Walt Disney

[UAction]

When I tell people "Remember, Walt Disney went bankrupt like 3 times before he made it really happen", they are not often impressed~~!! But i am, I love Disney. And He was a Sagittarious Ox as i remember (cuz i am too) Brilliant Man. If you havent been to Disney since you were a wee beastie, you should go. Its a strange and beautiful thing to see it again with the eyes of an adult and the heart of a child.

I didn't know he went bankrupt three times. A tribute to the man and the American system that he went on to do what he did.

[Eric King]

wow never give up!

[Victor J. M.]

Yes, he is very successful, working hard, creative and smart.

[2MX]

nice read, I like how he always seized the opportunity to promote his brand and how he never gave up on his dreams

[Shokoya]

Walt Disney - The Secrets To His Success

Walt Disney was a pioneering innovator with the vision, passion and drive to make dreams come true. In his lifetime he created a brand and empire that is still widely recognised today -- 40 plus years after his death. So what was the secret behind Disney's success?

Dream Big

Walt Disney was a man of dreams. Not ordinary dreams -- but big dreams with the power to inspire others to also dream. These big dreams gave Disney the ability to make the impossible possible. “It's kind of fun to do the impossible,” he once said.

Disney's ability to dream big was the key to many of his successes -- including the creation of the world's first fully-synchronized sound cartoon, the use of colour in animations and TV, the making of the first full-length animated feature and building the world’s first theme park.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” he said. “If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.”

Believe In Yourself

Disney’s success teaches us the importance of believing in our potential to manifest our dreams -- regardless of what others may say.

At times Disney’s dreams were so big even those closest to him found it hard to believe in them. For example, when Disney had plans to make a full-length animated feature of the classic story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, everyone in Hollywood thought he was crazy. Even his wife and brother tried to convince him to abandon the project.

But Disney refused to give up on his dream. He said, “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” The film premiered to a standing ovation, became the most successful motion picture of 1938, grossed today’s equivalent of $98 million and won Disney eight Oscars -- a big one and seven little ones.

Similarly, when Disney made plans to create the world’s first theme park, he was told that such an idea would be a complete disaster and waste of money.

However, Disney continued in pursuit of his dream. “We believed in our idea,” said Disney. “We did it in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to thought it thought it would be a financial disaster -- closed and forgotten within the first year.”

When Disneyland opened in 1955 it was an immediate success, and has since been visited by kings, queens, diplomats, dignitaries and millions of visitors from all around the world. It’s success led to the creation of similar theme parks in Florida, France and Japan.

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them” -- Walt Disney

Develop A Strong Brand

Recognising that a strong brand and unique product line are the keys to dominating any market, Disney was always looking for new and innovative ways to get his brand in front of his target audience. He used print, television, direct mail, and even grocery stores to achieve this objective. This ensured that overtime, the ‘Disney’ brand became widely recognised.

A good example of Disney’s marketing expertise is the opening of Disneyland in July 1955. The event was an invitation-only gala attended by the press, celebrities and dignitaries. Recognising this as a unique opportunity to leverage the big names of the time and further promote the Disney brand, the whole event was televised live to an estimated 90 million viewers.

Understanding the power of leverage, as soon as the Disney brand had been firmly established Walt Disney and his brother set about creating a range of merchandise -- watches, toys, t-shirts, etc -- and theme park attractions based around popular Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto, as well as locations taken from Disney films/cartoons.

Never Give Up

Disney was no stranger to adversity. His first two businesses were unsuccessful and when he took the train from Kansas to Hollywood with only $40, some drawing materials, a few ideas and a big dream, he had no way of knowing what the future held for him.

However, Walt Disney’s ability to focus on his desired future -- regardless of what was happening in the present -- gave him the strength to overcome life’s minor setbacks and manifest his dreams into reality.

Speaking from experience Disney once said “You may not realise it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

It was whilst on a train after just loosing the rights to Oswald The Lucky Rabbit plus most of his staff that Walt Disney created his most successful character -- Mickey Mouse.

“Mickey Mouse popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner,” Disney said.

Faced with many setbacks and disappointments Disney never gave up on his dreams. This is how he created success that continues today. “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles have strengthened me.” he said.

From this statement we learn the importance of never giving up or losing sight of our dreams.

For more on Walt Disneys' success secrets and acheivements, click on the following link:

Walt Disney - The Multiple Failure

Walt Disney - From Failure To Success

Walt Disney - Success Secrets

Walt Disney - Inspirational Quotes

How Walt Disney Made His Millions

[jenniferdharma]

So sad that I havent been to Disney land myself

[my_misyel]

Yes, the magic continues. I really admired how Walt Disney made it on top.

[ItsMyTime]

Walt Disney is my favorite... HANDS DOWN. Anyone who can run with their imagination and instill good emotions has my appreciation.

[zmonique2007]

Lesson "Disney tried to ensure that wherever possible, he was seizing the opportunity to promote his business".

Your business is YOU. That means that, any chance you have, you should be promoting yourself and expanding your client base.

[Cucumber Marketing]

I read somewhere that he bought his LA properties for just $10. It apparently was a marshland there and no one saw the value in the land... Love Disneyland!

[Dymondboy]

This is what i dream to be one day

[CalebHQ]

I read somewhere that he bought his LA properties for just $10. It apparently was a marshland there and no one saw the value in the land... Love Disneyland!

I believe that was here in Florida because most of the land out here is swamp land. He made it possible for most business out here in Florida. I still see great potential in Central Florida they said at one time it was suppose to be bigger than Hollywood. I still believe that can happen.

[Domainzaar]

People forget Disney was a homophobic anti-semanticist, frequently firing anyone on his staff he found to be Gay or Jewish! He was also a very hard taskmaster, so hard to work for, say the people who worked as his designers in his conveyor belt studio. But no one can deny he had a very powerful dream! The success of the theme parks has been largely due to the very good management of Disney in more recent years and undeniably a huge success by world standards. Having said that, the last time I went to Disney World in Florida, it was looking sad and scruffy and half the rides were closed!

[David Morson]

Attitude & Commitment are keys to success , I think for Walt Disney.

[CalebHQ]

People forget Disney was a homophobic anti-semanticist, frequently firing anyone on his staff he found to be Gay or Jewish!

So what...your talking like Walt Disney Started out in the 2000's were talking about 1930's. A lot of people back then was super confused as to what was going on in the world with WW1 and WW2 right around the corner and with the rise of Hitler. Hitler and the Nazis confused a lot of people...

I also tried to do some searching about him fireing Jewish staff...I really couldn't find any thing.

Now I know that there are cartoons featuring Nazi signs but this means nothing (most of them are making fun of it), the Nazis true plot wasn't discovered until the 40's.