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Steve Forbes On Achievement

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Join Steve Forbes, Forbes Media Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, as he shares the stories of history’s greatest innovators and entrepreneurs—many of whom are largely forgotten today. This collection includes short episodes, an extended lesson, and a classroom-ready activity that help students explore how entrepreneurs solve problems, take risks, and create lasting impact. From groundbreaking inventions to game-changing leadership, these resources connect entrepreneurship to resilience, creativity, and smart decision-making.

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Jump to 45-Minute Lesson Entrepreneur’s Portfolio Season 3 Season 2 Season 1
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Season 3
Short Videos 3–5 min
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3:49
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Fredric Arnold
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Fredric Arnold
WWII pilot Fredric Arnold turned a beachside annoyance into the iconic aluminum folding chair.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What do entrepreneurs as a group have in common with artists?
  2. 2 How did Fredric Arnold’s innovative use of an industrial product enhance recreational life for Americans?
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4:08
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John C. Bogle
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John C. Bogle
How John C. Bogle took on Wall Street and changed investing forever with the index fund.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Why does America create more big new companies than any other country?
  2. 2 What is a stock market, and why is it important?
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4:12
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Amar Bose
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Amar Bose
The man who refused good enough sound-and reinvented how the world listens.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 In what ways did Amar Bose’s singular passion shape an entire industry?
  2. 2 Can you think of a product that you would like to see improved?
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4:08
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John Deere
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John Deere
How John Deere's simple steel plow unlocked America's farmland and reshaped agriculture.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Why would you think developing a better plow would be so important in American history?
  2. 2 How does an entrepreneur build a single innovation into a successful, broad-ranging business?
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4:10
Steve Forbes On Achievement - James Forten
Steve Forbes On Achievement - James Forten
How James Forten used entrepreneurial success to fight slavery and expand freedom.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Can economic freedom lead to more personal freedom?
  2. 2 How did James Forten’s entrepreneurial success in a free-market help drive social change in society?
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4:09
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Estee Lauder
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Estee Lauder
The woman who broke beauty-industry rules and built a global brand-by giving products away.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Why do you think free samples could help entrepreneurs make money?
  2. 2 How does economic freedom help women start and grow their businesses?
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3:58
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Pete Rozelle
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Pete Rozelle
How Pete Rozelle turned football into a business powerhouse and created the Super Bowl.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 How has television, and now the Internet and social media, transformed sports?
  2. 2 Why do you think there are such big salaries in sports today?
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3:42
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Prudencio Unanue
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Prudencio Unanue
How Goya Foods grew by serving overlooked immigrants-and built a household name.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What are examples of foods or other products that came from immigrants that all of America now enjoys?
  2. 2 How can life experience benefit older entrepreneurs launching a business?
Season 2
Short Videos 3–5 min
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4:10
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Norman Borlaug
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Norman Borlaug
Developer of high-yield crops that saved millions from starvation.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What big innovations from entrepreneurial individuals have helped change society, and how have they done so?
  2. 2 Why are entrepreneurs crucial to solving the problem of scarcity?
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3:41
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Thomas Cook
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Thomas Cook
The temperance worker-turned-entrepreneur who made travel affordable.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 How did Thomas Cook make travel affordable for ordinary people?
  2. 2 In what ways can entrepreneurs make luxuries more affordable?
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4:03
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John James Cowperthwaite
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John James Cowperthwaite
How free market policies brought prosperity to British-controlled Hong Kong.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Can economic freedom help create a more prosperous society?
  2. 2 Why does giving entrepreneurs freedom from heavy regulation help job creation and economic growth?
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4:00
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Julia Morgan
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Julia Morgan
Pioneering architect whose bold designs made buildings safer-and more beautiful.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Why is being an outsider a characteristic of many great entrepreneurs?
  2. 2 How did Julia Morgan’s vision and innovative designs make buildings both safer and more beautiful?
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4:39
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John H. Johnson
Steve Forbes On Achievement - John H. Johnson
The entrepreneur who recognized the need for magazines about African Americans.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What alternatives are there for funding a business if a bank loan is not an option?
  2. 2 How does finding an underserved market create opportunity?
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3:34
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Lena Malsin
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Lena Malsin
Immigrant dressmaker and trailblazer who founded the Lane Bryant retail chain.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 How can meeting the needs of a neglected or underserved market create opportunities for entrepreneurs?
  2. 2 How does a free enterprise system create opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds?
