Steve Forbes On Achievement

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

45-Minute Lesson

Problem Solvers: How Markets Work

Teach entrepreneurship without the textbook–just one coffee shop example.

Lesson plan
Key concepts
Real examples

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Featured Activity

Entrepreneur’s Portfolio

Turn entrepreneurship into something students can actually DO—from problem to business plan, step by step.

Class activity
Business plan
Entrepreneurial journey

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Season 3

Short Videos 3–5 min

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 What do entrepreneurs as a group have in common with artists?
2 How did Fredric Arnold’s innovative use of an industrial product enhance recreational life for Americans?

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 Why does America create more big new companies than any other country?
2 What is a stock market, and why is it important?

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 In what ways did Amar Bose’s singular passion shape an entire industry?
2 Can you think of a product that you would like to see improved?

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 Why would you think developing a better plow would be so important in American history?
2 How does an entrepreneur build a single innovation into a successful, broad-ranging business?

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 Can economic freedom lead to more personal freedom?
2 How did James Forten’s entrepreneurial success in a free-market help drive social change in society?

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 Why do you think free samples could help entrepreneurs make money?
2 How does economic freedom help women start and grow their businesses?

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 How has television, and now the Internet and social media, transformed sports?
2 Why do you think there are such big salaries in sports today?

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 What are examples of foods or other products that came from immigrants that all of America now enjoys?
2 How can life experience benefit older entrepreneurs launching a business?

Season 2

Short Videos 3–5 min

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 What big innovations from entrepreneurial individuals have helped change society, and how have they done so?
2 Why are entrepreneurs crucial to solving the problem of scarcity?

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 How did Thomas Cook make travel affordable for ordinary people?
2 In what ways can entrepreneurs make luxuries more affordable?

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 Can economic freedom help create a more prosperous society?
2 Why does giving entrepreneurs freedom from heavy regulation help job creation and economic growth?

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 Why is being an outsider a characteristic of many great entrepreneurs?
2 How did Julia Morgan’s vision and innovative designs make buildings both safer and more beautiful?

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 What alternatives are there for funding a business if a bank loan is not an option?
2 How does finding an underserved market create opportunity?

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 How can meeting the needs of a neglected or underserved market create opportunities for entrepreneurs?
2 How does a free enterprise system create opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds?

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 What are the steps needed for an entrepreneur to go from problem-solving to profit-making?
2 Were the inventions of Garrett Morgan purely motivated by his desire to get rich? Explain.

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 How can a solution to a personal problem be turned into a successful business?
2 How would you define creativity, and how is it part of being a successful entrepreneur?

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 Is it possible to be an entrepreneur and an employee at the same time?
2 How did David Sarnoff use his vision to create wealth and impact society?

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 Are markets based on greed or are they based on trust? Explain.
2 What are the ways that entrepreneurs can improve customer experience?

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 How would you define wealth?
2 How does creating a strong, recognizable brand identity help a company stand out in a competitive market?

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 How can great wealth be used to advance culture to the benefit of society as a whole?
2 How does entrepreneurial achievement encourage cultural and artistic achievement?

Season 1

Short Videos 3–4 min

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 Do you need to invent a new technology to achieve great success? Explain.
2 Why is long-term investment in research important for staying competitive and surviving as a company?

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 What is innovation? Does it always have to involve creating a new product?
2 Would you think a bank could do well making loans (at reasonable interest rates) to low-income people?

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 How can entrepreneurs achieve success without inventing a new product?
2 What are some strategies that entrepreneurs can use to grow their customer base?

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 What are the types of problems that have inspired entrepreneurs to create new businesses?
2 Does good customer service drive success?

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 Can skills that make someone successful in business ensure success in other fields, like government?
2 Why can’t a single person successfully manage an entire economy?

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 What characteristics and skills enable the most successful entrepreneurs to innovate in not one but many industries?
2 How did Henry Kaiser use his businesses to improve society?

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 Can a member of a disadvantaged group achieve success in a hostile environment?
2 How do entrepreneurs create jobs?

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 Is inventing a great product enough to guarantee success?
2 What is container shipping, and why was it an innovation that changed the world?

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 Why does rejecting conventional thinking so often result in entrepreneurial breakthroughs?
2 Why is it impossible to plan or predict innovation?

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 In what ways do entrepreneurs help contribute to increased living standards?
2 Why do efficiency and buying in bulk lower prices and increase profits?