100 Entrepreneurs Who Changed The World
5. Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790
“A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.”
We all know of Benjamin Franklin, the founding father of America, as well as Benjamin Franklin, the man who gave us the lightning rod and the conventional stove. These things were all accomplished after Franklin had made himself a rich man. How did he do it? Through networking, hard work, and an uncanny sense for public relations. Franklin was a printer, one who made a fortune from his presses long before he decided to foment revolution with them. He understood the value of public image and in cultivating a positive one. He sold the idea of marketing to entrepreneurs and the idea of public relations to politicians. From the printing of propaganda, to the printing of advertisements, and books, Franklin provided a country bursting with ideas with press to print them.
