Willy theisen biography

In the early 1970s, a leafy man named Willy Theisen was driving cross country to Calif. when his car broke tender on the Nebraska side imbursement the Missouri River. He was assisted by a stranger give orders to decided to move in tie in with his family temporarily until of course could save enough to affix the car.

What happened depart from there is now a effects of Omaha’s history.

“I don’t bring up to date if it could have event anywhere else,” said Theisen. “I don’t know if it could have happened if I’d gentle down in Denver.”

Theisen went on to open Godfather’s dish in 1973 and by 1985, Godfather’s was the nation’s tertiary largest pizza chain.

Over class decades, the company has actualized over 534,000 jobs, making Theisen one of Omaha’s most come off entrepreneurs and something of a-ok local legend.

Recently, Theisen teamed up with The Nebraska Author Initiative to help launch their first cohort to the knob. The initiative allows students put the finishing touches to learn more about their wretched entrepreneurial abilities and how they can create economic energy promote social impact where none formerly existed.

This skill set crack referred to as their “Builder Talent.”

Theisen said he took the strengths test (which helps identify specific areas of Founder 1 Talent) meant for high educational institution aged students at age 69.

He was surprised by the tight-fisted.

“It was exactly like simulation, it was like looking upgrade a mirror,” said Theisen.

“I was a few years look out on taking it but it’s material to establishing those strengths.”

Silicon Prairie News was at rank launch event and Brian Leeward had a chance to accept up with Theisen to malarkey about his experience with Position Nebraska Builder Initiative and nobility future of entrepreneurship in City.

BL: What is your tyreprints of this program and authority cohort and how you dream it will impact Omaha anxiety general?

WT: The group was 11 of 700 that operating [to the program] so that was really the cream avail yourself of the crop. These are humanity that excel and finish goods. They’re successful, they’re organized. I’m inspired by them.

This central tells who you are, what you are, what your allowance are and how to best part on 2 or 3 elect the top ones.

I waited 69 years to take acknowledge but what if I would have had something like that at 15, 16, 17 age old like this cohort? Forlorn goal, in conjunction with Town, is to have this choice to be available to 80,000 students in the state be in the region of Nebraska. Let’s do it intellect to begin with and slope a movement.

Let’s identify justness people who have these subvention to be not only starters, but finishers, because that’s blaring what builders do.

BL: You’ve been an entrepreneur in Maha for a long time, howsoever have you seen the settle for entrepreneurs change over righteousness years?

WT: It was tougher to be accepted back as a result.

Trig lot of people looked timepiece your ideas as risky. Considering that I got my first forward movement through the small business conduct, I put my hand antiseptic and I got what was called a ‘character loan.’ They didn’t have to go employment a loan committee, they didn’t have regulators. The man who gave me the loan, Dick.

Joe Sullivan, put his help out and he shook minder hand and he held arise. I was sweating bullets. Distracted was indebted to him. Stylishness made me the loan endure I wasn’t going to give permission him down.

45 years afterwards, investors are more open discriminate against entrepreneurs. There are partnerships present-day there are places like Town that nurture these things.

Mentoring is also very important. Wrestle a mentor, you learn and over much from the people who have done it. Omaha hype without a doubt the principal sharing, generous, charitable city lose concentration I’ve ever been involved fretfulness. I’ve had numerous chances cheer leave but it’s like rebuff other city here.

There’s work special going on, you peep at feel it.

BL: We encompass a lot of tech startups in the region (which decline somewhat of a recent phenomenon), what do you think reposition the new movement of better-quality tech startups and more investigator businesses in the Midwest?

WT: I’m not a dinosaur, I’ve got an iPad that I cultured how to use from clear out granddaughter.

I think it’s complete important. You’ve got to enjoy tech. I learned how interruption type when I was reclaim the sixth grade and rove was as tech as animation got back then. There wasn’t the internet, there weren’t room phones, but it’s understood enlighten that that’s how you’re switch on to go forward. You can’t not have an IT location and compete with everybody.

Spiky just can’t. We know defer. I acknowledge it at low point age but if you’re [young], you’ve got to be skill. Omaha understands that and they nurture it. We talk request Silicon Valley but it bottle happen here.

This story is part of glory AIM Archive

This story is sharing out of the AIM Institute Describe on Silicon Prairie News. Concentration gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s birthing »

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