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Greg Henderson

As a Founder and the CEO of Arx Pax, Greg Henderson brings a unique blend of experience, skill,
and leadership. A graduate of West Valley Community College and University of California Berkeley, he is a
licensed Architect, builder and inventor of numerous patents. He worked previously at DGH Architects,
Cypress Group, LLC, and at the US Army.

It wasn't until adulthood that Greg Henderson realized what he should be doing was building stuff
and start pursuing his own dreams. Because architecture seemed like the best way to do that, he got out of
the Army, joined a construction crew and took every class he could at West Valley Community College,
which has an amazing architecture program and eventually transitioned into working at a firm. He worked at
Square Three If you can hover a train, why not a house? Design studios in Palo Alto, and learned a great
deal from Carl Hesse about how to actually get things built. He then applied to the Masters Program at
Berkeley, in the year 2000. During his initial application process wherein his first entry was a self-portrait of
him wearing carpenter's bags, He was thinking about hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and he realized,
that's not where most architects start. But it was where his passion lay and it's the direction he went in from
the very beginning.

Greg Henderson had been on a dogged, unrelenting pursuit of discovering a way to magnetically
levitate a stationary object. Because, he figured If you can levitate a train, why not a building? While
working to discover better ways to build, Greg taught himself electromagnetism and with the advantage of
the outsiders perspective, he was able to solve the problem of magnetically levitating a person over a
passive surface. To prove their technology and draw attention to real world problems and their mission,
Greg introduced the Hendo Hoverboard as a platform to discuss better ways to build in harmony with
natural forces. The Arx Pax Self Adjusting Floating Environment (SAFE) building system is a simple, low
impact method of protecting buildings and communities from earthquakes, floods and rising sea levels.
With his wife and Co-Founder, Jill Henderson, Arx Pax begun in the year 2012.

Greg wants his hoverboards to serve as an access point for anyone to start tinkering with this
technology, ultimately to serve larger goals of sustainability and safety in the built environment and build
structures in such a way that, with the flip of a switch, humans can literally be lifted out of harms way, so
that the potential ravages of earthquakes and floods will no longer hold sway over the inhabitants and
occupants. With this idea in mind, like Greg Henderson, dont be satisfied until your invention saves lives.
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Gather in full range, all the information available, and explore the full range of possibilities. Whatever the
problem, let's look at all the possibilities. We're not just looking outside the box, but completely off the page.

Sandy Stein

Sandy Stein of West Hills, California, had been a flight attendant for 35 years when she decided
she needed to try something else. Her husband had lost three jobs and Sandy was only flying part time,
and with a family to feed, that part time salary was just not cutting it. After September 11, Sandy worried
about her career, as well as supporting her recently laid-off husband and ten year-old son. Concerned, she
prayed to her deceased father one night. In a dream, Sandys father described to her a very simple
invention that could make her rich. He appeared to her with a suggestion bend up a piece of metal with a
design on it, add a clasp for keys and a new business would be born. Sandy realized it was a profitable
idea that would solve the annoying digging-for-keys-in-the-purse problem most women faced. It was a very
simple idea, but Sandy recognized the potential. When the name Finders Key Purse came to her, she
decided she simply had to pursue it. She asked her husband, who had worked in the gift and souvenir
business to help her make a prototype and soon she had a finished product in hand.

Sandy, who attended college for one year before accepting a stewardess opportunity with Western
Airlines, had no business training whatsoever. She gleaned information from speaking with passengers,
getting her education through life experiences. In order to supplement her airline income, Sandy was
always selling something crazy, like LED earrings, roll-up sunglasses and magic face cream. She was a
talented saleswoman, having honed her skills as a young Girl Scout selling candy. Using her natural sales
ability and experience gained from selling lipstick (a side job), she put together the most unusual sales plan
the gift market had seen. Then, using her life savings, launched Finders Key Purse in December 2004. In
its first four months Finders Key Purse made one million dollars. Sandy was 53 years old when she
launched Alexx, Inc., a Woodland Hills, California company. Alexx, Inc. has two Xs because Sandy named
the business after her father and son, who share the name. Over 11 million Finders Key Purse have been
sold to date and Alexx, Inc. has thousands of customers throughout the United States, Australia, Canada,
New Zealand, & South America. Alexx, Inc. continues to grow its distribution as well as its product lines.

What we learned from Sandy Stein is that we must believe in our idea and on ourselves 200%. Go
forward and never give up. Our attitude has to be, No matter what, Im doing it even if others say you cant.
Always find a way to make things possible. Be a risk-taker. Like the Finders key purse, no matter how
small that idea may be and how impossible it can be profitable, there will always be a way to make things
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possible. Now, think of the small inconveniences youre dealing with now. Maybe someday, youll be the
one to give solution to it. And if that days comes, dont hesitate to give it a try.
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Walt Disney

Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois. He and his brother
Roy co-founded Walt Disney Productions, which became one of the best-known motion-picture production
companies in the world. Disney was an innovative animator and created the cartoon character Mickey
Mouse. He won 22 Academy Awards during his lifetime, and was the founder of theme parks Disneyland
and Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney's childhood was anything but idyllic. His father was a strict disciplinarian who thought
nothing of taking a switch to Walt and his brother Roy to administer "corrective" beatings that became a
part of their daily routine. Young Walt found an escape from his father's brutality through drawing. With pen
and ink, he created his own little fantasy world where life was always beautiful, people were always happy,
and, most important, he was always in control. World War I provided Disney with yet another means of
escape. At the age of 16, he joined the Red Cross Ambulance Corps and was sent to France. After the war,
Disney moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he took a job with Film Ad Co. The firm's principal products
were animated advertisements that were shown before feature films. Disney had found his calling. He loved
bringing his drawings to life through the magic of animation.