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3:58
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Garrett Morgan
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Garrett Morgan
Inventor of the three-way traffic signal and a firefighting safety hood (gas mask prototype).
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What are the steps needed for an entrepreneur to go from problem-solving to profit-making?
  2. 2 Were the inventions of Garrett Morgan purely motivated by his desire to get rich? Explain.
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3:31
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Margaret Rudkin
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Margaret Rudkin
A quest for healthier bread that led to Pepperidge Farm.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 How can a solution to a personal problem be turned into a successful business?
  2. 2 How would you define creativity, and how is it part of being a successful entrepreneur?
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4:40
Steve Forbes On Achievement - David Sarnoff
Steve Forbes On Achievement - David Sarnoff
Radio and television pioneer who recognized broadcasting's mass potential.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Is it possible to be an entrepreneur and an employee at the same time?
  2. 2 How did David Sarnoff use his vision to create wealth and impact society?
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3:55
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Clarence Saunders
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Clarence Saunders
The self-service supermarket Piggly Wiggly changed the way we shop.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Are markets based on greed or are they based on trust? Explain.
  2. 2 What are the ways that entrepreneurs can improve customer experience?
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3:53
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Carroll Shelby
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Carroll Shelby
Auto racer-turned-designer of affordable, high-performance sports cars.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 How would you define wealth?
  2. 2 How does creating a strong, recognizable brand identity help a company stand out in a competitive market?
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4:37
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Gertrude Whitney
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Gertrude Whitney
Brilliant sculptor, philanthropist, and founder of New York's Whitney Museum.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 How can great wealth be used to advance culture to the benefit of society as a whole?
  2. 2 How does entrepreneurial achievement encourage cultural and artistic achievement?
Season 1
Short Videos 3–4 min
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3:34
Steve Forbes On Achievement - George Eastman
Steve Forbes On Achievement - George Eastman
Founder of Kodak who made picture-taking easy and affordable.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Do you need to invent a new technology to achieve great success? Explain.
  2. 2 Why is long-term investment in research important for staying competitive and surviving as a company?
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3:44
Steve Forbes On Achievement - A.P. Giannini
Steve Forbes On Achievement - A.P. Giannini
Founder of the Bank of Italy who pioneered consumer banking for the masses.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What is innovation? Does it always have to involve creating a new product?
  2. 2 Would you think a bank could do well making loans (at reasonable interest rates) to low-income people?
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3:56
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Ruth Handler
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Ruth Handler
The rise, fall, and comeback of the mother of the Barbie doll.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 How can entrepreneurs achieve success without inventing a new product?
  2. 2 What are some strategies that entrepreneurs can use to grow their customer base?
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3:30
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Fred Harvey
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Fred Harvey
Hospitality pioneer who brought fine food and customer service to the American West.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What are the types of problems that have inspired entrepreneurs to create new businesses?
  2. 2 Does good customer service drive success?
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3:47
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Herbert Hoover
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Herbert Hoover
Businessman, philanthropist, and president-did he succeed with all three?
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Can skills that make someone successful in business ensure success in other fields, like government?
  2. 2 Why can’t a single person successfully manage an entire economy?
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3:39
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Henry Kaiser
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Henry Kaiser
The mega-entrepreneur who founded over 100 companies and helped win WWII.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 What characteristics and skills enable the most successful entrepreneurs to innovate in not one but many industries?
  2. 2 How did Henry Kaiser use his businesses to improve society?
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3:10
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Annie Malone
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Annie Malone
Before Oprah-and even before Madame C.J. Walker-Annie Turnbo Malone created an empire.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Can a member of a disadvantaged group achieve success in a hostile environment?
  2. 2 How do entrepreneurs create jobs?
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3:40
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Malcom McLean
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Malcom McLean
The innovator who transformed the world with container shipping.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Is inventing a great product enough to guarantee success?
  2. 2 What is container shipping, and why was it an innovation that changed the world?
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3:28
Steve Forbes On Achievement - J.R. Simplot
Steve Forbes On Achievement - J.R. Simplot
A potato farmer and early investor in microchips.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 Why does rejecting conventional thinking so often result in entrepreneurial breakthroughs?
  2. 2 Why is it impossible to plan or predict innovation?
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3:40
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Frank Woolworth
Steve Forbes On Achievement - Frank Woolworth
How low-priced goods improved living standards for millions.
Bell-Ringer Questions
  1. 1 In what ways do entrepreneurs help contribute to increased living standards?
  2. 2 Why do efficiency and buying in bulk lower prices and increase profits?