The Determined Entrepreneur: The Story of Dr. George Tinsley and the Values That Guided His Journey to Success

By James F. Grebey

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19th Century American writer and philosopher, wrote about the power of the individual and the benefits of following your own path in life. His work might have defined the modern entrepreneur. Emerson said; Life is a journey, not a destination. The Determined Entrepreneur The Story of Dr George Tinsley and the Values that Guided His Journey to Success looks at the values that guided one of Americas most improbable entrepreneurs on his journey to success. By following his amazing life journey out of poverty the reader is able to experience in a unique way how a truly determined person can overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve a lifetime of repeated success.

If you were to bet on a person who was likely to succeed you would never have bet on George Tinsley. The odds against his success would have seemed far too great to be overcome. To follow his journey, George Tinsley had to overcome an environment of extreme poverty while growing up in one of the toughest inner city neighborhoods in an era of open racial intolerance. By letting the values he learned early in life serve as guides throughout his life, he was able to overcome the circumstances of his childhood and beat the odds to achieve great personal success as a serial entrepreneur.

George Tinsley's life proves that success doesn't come from luck. Luck might explain one or even two significant accomplishments but becoming a serial entrepreneur comes from the repeated application of a set of guiding principles that lead to the achievement one goal after another. The entrepreneurial values that guided George Tinsley's life can be learned by anyone who is determined to succeed. What were the values that that propelled this serial entrepreneur and how did he learn and apply them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491834534

James F. Grebey

Jim Grebey is a “hands on” business operations analyst who has worked "in the trenches" helping owners build sustainable business and grow winning teams. He has implemented winning growth strategies for both large and small businesses, resulting in increased revenues, lowered operating costs, and improved customer satisfaction. In 2001 Jim Grebey founded Diligent Inc to provide operations management services for clients trying grow their business and operations due diligence services for investors trying to perform effective operations assessments. Jim Grebey has been able to leverage an analytic engineering background to become a leading business operations analyst. He is known for his aggressive problem solving skills and his ability to “roll up his sleeves” to work with cross functional client teams to perform the detailed root cause analysis needed to identify operations risk and establish effective mitigation strategies to help avoid those risks. Jim Grebey has published numerous management articles and in 2011 he published his first book "Operations Due Diligence - An M&A Guide for Investors and Business", published by McGraw Hill. While living and working temporarily in Asia, Jim Grebey was instrumental in helping offshore businesses bring their products to market in the United States, assisting U.S. businesses seeking offshore partners and helping offshore investors find compatible U.S. businesses for investment. Following 9/11, he was invited to testify before the U.S. Congress as an expert witness in the application of security technologies.

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2013, 2014 by James F. Grebey. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/14/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3452-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3454-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3453-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013920001

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

Foreword—By George Tinsley

Chapter 1.   DEFINING SUCCESS

Chapter 2.   OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Chapter 3.   DETERMINATION

Chapter 4.   MAKING GOOD DECISIONS

Chapter 5.   FACING SETBACKS

Chapter 6.   HARD WORK

Chapter 7.   GOAL SETTING

Chapter 8.   FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

Chapter 9.   FINDING OPPORTUNITY IN CHANGE

Chapter 10.   SELF DETERMINATION

Chapter 11.   TAKING RISKS

Chapter 12.   BELONGING TO A COMMUNITY

Pictures

For Winnie… above everything else

To My Friend George Tinsley and his wife Seretha and their children George and Penni

PREFACE

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19th Century American writer and philosopher, wrote about the power of the individual and the benefits of following your own path in life. His work might have defined the modern entrepreneur. In his essay Self-Reliance Emerson says; Life is a journey, not a destination. The Determined Entrepreneur—The Story of Dr George Tinsley and the Values that Guided His Journey to Success (Entrepreneur) looks at the values that guided one of America’s most improbable entrepreneurs on his journey to success. By following his amazing life journey out of poverty the reader is able to experience in a unique way how a truly determined person can overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve a lifetime of repeated success.

If you were to bet on a person who was likely to succeed in life you would never have bet on George Tinsley. The odds against his success would have seemed far too great to be overcome. To follow his journey, George Tinsley had to overcome an environment of extreme poverty while growing up in one of the toughest inner city neighborhoods in an era of open racial intolerance. By letting the values he learned early in life serve as guides throughout his life, George Tinsley was able to overcome the circumstances of his childhood to beat the odds in order to achieve great success as a serial entrepreneur.

Some people feel that success is mostly a matter of luck but by becoming a serial entrepreneur George Tinsley’s life proves that success doesn’t come from luck alone. Luck might explain one or even two significant accomplishments but becoming a serial entrepreneur doesn’t come from luck but from the repeated application of a set of guiding principles that lead you to achieve one goal after another. The principles that became his guiding values can be learned by anyone, even at a young age, even in the worst of circumstances. What were the values that that propelled this serial entrepreneur and how did they become his secret to success?

