When students talk about innovation, a key part of an entrepreneur, they generally think about the technological advances within the last ten to fifteen years and identify with the ones who have made those advancements. Yet one of the greatest entrepreneurs ever, 6th in “Small Business on msnbc.com”  Top 10 Entrepreneurs, was from nearly a hundred years ago. Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor company, is this entrepreneur.

  Henry Ford started his famous auto mobile manufacturing company in 1903 with $28,000 in capital. By 1908 Ford’s innovative mind (trait 3 from QuickMBA’s Definition of an Entrepreneur) produced the innovative Model-T, a powerful, affordable, and left steering-wheel car. This car forged the way for all automotive sales since. Five years after its debut nearly 250,000 were sold with each year returning over 100% gains from the previous. This event made Henry Ford fit the first two traits of an entrepreneur, speed and amount of wealth creation, defined by QuickMBA.

There is always risk when starting a business, but Henry Ford took it head on. With his innovative, profitable mind he was able to create one of the most profitable lines of cars ever and in turn a fortune 500 company.

Henry Ford is the definition of entrepreneur.