Walt started his own company called Laugh-O-Gram. He hired some of his friends including Ubbe
Iwerks. They created short animated cartoons. Although the cartoons were popular, the business didn't
make enough money and Walt had to declare bankruptcy. Once again, Walt had to start over. This time he
created a new character named Mickey Mouse. He created the first animated film to have sound. It was
called Steamboat Willie and starred Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Walt performed the voices for Steamboat
Willie himself. The film was a great success. Disney continued to work, creating new characters such as
Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. He had further success with the releases of the cartoon Silly Symphonies
and the first color animated film, Flowers and Trees.

Walt Disney, happily married for forty-one years, was moving ahead with his plans for huge, new
outdoor recreational areas when he died on December 15, 1966. Few people have changed this world to
the magnitude that Walt Disney has. He proves that circumstance and education do not dictate what you
can become. His life lessons serve as excellent reminders for young entrepreneurs. A very innovative and
passionate man who demanded the highest quality and wasnt afraid to experiment with every endeavor. As
an aspiring entrepreneur we must take him as an inspiration in making our dreams come true.
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Personal Deliberations
1. What particular story or narrative that inspires you in continuing your track? Why?
The story of Greg Henderson was the story that inspired me the most in continuing my
track because I myself wants to become an architect someday and just like him, I want to become
an architect who works outside the box too. Someday, I want to use what Ive learn in architecture
to invent or create something that will improve the lives of my fellowmen. Greg Hendersons
journey was a stepping stone example of making impossible things happen. Im fond of having wild
ideas in my mind, things that seem to be unimaginable. I want to turn my what ifs into reality
someday and I wont be able to do this if Im not going to pursue my track.

2. Were you convinced that there is a big significance in taking up entrepreneurship course or subject
even if its not your track?
With the three stories of successful entrepreneurs that I have read, Im very much
convinced now to try taking up entrepreneurship course or subject one day. I realized that in these
modern days, business is now innate. It is a natural thing for us now that in order to succeed in life,
you need to be knowledgeable enough and brave enough to take the risks life may bring you. The
world is made and ruled by the dreamers. It is a business. Thus, it is very important to fan the fire
of your dreams and goals. It is very important to greet each new day with a new purpose and a
plan.

3. Share any thought that made your standing about entrepreneurship concepts into favorable or
unfavorable sense in your life.
There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this
world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed quoted Ray Goforth.
This quote proves that no matter how strong is your desire to make a difference in this world, there
will always be people wanting for your downfall. But that thing doesnt matter for in this field of
entrepreneurship, In every success story, you will find someone who has made a courageous
decision. Like what Walt Disney said, If you can dream it, you can do it.

4. Give your operational definition of the terms entrepreneurship and entrepreneur.


For me Entrepreneurship is making use of opportunities to grow in life and as a person.
And an Entrepreneur is someone with an unending desire of changing and improving this world
and someone with a vision of making his dreams and others dream possible.
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Resources

Webmaster. (2010, February, 16). Sandy Stein, Founder of Alexx, Inc. and Finders Key Purse. Retrieved
from: http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/magazine/sandy-stein-founder-of-alexx-inc-and-finders-key-purse/

Thomas, M. (2012, October, 9). Former Flight Attendant Turns Entrepreneur And Makes $4 Million In One
Year. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/27/finders-key-purse_n_1533626.html

Thesmallbusinessfairy. (2013, August, 7). Walt Disney The Inspirational Entrepreneur Series. Retrieved
from: http://thesmallbusinessfairy.com/walt-disney-the-inspirational-entrepreneur-series/

Hochberg, A. (2014, November, 11). Working out of the Box: Greg Henderson of Hendo Hoverboards
Retrieved from: http://archinect.com/features/article/112809997/working-out-of-the-box-greg-henderson-of-
hendo-hoverboards
Dozier, J. (2017). 7 Lessons Every Young Entrepreneur Can Learn From Walt Disney. Retrieved from:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/7-lessons-entrepreneurship-from-walt-disney.html

Entrepreneur.com. (2017). GROWTH STRATEGIES- Walter Elias Disney. Retrieved from:


https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197528

Henderson, G. (2017). Greg Henderson Profile. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-


henderson-7912035

TheRichest Richest Businesswomen. (2017). Sandy Stein Net Worth Sandy Steins Wealth. Retrieved
from: http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/celebrity-business/women/sandy-stein-net-worth/

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