Subaru of America (Subie-racers are a cult of their own) Malclom Bricklin. Born in 1939, a University of Florida Gator and Founder of Subaru of America at 31 years old. He has throughout his career demonstrated his ability to identify industry trends very early, and that vision has manifested itself in his enthusiasm, passion, and drive to innovate. As the caption beneath the rendering says, "It all starts with a dream"

So lets get into the heart of the subject, what is the difference between a brilliant / visionary artist, and a sucessful business person that has converted visionary genius into commercial success? In my mind it is your drive and determination that makes the difference! Doing your HOME WORK... Investing the time and effort into walking your vision from your dreams into reality. If you want to be successful you must have a detailed plan documented for every aspect of your vision. Which ways do the doors open, hood springs or prop rods, where do you get your power train, how do you meet the mandate for 5 MPH bumpers?

I was 15 when the Bricklin SV1 premiered it was sleek, fast, and embodied state of the art safety technolgies, hense the branding SV (Safe Vehicle). Truly and object of desire for a 3rd generation Detroiter, who just happened to be wild about cars. It was incredible and the gull wings on the Bricklin preceded the DeLorean made famous by the back to the future movies. How did he do it? Well, Malcolm was very smart in that he leveraged his network of automotive connections to bring in key components like engines, and transmissions. He clearly mapped out his goals and set out to achieve them. Nothing is perfect, but core to any successful person's character is the commitment to always do your best. In the end, there are very few folks that have ALL that it takes to make their dreams come true... if it was easy everyone would do it!

Now there are many other projects Malcolm has been involved with, some more sucessful than others. Some "ahead of their time" he formed the Electric Bicycle Company in 1993! So, what I take away from Malcolms story is that there is no such thing as a "1 hit wonder" how do you get to Carnegie Hall (a true measure of success) practice practice practice. So, for me success is an applied methodology of articulating your genius, practicing your craft, and doing through out your life. Truly sucessful people never stop, they are driven by a vision that connects with their passion. BTW, I try to "keep up" with my heroes, below you can see what Malcolm is up to now... Genius is not bound by the size of the challenge or age!

I WANT ONE!