MILTON HERSHEY AND THE POWER OF TRYING UNTIL…

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”—Dale Carnegie

At one point or another everybody fails but the success stories are for those who refuse to give up; those who keep on trying until they win, no matter the number of failures they have to overcome.

Such is the story of Milton Hershey.

Milton began his own candy business at the age of nineteen, after a few years of learning the process as an apprentice in Philadelphia.

He worked hard. However, in spite of all his efforts; the business failed at first attempt.

Aiming high, he braced up.

Once more, he moved to Denver to try again with more determination this time around. He worked harder to succeed. Yet for a second time, the business failed. 

Growing up, he had learned early on the family farm the value of hard work and persistence; two essential habits that turned out to be the bedrock of his great success down the line.

Undeterred, he moved to Chicago but the business failed again. 

Yet he moved to New Orleans and still experienced another failure.

Unyielding, he moved to New York and worked harder than ever. Here at New City in 1883, it seemed his financial situation was about to change for good.

He was making some profits and experiencing some successes; the first year, then the second year; but sadly, in the third year, everything crashed and his business closed down in 1886.

He finally moved back to Pennsylvania; penniless and disheartened.

Doggedly, like all men of great resolve, he rallied himself for just one more round. He borrowed some money from a bank to try again; he opened a small candy business in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Using the accumulated skill he acquired throughout his past failures; he produced a tasty candy made with fresh milk.

When people realized the special taste from Milton’s candy, his business flourished afterwards; and that small candy shop now became Lancaster Caramel Company.

With his original recipes, he expanded his line of candies, built factories far and wide, and eventually Milton caramels were shipped around the world.

Milton later shifted his focus to chocolate making and by 1900; his factory made various kinds of fancy chocolates and soon after he mixed—by trial and error— chocolate with fresh milk to create a new milky chocolate candy blend; the first product of its kind to gain national popularity.

Milton chocolate factory ultimately became the largest in the world; he succeeded immensely at last simply because he refused to quit when all hope seemed lost.

For the last phase of his days, he used his wealth to establish an orphanage and school for the needy. Today, at the Hershey School, there is a bronze statue of Milton Hershey with an orphan boy wrapped in his arms embalmed with the following words: “His deeds are his monument. His life our inspiration.”

Though the keystone of Milton’s business arch is persistence but deeper examination of his life highlights two important lessons that we really need to advance further in today’s business world and they are: thinking differently and taking risk. So, I will discuss them first.

Now my friend, let’s talk about us; about what we can put to use in our own business…

THINK DIFFERENTLY

Milton used creative imagination as a tool to create the special products that enabled the popularity of his business: “Hershey Kiss,” among others.

He blended chocolate with fresh milk to make a unique candy bar; Hershey’s fine milky chocolate brand which instantly became the first product of its kind to be sold country wide.

The lesson here is to always find new and better use for things, people and processes—even after your business is already doing well; and it starts with thinking, creative thinking; thinking progress; or just thinking differently.

“Until you learn to think along different grooves, you will not be able to explore new possibilities to reach your full potential.”—Walter Staples

TAKE BIGGER RISK

Milton realized that, for his empire to grow bigger; he could sell his already profitable business to embark on a larger venture, and he did.  

It was not an easy decision but courageously, he took the risk and sold Lancaster Caramel Company for one million dollars to start what was to become the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing entity: The Hershey Chocolate Company.

The valuation of this company in today’s worth is about 10 billion dollars.

The lesson here is: If you desire to grow, follow the example of Milton and the advice of David Viscot when he said, “If your life is ever going to get better, you’ll have to take risks. There is simply no way you can grow without taking chances.”

Now to the mother of all lessons…

KEEP ON TRYING UNTIL...

The one habit that made other lessons work well for Milton was the habit of persistence. 

That was the most important quality that made success possible for Milton.

The lack of which deprived Dr. Samuel Langely—a professor of mathematics and astronomy, the success he earnestly pursued for a great while: flying a plane.

The brilliant scientist wrote and worked on the concept of flying a plane. His experiments were impressive enough to attract funding from the United States war department.

However after repeated failures, Langely gave up his life’s dream without seeing one of his planes successfully flying in the air.

Langely couldn’t get up one more time; he was crushed.

Nine days later, after Langely gave up, Orville and Wilbur Wright, the simple bicycle mechanics without government funding flew the first successful plane into the annals of history.

So I ask you, “Why does almost everyone know of the Wright Brothers?” 

While Langely, the brilliant professor, remains largely unknown.

The answer in a word is: persistence.

And that is also the fundamental reason for the great success of Milton Hershey. 

I hope you will agree that this same principle holds true for you and me, if we desire anything beyond the vicinity of mediocrity.

So we need to realize the meaning of what Edison said that “Many of life’s failures are just people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Bring that to mind every time you encounter disappointments and if you do—just like Milton—you will eventually have a breakthrough in your own primary endeavour.

Good luck!