There are many stories of people achieving fame & fortune even without a formal education....
Well, here's one such that brings to light what enterprise & enthusiasm can achieve.....
A church in London had rules that it would not employ anyone, without formal high school education. However the benign old pastor employed Alfred Dunhill who lacked formal education to clean the pews, sweep the floor and keep the podium spic and span.
Once the old pastor retired, he was replaced by a younger pastor who followed the rule book & issued a notice to resign. Dunhill knew that he had no option & started out his afternoon stroll in deep thought and got into Bond Street.
Suddenly, he felt an urge to smoke & could not find a single tobacco shop on the entire street. He walked further down into a side street where he could purchase his cigarette. He then realized that a small cigarette shop in the street would be a sound business.
He resigned at the church and started a small shop on Bond Street which prospered way beyond his expectations. He noticed that many of his customers were coming from the other side of the street.
He started another shop on that side of Bond Street. The two shops multiplied to four and then sixteen in three years,
Alfred Dunhill Co. by then was a leading tobacconist in England. He started machine-rolling cigarettes and introduced his own brand of Dunhill cigarettes. In five years, he was a millionaire many times over.
To ensure a consistent supply of tobacco, he entered into an annual purchase agreement with a couple of American tobacco farmers and went across to America to meet them. It was a big boost for the American tobacco farmers and the contract signing ceremony was converted into a media circus, with a Senator and Governor participating.
When the contracts were finally signed, Dunhill affixed his thumb impression because he had not learnt to sign his name. The Governor was impressed and said, “Well Sir! This is awesome. Even without a formal education you have achieved so much, just imagine what you would’ve become if you had a formal education!”
Dunhill’s characteristic often repeated reply was…
“If I knew how to read and write, I would still be sweeping the church!”
Briha
