Columbus: A Few Notes for Marketers & Entrepreneurs

I’ve been interested in the entrepreneurial aspects of the Columbus story for a
book I’m writing. This is the first time I’ve ever used a historical figure
in a book, so I spent several months studying the Columbus Story.

Here are a few facts which I thought were interesting from the point o

• It is said Columbus started sailing at age 10. He learned navigation and
  got to know the waters of the Mediterranean. While in his 20s, he sailed
  on ships that sailed the Atlantic as far north as Ireland and Iceland
  and as far south to Guinea. By the time he embarked on his voyage across
  the Atlantic, he’d been sailing for nearly 30 years.
• Columbus built a significant European network that stretched from the
  courts of Venice and Genoa to England. In Portugal, his network of
  sailors  helped  him  get  an audience with the king. In Spain, he
  befriended  priests and the captains of ships who would eventually
  introduce him to the investor that would get him the audience with Queen
  Isabella. Had Queen Isabella and her investors refused him, Columbus was
  ready to go to France, where he would build a new network to solicit the
  King of France.
• It took Columbus seven years to line up the funds for the trip that made
  him famous. He marketed his idea to the King of Portugal, the courts of
  Genoa and Venice, the King of England and the King and Queen of Spain.
  Each in turn, refused.
• Columbus was ridiculed by the scholars of his day. Contrary to popular
  belief, most educated individuals in the 15th Century – especially
  sailors – knew the world was round. Columbus insisted he could sail
  around the globe – though in reality, he seriously underestimated the
  size of the planet.
• Columbus was demanding. He wasn’t satisfied to just ask for funding to
  prove he was right about a westward passage to China and India. He asked
  to be made Great Admiral of the Seas, appointed Viceroy and Governor of
  any and all lands he discovered and given one-tenth of all revenue from
  those  lands. The King of Portugal laughed at these demands. Queen
  Isabela and King Ferdinand eventually would grant (and later strip away)
  these privileges.
• When Columbus solicited funding from the Spanish royals, they were suffering from a shortage of money – they had been waging a war against the Moors for many years. Spain needed to expand its frontiers to establish its leadership in Europe. After seven years of seeking a benefactor, Queen Isabela granted him the funds and Columbus sailed the ocean blue into the pages of history.

What Does the Columbus Story Have to Do with Marketing and Entrepreneurship? _
The man had a vision and stuck to it. He built an extensive network. He was
patient and persevered. He didn’t care what others thought. He asked for
everything and didn’t back down until he got it.  He knew everyone gets
turned  down sometimes. And he knew how to leverage circumstances into
opportunities.

To  me,  those  sound  like  the  traits of a good marketer or a great
entrepreneur. What do you think? Email me and let me know.

UPDATE: Since yesterday was Columbus Day, there were several interesting posts about his contribution on the Internet, among them the Huffington Posts’s Columbus Day Special, Jim Thomas’ post from the front lines of the annual Columbus Day protest in Denver, pictures from New York’s Columbus Day Parade, NPR’s Columbus History Quiz, and Azam Nizamuddin’s thoughtful Dispelling the Myths Behind Columbus.