The truth is, there is no secret to success. There is a relatively small set of entrepreneurial values that anyone can learn to apply in their own life. Success comes from applying these values not once but over and over again throughout your life. Entrepreneur examines these values. Values like making good decisions about the path you choose to follow, sustaining your self determination regardless of your life circumstances, setting personal goals and your willingness to work hard to achieve those goals. Successful entrepreneurs develop a unique mindset that allows them to pursue their goals even in the face of great adversity. Entrepreneur explores that mindset and is a must read for anyone trying to follow their own path to success. Few people start their journey with as little as George Tinsley but his life proves that it’s not where you start your journey that matters. It’s the values you take along with you on your journey that will determine how far you get in life.

How many sports stories have you heard that end once the athlete wins the big game or achieves their goal of making it onto the championship team. The problem with these stories is that they end once the big game has been played or the athlete makes the team. It’s like the big game was the peak of the athlete’s career and their story ends once the game is over. You hear about the hard work and talent it took to win the championship but is that really where their story ends? After hearing one of these stories do you ever feel like this may only be the point where the athlete’s real story begins… but their full life story is rarely told and you’re left hanging, wondering what this success in sports will mean later in the athlete’s life. Entrepreneur shows the reader what happens when a determined athlete looks at their retirement from sports as the beginning of their career instead of the end.

Does an athlete’s willingness to work hard to achieve their goals end once they reach this pinnacle in their life or do the values that brought their success in sports mean they are destined to go on to greater things? Does their success end once their athletic skills begin to fade? Occasionally we hear a news story about the failure of a former athlete whose life comes crashing down as they turn to drugs or crime but is this the only outcome worth reporting? Is winning at sports all these athletes will accomplish with their lives or can the values that brought this achievement in sports also become a springboard for other things? The problem with most sports stories is that the story ends when the game is over. George Tinsley’s story begins as a sports story but ends as a success story about business, community and family.

To reach a high level of success in sports an athlete has to bring more than skill to the game. They have to learn the value of hard work and determination, risk taking and the ability to overcome obstacles. These values are similar to the entrepreneurial values they will need to succeed in business in the next stage of their career. Unfortunately, not all athletes are able to convert their success in sports into entrepreneurial success. For some athletes, their entrepreneurial values seem to fade along with their athletic skills. Some professional athletes are able to convert the values of hard work and determination that brought success in their athletic career into stepping stones that will further propel them into successful careers as businessman and entrepreneurs. Because most people understand the work it takes to become a great athlete, George Tinsley’s life story provides an example of how anyone can apply these values in their own life.

George Tinsley’s sports story is a great one… but his life story is even greater. He has accomplished many things in his life and by looking at his life, starting from childhood, the reader is provided with an example that can help him or her apply these entrepreneurial values in their own life. Entrepreneur isn’t just another sports story, nor is it just a business how to book, it is a guide for those who know where they want their life journey to carry them.

Today, George Tinsley owns and operates almost eighty restaurants and other businesses. He has had an exciting life as a NCAA basketball champion and professional athlete and Kentucky Wesleyan College has acknowledged his accomplishments by awarding him an honorary PhD. But these accomplishments understate his poor beginnings and the improbable journey his life has taken. His story is highly motivational, but more importantly it tells the reader, there is no secret to success, just a set of entrepreneurial values that anyone is able to learn and apply in their own life.

Each chapter of Entrepreneur describes one of these entrepreneurial values and explains why it is important to success. The chapter then presents another portion of George Tinsley’s life, demonstrating how the value was learned or the role it played in his success. Because his life is presented in context, the reader will be able to see how these values were applied consistently throughout his life. Success comes from applying these values over and over throughout life.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to acknowledge the following people for making this book a reality:

Winnie, James, Jesse, Sean, Dan, Denise, Dale, Tanner, Chase, Aaron, Myah, Bud, Carol, and Marie for their constant love and encouragement

Dr George Tinsley, Dr Seretha Tinsley, George Tinsley II, and Penni Tinsley who are proof that dreams do come true.

John Watkis for his help in capturing this exciting story.

Mike and Diane Phillips and Florence Kissane for their editorial help.

Gaye Howell, Dick O’Neil, Tommy Hobgood, and Dallas Thornton for their memories and insight.

Kerry Wilson for the introduction

Thank you all for your help

FOREWORD—BY GEORGE TINSLEY

What’s Your Dream?

