It is not often that one can honestly and accurately say that they are in the presence of someone who may well be among the best few in the world at what they do.
However, that is exactly how I felt last Thursday in the presence of Tim Wells, a 1987 graduate of Monmouth College. I suspected it the moment one of the students introduced himself to Tim with the words “It is a pleasure to finally meet the legend…” and it was confirmed for the subsequent hour and twenty minutes he was with us in class.
Tim is among the very best in what he does with regard to (1) “primitive hunting” (via bow and spear [note that he threw the javelin while a student at Monmouth College]), and (2) creating and running an entrepreneurial enterprise related to the pursuit of his passion for “primitive hunting.” In this regard, Tim (1) is the creator and host of the #1 bow hunting cable TV show in the world (“Relentless Pursuit”), (2) holds sponsorships with several major hunting product manufacturers, (3) sells a variety of hunting-related products via his personal webpage, and (4) is a major star within the world of hunting on YouTube (and other online venues). Information about Tim and his entrepreneurial ventures can be found at the links below.
http://www.thesportsmanchannel.com/shows/relentless-pursuit/
https://www.youtube.com/user/worldhuntinggroup/videos
https://www.facebook.com/relentlesspursuittv
Another thing noteworthy about Tim’s visit is that while many of our guest speakers this semester have spoken about “pursuing your passion” I believe none have pursued and lived out that passion quite like Tim has.
The one thing that will stick with me more than anything else from Tim’s visit in this regard is his loyalty TO his fans/customers. Allow me to clarify… In business classes, we often talk of seeking loyalty to the firm and its products among customers/clients (e.g., via consistent meeting of customer expectations and the creation of meaningful and valuable experiences). It seems that Tim Wells has done such a good job of creating loyalty amongst those that follow him that he in turn feels an intense loyalty toward them.
This was witnessed most vividly when Tim spoke of the harrowing experience of running one of his spears through his own thigh while on a hunting expedition in the African wilderness. Specifically, while telling us the amazing story of how he survived this ordeal, he discussed how he realized he might well die but that he felt he owed it to his loyal fans to film every bit of his death and to share it with them. Luckily, he lived through the ordeal… Not many things “blow my mind” but this tale indeed did… Wow…
I now turn things over to class member Cole Trickel to share with you more details on the amazing Tim Wells ’87 and his visit to the Midwest Entrepreneurs class last Thursday.
Prof. Gabel
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First things first…
Thursday April 28th Tim Wells came to campus to talk to a group of students about his entrepreneurship adventure. He grew up in Canton, IL which is just a hop, jump and a skip from where he graduated from Monmouth College in 1987, where he came to run track. Tim also talked about how times have changed since 1987, when he was allowed to have his bow in his room and string a buck up from the balcony of his dorm room. “Canton is a great place to grow up, if you like the outdoors”, just for the fact there is not a whole lot of indoor activities in Canton. This is part of the reason why his foundation of success is built on faith and family values. Tim claimed that you cannot be successful without a solid foundation and a good education.
Tim created and hosts #1 bow-hunting show in the world, “Relentless Pursuit,” and shared with us a number of the thousands of wild stories that go with it. Included in the stories he shared with us was “the shot heard around the world.” This might seem a typical hunting story that you would tell around a bonfire late at night, except this was no fictional story. “The shot heard around the world” is the story of Tim Wells putting an arrow between the eyes and through the skull of a North American Brown bear. It was said that it could not be done, and so he set out and accomplished the task that no one else was brave enough to attempt. This “relentless pursuit” of the seemingly impossible is key to Tim’s entrepreneurial success.
Stories like these are all fine and dandy but Tim’s successes is not what made me envy him as a successful entrepreneur. The way he claims that we are part of the circle of life, humans are consumers of Earth’s every resource. It is of high importance for people to understand where Earth’s resources come from. Tim travels the globe to hunt but also to spread awareness to pursue the passion of hunting. Tim is a lover of life, you take a life, you give life to something else, it is all part of the circle of life.
Tim also talked about how the education he received here at Monmouth College has helped him to set himself apart from the competition in the hunting industry. The writing skills that he was required to receive here and helped him to write his book, “A Demon in the Dark”, that has been published globally. It distinguishes the difference between hunting and poaching. Tim claims that we students are the future of society and to keep an open minded; not bull-headed like I know I become sometimes. If you have a great idea and work ethic you can go anywhere, do almost anything and be successful. With that being said, success will follow, but success sometimes breeds jealousy. People wish they were as successful as you are and will cut you down to get it, this is why Tim says to surround yourself with good people, people that want you to succeed. With technology now-a-days it easy to do something stupid on camera and everyone is going to see it.
Now for some number figures… Once you become famous people will know your name and people will want to be like you or cut you down; it goes both ways. Tim told us, for example, that he gets paid 5K every time he wears a certain hat or t-shirt on television and/or talks in some sort of interview and an additional 100K a year just so that one hunting products company can use his name (as a user and sponsor of their products). Tim talks about seizing every opportunity possible because you never know when one opportunity is going to be worth that 100K every year. Talk about marketing at its finest. Tim is basically a “rock star” celebrity in the world of hunting. Professional hunters and other sportsmen want to grow up to be like him, just like little Billy wants to grow up to play Quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
Last thing… Tim owns the word “slock”. I have never shot a bow before that he tells us that it is the noise that a bow makes when the arrow in released. That is pretty awesome to own a cool word like “slock”.
The last couple of things that Tim wanted to leave us with is that while sacrifices have to be made to be successful, just make sure they are not the wrong sacrifices. Entrepreneurial moment: “When you find your lick, and are making the good money, reinvest in your company. Don’t be stupid like me and blow it all away like I did when I first started off.” Also have the ability to take risks, keep your sense of humor wherever you are, whatever you are doing, be able to laugh at your failures and learn from them.
Who you are as a person defines you, that is why Tim’s foundation is built on faith and family values.
Cole Trickel
