Cameron HeroldFounder of the COO Alliance & Invest In Your Leaders Training

If You Can’t Handle ‘Impossible,’ Don’t Be an Entrepreneur

10 Dec 2025 · 1 min

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0:58

A short talk by Cameron Herold about key traits for entrepreneurs and franchisees: leadership, attainment (goal orientation), and tenacity (persistent work ethic). He discusses the tension entrepreneurs face when efforts seem impossible versus being one decision away from success, illustrating with anecdotes about Colonel Sanders and Roy Disney receiving many rejections before succeeding.

Chapters

When I got hired by College Pro Painters 35 years ago, they, they interviewed franchisees and looked for three things. Leadership, attainment and tenacity. So leadership, the ability to lead yourself, lead others, lead bankers, lead suppliers, lead employees. Right. The goal orientation was attainment. So driving towards that, the tenacity was that dog like work ethic to get over, under, around any obstacle, put in one's path. And you're kind of bumping your head against that tenacity wall right now where you're going like, have I just hit impossible? Because there is the possibility that it just isn't possible. And then there's also the possibility that you're, you know, one night away from the night before you become that overnight success again. There's lots of those stories where, you know, Colonel Sanders got 140 no's before a banker said yes. And you know, Roy, Roy Disney got 74 no's before somebody said yes to invest. So if I got 74 nos, I'd probably be like, it's over. Right? So I don't know how he was able to do that. One last call to get there.