Don ‘Husky’ Green, CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, knows what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.
Green has 38 years of experience in banking, half that time as bank president, and has been the CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation for 13 years. The Napoleon Hill Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1962 by Dr. Napoleon Hill and his wife, Annie Lou. Its sole purpose is to propagate the world through the intellect of Dr. Napoleon Hill.
Green became interested in Napoleon Hill at the young age of 20. Instead of watching television, he read books and was fascinated by the works of Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Hill. Green learned the value of hard work and being an entrepreneur from his parents, who grew up during the Great Depression. They modeled tremendous work ethic, care and concern for
“We have to take risks in life, but the biggest risk of all is not taking one.”- Don Green
Don ‘Husky’ Green, CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, knows what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.
Green has 38 years of experience in banking, half that time as bank president, and has been the CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation for 13 years. The Napoleon Hill Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1962 by Dr. Napoleon Hill and his wife, Annie Lou. Its sole purpose is to propagate the world through the intellect of Dr. Napoleon Hill.
Green became interested in Napoleon Hill at the young age of 20. Instead of watching television, he read books and was fascinated by the works of Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Hill. Green learned the value of hard work and being an entrepreneur from his parents, who grew up during the Great Depression. They modeled tremendous work ethic, care and concern for neighbors as well as strangers, and they taught him the “value of the dollar.”
“My mom used to tell me all the time that hard work never killed anyone,” says Green.
Don Green considers himself to have been an entrepreneur since he was a young child. Green started off making three dollars a day at just five years old. Green’s father had a hobby of catching poisonous snakes in high school which later influenced Green to start his own business. Green as a teenager started selling refreshments to customers at his snake business, called Indian Mountain Reptile Garden. As his customer base expanded, Green was innovative. He added a souvenir aspect to the business by offering small souvenirs for viewers to buy, and a soda machine which increased his daily profits to approximately 100 dollars each day.
Along his path to success, Green says “I’ve never had any failures, they were all simply lessons.”
Green believes to become a successful entrepreneur every aspect of the business must be researched and thought out thoroughly.
Before joining the Napoleon Hill Foundation Green was successful in many businesses including: Dollar General Stores, a dry cleaning business, a cable company, and real-estate. Green emphasizes that the location of a business is vital in determining the success of an entrepreneur.
“Location, location, location is important for any business,” says Green.
Green encourages entrepreneurs to think about the value of their product or service. “People should never leverage themselves by selling their product for less than they should,” says Green.
To attain a successful customer base, Green simply started with his personal contacts and advertised his business to many friends and colleagues by word of mouth. Green believes that one of the keys to having a successful business is networking. Not only does networking establish a broader customer base, but it also allows entrepreneurs to obtain investors for their ventures.
Green believes that the formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur is to first find something you love to do. “There are going to be many obstacles, but you must have a strong burning desire for what you do,” says Green. “You must be willing to do what it takes and study to become a master of the subject.”
Don Green, an experienced, well determined, self-motivated and successful entrepreneur believes that time and effort will lead to success. He believes that entrepreneurs are more confident and have a stronger desire than those who work for others. He goes on to say, “It is only work if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing. Entrepreneurship should never be only about the money.”
Green is currently the president of the Napoleon Foundation and has recently written a book entitled ‘Everything I Learned about Success, I Learned from Napoleon Hill’. This book features Green’s lifelong experiences on the road to success.
When asked to give advice to aspiring entrepreneurs Green responded by saying, “If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll never work a day in your life. Go to sleep with it, eat with it, and you’ll be successful.”
neighbors as well as strangers, and they taught him the “value of the dollar.”
“My mom used to tell me all the time that hard work never killed anyone,” says Green.
Don Green considers himself to have been an entrepreneur since he was a young child. Green started off making three dollars a day at just five years old. Green’s father had a hobby of catching poisonous snakes in high school which later influenced Green to start his own business. Green as a teenager started selling refreshments to customers at his snake business, called Indian Mountain Reptile Garden. As his customer base expanded, Green was innovative. He added a souvenir aspect to the business by offering small souvenirs for viewers to buy, and a soda machine which increased his daily profits to approximately 100 dollars each day.
Along his path to success, Green says “I’ve never had any failures, they were all simply lessons.”
Green believes to become a successful entrepreneur every aspect of the business must be researched and thought out thoroughly.
Before joining the Napoleon Hill Foundation Green was successful in many businesses including: Dollar General Stores, a dry cleaning business, a cable company, and real-estate. Green emphasizes that the location of a business is vital in determining the success of an entrepreneur.
“Location, location, location is important for any business,” says Green.
Green encourages entrepreneurs to think about the value of their product or service. “People should never leverage themselves by selling their product for less than they should,” says Green.
To attain a successful customer base, Green simply started with his personal contacts and advertised his business to many friends and colleagues by word of mouth. Green believes that one of the keys to having a successful business is networking. Not only does networking establish a broader customer base, but it also allows entrepreneurs to obtain investors for their ventures.
Green believes that the formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur is to first find something you love to do. “There are going to be many obstacles, but you must have a strong burning desire for what you do,” says Green. “You must be willing to do what it takes and study to become a master of the subject.”
Don Green, an experienced, well determined, self-motivated and successful entrepreneur believes that time and effort will lead to success. He believes that entrepreneurs are more confident and have a stronger desire than those who work for others. He goes on to say, “It is only work if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing. Entrepreneurship should never be only about the money.”
Green is currently the president of the Napoleon Foundation and has recently written a book entitled ‘Everything I Learned about Success, I Learned from Napoleon Hill’. This book features Green’s lifelong experiences on the road to success.
When asked to give advice to aspiring entrepreneurs Green responded by saying, “If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll never work a day in your life. Go to sleep with it, eat with it, and you’ll be successful.”
Written by: James Long & Kayla Bowen