(A presentation George Tinsley regularly makes to high school students)

I have a dream! Everyone knows those are the words of Martin Luther King Jr. But not everyone understands why those words were and are so important. When King spoke those words, things were a lot different than they are today. Blacks weren’t allowed to eat at the same restaurants, go to the same schools or even drink from the same water fountains as whites. When you look at it that way, Martin Luther King Jr. was dreaming BIG. Really big!

But his dream is coming true, isn’t it? I’m not saying everything is perfect, but we’ve come a long way in this country. I want you to dream too. I want each and every one of you to dream BIG. Really BIG.

You might be looking at me and thinking it’s easy for me to say because I’ve played professional basketball and have successful businesses… but life hasn’t always been easy for me. Let me tell you a little bit about what it was like when I grew up.

I was raised by Willie Tinsley… she was 65 years old, had one leg and couldn’t read or write. She showed me with a lot of love, but she didn’t have much to give me when it came to material things. We lived in a small apartment that had one bed we shared. And there was only one way to get in and out of the bed. We even had to go outside to use the toilet, because we didn’t have one inside.

We never really thought much about what we had though, because everyone that grew up in my area had it pretty rough. So we really only thought about how we were going to deal with things on a day to day basis.

I don’t know what your situation is today, but I do want you to know that you can dream big and do big things in your life. But there’s a catch. The first catch is that you have to believe it’s possible to achieve your dreams. Second, you have to work hard… REALLY hard if you want your dreams to come true. Third, you need to make good decisions and connect with good people who can help you along the way.

Let’s talk about that a little bit. Because when we leave here today, I want you to believe with all your heart that your dreams can come true. Doubt will stop you in your tracks. It’s one of your worst enemies. Doubt tells you that you can’t make it because of the color of your skin.

Doubt tells you that you can’t do it because you don’t have the money. Doubt tells you that you’ll fail because someone else is better than you. Doubt tells you that you’re not smart enough:

Not talented enough; Not pretty enough; Not tall enough; Not skinny enough to achieve your dreams.

Don’t listen to doubt, because doubt will twist the truth. Instead, look at the examples of those who have done what people said they couldn’t do.

Anthony Jerome Webb was too short to play professional basketball. Listed at 5'7, he was a foot shorter than the average player in the NBA. But Spud, as he is better known, did more than just make it to the NBA… he was the first player under 6 feet to win the slam dunk championship.

Nate Robinson is only 5'9, and he’s won the slam dunk contest three times! Those guys didn’t let doubt get in their way.

John H. Johnson was the grandson of slaves. He grew up in Arkansas and lived in poverty. He even repeated 8th grade because that was the highest level of education for blacks where he lived. His family moved to Chicago and lived on welfare for two years before being able to find a job.

But Johnson had dreams. He dreamed of starting his own magazine. And even though everyone (except his mother) doubted he could do it, Johnson started the Negro Digest. Today, it’s known as Jet Magazine. After that, Johnson started Ebony magazine.

Even though he passed away in 2005, His company, Johnson Publishing Company, employs 2,600 people and has sales of $388 million! Johnson said Failure is a word I don’t accept.

Don’t listen to doubt! Because if you listen to doubt, your dreams won’t come true. Believing in your dreams is the first thing you have to do. But believing alone is not enough. You have to work hard to make your dreams come true.

Everyone knows the name Michael Jordan. Many call him the best basketball player ever. But Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school varsity team in his sophomore year. The day he got cut, Jordan went to his room and cried. Then he went to work at getting better. Jordan made the junior varsity team and improved every day. He made the team the next year and was selected to the McDonald’s All-Star team in his senior year. I’m sure you know how the story ends.

What most people don’t know is how hard Jordan worked after every season. Even after winning championships, Jordan spent his off season working on new moves for the next season.

Many of you are talented. But talent only gets you so far. If you want your dreams to come true, you’ve got to work hard. REALLY hard.

Lastly, and most importantly… you have to make good decisions. Because no matter how talented you are and how hard you work, one wrong decision can ruin your dreams. Everything you’ve worked so hard for can come crashing down if you keep making bad decisions. I don’t need to say names. I’m sure you can think of athletes making millions of dollars and ending up in jail because of bad decisions. Singers, musicians and actors who got knocked off their pedestals and even lost their lives because of bad decisions. Politicians who have to hang their heads in shame because of bad decisions. Make no mistake about it… your decisions will make you or break you. Don’t let them break you. Don’t let anyone pressure you into doing things you don’t want to do. Taking drugs, stealing, being a bully… cutting class. Because even if someone pressures you into doing something, you are the one who pays the consequences for what you do.

When I was growing up, I made a decision to stay out of jail. I knew it was somewhere I didn’t want to end up. I knew every street and alley way in my area and