Whether you’re looking to develop your name in Sheffield’s nightlife scene or simply want to showcase your culinary skills by opening a café in the city, figuring out how you should go about achieving these dreams can sometimes be tough. However, that is undoubtedly where a little bit of inspiration can come in.
Having a role model or inspiring individual in mind can be very useful to those starting out as it means they can look at that person’s success story and ultimately remember how they were once in those very same shoes. It can be daunting taking your first steps into a new, unknown world, but recognising what others have faced can undoubtedly be a good idea.
But just who should you be looking at as a source of inspiration? Here are a few of our thoughts on the global icons and local heroes you could turn to as you plan for success across 2019 and beyond.
Achieving global domination
Role models can emerge from a range of different places depending on what you are hoping to achieve, but you could do a lot worse than look at some of the biggest success stories in the world in recent years for some inspiration.
According to research from Betway, it is estimated there are now more than 2,000 billionaires in the world. The figure is higher than ever before and has doubled in the last decade, with 15.2 million people also holding millionaire status. While you may think a good education may have been key to their success though, you may be surprised to hear that 30 billionaires achieved that level of wealth without a degree. So, while being academic may help, it is not absolutely key to furthering your ambitions.
When it comes to specific people you could look to for inspiration, the top of the global rich list may be a good place to start. As Betway’s infographic on billionaires’ outlines, it took Jeff Bezos just two years to make the jump from millionaire to billionaire thanks to the huge success of online retail giant Amazon. Furthermore, the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, took just a year to make the leap and remarkably reached billionaire status at just 23 years old. What key lesson can be learned from this? Having an innovative idea at the right time could prove to be an absolute game-changer.
@Davos via Twitter
Looking at the richest people in the world may seem like a no-brainer when it comes to finding role models, but what should you do if such people simply feel too distant to become the inspiration for your own personal ambitions?
Local heroes
As we’ve already mentioned, inspiration can come from all walks of life, and there are plenty of local names whose stories could help you on your way.
Take Bring Me the Horizon frontman, Oli Sykes, for example. The star – who was born in Kent but grew up in Sheffield – has enjoyed huge success in music, with his band releasing their critically acclaimed sixth studio album Amo last year. However, there is more to his life than just Bring Me the Horizon, as he is also behind the hugely successful fashion label Drop Dead Clothing. Now a major name, Sykes started the label after borrowing £500 from his mother and has seen it grow to the point where Justin Bieber has even been spotted wearing its shirts. Furthermore, last year Sykes also opened Church, a bar arcade situated in the Kelham Island area of Sheffield that features retro gaming and vegan food. He is undoubtedly a great example of someone who never holds back from achieving his dreams.
Another successful local businessman who could provide you with some inspiration in the year ahead is Carl Cavers, the founder of the Sheffield-headquartered games development company Sumo Digital. The company originally formed following the closure of another firm in 2003 and has seen its workforce grow from just 15 to 500 in the years since. In addition, the organization – which has worked on games including Team Sonic Racing, Hitman, and Disney Infinity – also now has studios across the UK and a base in Pune, India, too.
Finally, another fine example of growing a venture from the ground up can be found in the story of Sir Ken Morrison CBE. The Bradford businessman developed his family’s small grocery business into one of the UK’s biggest supermarket chains, the self-named Morrisons, with the company having almost 400 stores by the time he retired in 2008. Sir Ken sadly passed away in 2017, with chairman Andrew Higginson at the time describing his work as “an outstanding achievement in the history of UK business”.
Getting inspired for future success
As all of the information above highlights, inspiration can emerge in all shapes and forms, as well as from an array of different walks of life.
Starting a business or simply looking to begin a new chapter in your life can be very daunting, and you will undoubtedly face some tough times along the way. However, potential role models like those we have mentioned above demonstrate that anything can be achieved with the right mindset, ambitions, and belief.
Whether you gain strength from the global success of billionaires or look closer to home for that vital bit of inspiration, we’re sure that researching and discovering the right role model could ultimately be key to enjoying success in the months and years ahead.
