At age 67, I can describe myself as a successful serial entrepreneur and inventor who happens not to have a college degree. How did I get here? The hard way. I learned from my mistakes, some of which were costly—which is to say they cost me a significant amount of money or time, or both. And then there is the toll my business mistakes took on my personal life…
As a boy, I came from a broken home, and one where money was scarce. My formal education stopped after a short stint as a college student—I did not even last one semester! Quite honestly, I didn’t apply myself; I also did not believe I belonged in college. I had been a lackluster student in high school and had convinced myself I wasn’t smart. Yet, by the time I was 21, I was already a business owner, and before I was 30, I was also a successful inventor. Both of those achievements are difficult and, therefore, noteworthy.
With or without a formal education, you need drive!
While my contemporaries were still in college, I was diving into the business world: retail, automotive, safety, finance and distribution. Caddy Products, the company I created for my most famous invention—the cupholders mounted on the seats in nearly every sports stadium and movie theater in North America—grew to sales of more than 5 million dollars in annual revenues before I sold it.
I’ve owned two auto repair facilities, five retail stores in the major malls around Minneapolis including the Mall of America, and for four years I ran an In-Home Tutoring Service with 100 certified teachers. I still own a business in which a partner and I invented and licensed ladder-safety accessories; we are enjoying royalties from it to this day.
Would a college education have helped me in my ventures as a businessman? As an inventor? It’s impossible to know. Undoubtedly, a college education would have taught me certain fundamentals that could have saved me a lot of time and money as I was growing my businesses.
Using only my common sense to make pragmatic decisions meant that I learned to be an entrepreneur the hard way. Those early lessons were never forgotten. And I believe those experiences made me a stronger businessman in my subsequent ventures. I sometimes wonder whether a college education would have made it difficult for me to develop my creativity, my willingness to operate “outside the box,” which is fundamental to invention and critical to unique business start-ups.
Education is continuous.
That said, what I have learned since dropping out of college is that I do have a good brain. I have discovered that I love to read. I am constantly educating myself through books. Learning is a passion of mine. So, I believe you can educate yourself. And, whether or not you have a college degree, I believe you should always be educating yourself. You should strive to read at least one book a month; attend lectures when the opportunity arises; take classes, online or in-person at your local college or university; subscribe to podcasts that offer food for thought. These things are all doable. You simply have to choose to make the time for them.
Become an intern.
Another way to educate yourself is to sign on for an internship. Ideally, you’ll find an opportunity in a company that you’d want to work for; show them your skills, including an ability and willingness to learn, along with a strong work-ethic, and you’ll find the world welcoming you.
Find a mentor.
Most successful entrepreneurs and inventors are more than glad to help shepherd the next generation of dreamers and doers. Start with a letter introducing yourself, and a request to meet for a conversation.
College or bust!
And, if college has always been a dream of yours but the cost is beyond your means, I encourage you to look for scholarships, grants, and long-term low-interest loans. A good place to start is online. Use Google to search for financial assistance available in your state. Check out a consumer advocacy website for info on the best loans. You can also find grant opportunities and work-study programs that might suit you. There are nearly countless scholarships to apply for, both merit-based and needs-based. And then there are local organizations across the country that want to help their community’s youth afford higher education; check out your local GFWC chapter, Rotary Club, Lions Club, and the like. Nowadays, most libraries also offer assistance in the form of free workshops for anyone looking for info on how to afford college; libraries are so much more than a wonderful place to find books.
Remember: where there’s a will, there’s a way!
~ ~ ~
Godspeed!
Your fellow-dreamer and doer,
Bruce D. Clark
If I can do it, anyone can!