Spring Observer - News
Ace owner teaches pepole to follow dreams in new book
 |
| Gower D. Talley won the “Dream Ace” contest in 2007 and the prize of a $1 million Ace store in Spring. In his book, ‘5 Things I Learned on the Road to the Dream,’ he details the lessons needed to succeed in any venture. |
By KEVIN KOLOIAN
The owner of Ace Hardware of Gleannloch took an unconventional road to entrepreneurship.
Gower D. Talley beat out more than 5,400 others across America to win a competition called “Dream Ace.”
Talley began the “Dream” journey the same way as everyone else - online. He believes what set him apart, and ultimately earned him the $1 million store, was following five key life lessons he learned through personal and professional experiences.
He is now detailing these steps in his new book “5 Things I Learned on the Road to the Dream.”
“My wife was also asking me to try out for a business-related reality show because I’m one of those public speaking, larger-than-life sort of guys,” said Talley, 46. “This is the first thing of that nature that interested me. So I threw my name in the hat and jumped through all of the initial hoops and forgot about it.”
On Feb. 7, 2007, he received the call telling him that he had been selected as the finalist from the state of Oregon and that he had about a week to be in New York City to begin the competition. It was a surprise, but Talley was prepared.
“I’m a big believer that luck is at the intersection of preparation and opportunity. Opportunity is just as common as sand. It’s just that most people aren’t prepared for most opportunities,” he said, speaking about the development lesson of the book.
After moving from different phases that played out in New York, Chicago, Houston and Las Vegas, a hall of 2,000 Ace owners and employees determined that Talley was worthy of his own Ace Hardware store.
In the two months that followed, he moved his family of five more than 2,000 miles from Portland to Spring and the dream became a reality when the store opened on June 12, 2007.
By chronicling his journey in the book, which is available at bookstores nationwide, the retired marketing director for the Oregon National Guard hopes others will see in themselves the qualities that made him successful.
“The book isn’t just the story of winning a hardware store; it was a project that I was already in the middle of before this started,” Talley said.
Talley had been working on five core philosophies that he believes define the difference between people who have been successful and people who have chosen to be less successful. He simply used the whole “Dream Ace” experience to show if a person chooses to do something, he can.
“I knew the contest wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew it would be worth every single waking moment of my total focus and effort,” he said.
Keeping one’s emotions in check is one of the keys to success, he said.
“One of the lessons is happiness. There are too many people who try to move the world to change their emotional state,” Talley said. “You can choose your mood and use that strength to create whatever you want.”
Another lesson involves ownership.
“You are exactly where you’ve chosen to be. Or you’ve allowed yourself to float to wherever you happen to be,” he said.
The lesson of certainty falls along similar lines.
“As opposed to trying to see what is out there, create your future,” Talley said.
And finally, there is projection, which says people are who they choose to be.
“The whole purpose of the book is to show that if you are willing to give absolutely 100 percent complete and total effort, you can do anything you want,” Talley said.
Gower D. Talley beat out more than 5,400 others across America to win a competition called “Dream Ace.”
Talley began the “Dream” journey the same way as everyone else - online. He believes what set him apart, and ultimately earned him the $1 million store, was following five key life lessons he learned through personal and professional experiences.
He is now detailing these steps in his new book “5 Things I Learned on the Road to the Dream.”
“My wife was also asking me to try out for a business-related reality show because I’m one of those public speaking, larger-than-life sort of guys,” said Talley, 46. “This is the first thing of that nature that interested me. So I threw my name in the hat and jumped through all of the initial hoops and forgot about it.”
On Feb. 7, 2007, he received the call telling him that he had been selected as the finalist from the state of Oregon and that he had about a week to be in New York City to begin the competition. It was a surprise, but Talley was prepared.
“I’m a big believer that luck is at the intersection of preparation and opportunity. Opportunity is just as common as sand. It’s just that most people aren’t prepared for most opportunities,” he said, speaking about the development lesson of the book.
After moving from different phases that played out in New York, Chicago, Houston and Las Vegas, a hall of 2,000 Ace owners and employees determined that Talley was worthy of his own Ace Hardware store.
In the two months that followed, he moved his family of five more than 2,000 miles from Portland to Spring and the dream became a reality when the store opened on June 12, 2007.
By chronicling his journey in the book, which is available at bookstores nationwide, the retired marketing director for the Oregon National Guard hopes others will see in themselves the qualities that made him successful.
“The book isn’t just the story of winning a hardware store; it was a project that I was already in the middle of before this started,” Talley said.
Talley had been working on five core philosophies that he believes define the difference between people who have been successful and people who have chosen to be less successful. He simply used the whole “Dream Ace” experience to show if a person chooses to do something, he can.
“I knew the contest wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew it would be worth every single waking moment of my total focus and effort,” he said.
Keeping one’s emotions in check is one of the keys to success, he said.
“One of the lessons is happiness. There are too many people who try to move the world to change their emotional state,” Talley said. “You can choose your mood and use that strength to create whatever you want.”
Another lesson involves ownership.
“You are exactly where you’ve chosen to be. Or you’ve allowed yourself to float to wherever you happen to be,” he said.
The lesson of certainty falls along similar lines.
“As opposed to trying to see what is out there, create your future,” Talley said.
And finally, there is projection, which says people are who they choose to be.
“The whole purpose of the book is to show that if you are willing to give absolutely 100 percent complete and total effort, you can do anything you want,” Talley said.
Copyright © 2009 - Houston Community Newspapers Online