My Sirius XM show this week is a special tribute
show to Dr. William F. Pickard, the amazing entrepreneur and philanthropist, who
started as a social worker and went on to become a multi-millionaire
entrepreneur helping many of his employees become millionaires as well.
He was a business titan, mentor, and visionary who
passed away on June 12, 2024.
In addition to his restaurants, Dr. Pickard was the
Chairman of Global Automotive Alliance, a auto parts manufacturing company and
Co-Managing Partner of MGM Grand Detroit Casino.
His forty-five-year entrepreneurial journey began
when Dr. Pickard borrowed money and joined two friends to purchase a McDonald’s
franchise.
Dr. Pickard performed every job at that McDonald’s,
from cooking hamburgers and french fries to mopping floors, to opening and
closing the restaurant. He did everything he could to create a successful
business, and he did it.
As the founder, chairman, and chief executive
officer of Global Automotive Alliance, (one of the country's leading
minority-owned businesses), Dr. Pickard became the first minority-owned group of
plastic-parts suppliers to service the top three U.S. automakers. He grew his
wealth making the doorknobs for the top three auto makers!
His company Global Automotive Alliance has been on
Black Enterprise's list of the top 100 industrial/service companies numerous
times.
In his book, Millionaire Moves - Seven
Proven Principles of Entrepreneurship,
Dr. Pickard explained his principles that helped propel him from making
doorknobs to dollars in the millions!
My
favorite quote from Dr. Pickard is, “Talent is one thing, and hustle is another.
Hustle will beat talent when talent does not
hustle!”