In his school days, Todd McFarlane had dreams of playing major league baseball. Unfortunately, his dream didn't come true. So like most of us, he put his dreams aside and decided that he had to get a job and make a living. But McFarlane did not want to just go to “work” every day; he wanted to do something he enjoyed. As a teen, he liked to draw superheroes. He developed his drawing skill throughout high school and college and began to send out samples of his work, lots of samples. Alas, he got lots of rejections until finally someone offered him a job.

McFarlane's first job was working freelance on obscure comic books for Marvel Comics, the biggest name in the comic book industry. By working relentlessly and turning his high-quality work in on time, McFarlane earned a reputation as a good worker. That reputation earned him the right to work a little on well-known comics like Batman, the Hulk, and Spiderman. He brought Spiderman from relative obscurity to the numberone book with record sales. Over time, he became the highest paid comic book artist at Marvel. McFarlane began to feel a bit cramped and held back by the way things were done at Marvel. He had many ideas he wanted to try, but was discouraged by the lack of excitement at the company. He decided it was time to quit and start his own comic book business. He was able to persuade several of his best co-workers to come with him.

Many insiders in the comic book industry gave his new company one year at best. McFarlane believed failure was out of the question and he did anything but fail. His first comic, Spawn, sold l.7 million copies-the rest was history. Today, when it comes to creating comics, producing movies, directing music videos, and running one of the most successful toy companies in the world, McFarlane has done it all. His path to success was similar to other entrepreneurs who learned about their business working for a large company. Chapter 1 shows that the energy and the risk-taking these entrepreneurs apply to the task is what creates jobs and wealth. Entrepreneurs like McFarlane, however, face many challenges in the business environment: legal and regulatory, economic, technological, competitive, social, and global. For example, the legal system protects his intellectual property and allows him to make contracts that are enforceable. He also takes advantage of the latest in technology to push creativity forward in making toys, movies, and video games. The Internet provides a means to reach the young people who are his key customers. Competitively, McFarlane loves to see competitors turn out shoddy goods because it provides an opportunity for him to make highquality toys and other products that may cost more, but are well worth the extra few cents. It's impossible to avoid social issues like strikes and global problems like diseases that hold up production. The key is to keep focused and keep business going.

What about his major league dreams? Part of McFarlane's dream started coming true when he bought Mark McGuire's record-breaking 70th home run ball. It cost him a cool $3 million! To his chagrin the record was broken the next year by Barry Bonds. But McFarlane did not give up. Combining it with other McGuire and Sammy Sosa balls he had purchased, he formed the McFarlane Collection and sent it on a tour of every major league stadium. The payoff was good public relations for his firm and the development of a relationship with people in professional sports and management that led to licensing rights to produce major league toys. The $3-million ball may lead to $20 million in profit. Did his dreams come true? He doesn't have a baseball career, but every toy contract with a major league team includes what you might call a signing bonus: the right for McFarlane to hit batting practice in every ballpark that shows his collection. That's not the same as being a player, but McFarlane's not complaining.

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Toying With Success: The McFarlane Companies

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1			What lessons can you take from Todd McFarlane about how to be a success in life?
2			What dreams do you have, and where could you work where you may be able to fulfill at least a major part of your dream?
3			What skills can you develop working for a larger firm before you go out on your own to become a successful entrepreneur?
4			What are some of the challenges you see in today’s dynamic business environment and what are some of the opportunities?