So many people put their wildest dreams on the back burner because they think they’re unrealistic. They believe they’re not destined to do great things, so they settle for mediocrity. What I wish is they’d realize how different they would find life if they set themselves high enough goals. Only then would they give themselves the best chance of achieving something major in their lives.
What makes me believe this? I’ve been thinking today that entrepreneurial traits are definitely in my blood. I’ve been thinking about my father, Mervyn Lewis. In fact I come from a very long line of very successful entrepreneurs, so there is no doubt in my mind that entrepreneurship has always richly flown through my blood
Most of you are fully aware that I started blogging, and discovered a passion for writing I never realized I had in 2009. Through my main site Healthy Lifestyles Living I share insights and helpful tips on healthy lifestyles and personal development. You are probably also aware that I own a fitness gym and operate a life coaching/personal development coaching practice. Neither have I ever kept a secret of the fact that I operate a variety of e-commerce shops that provide me with a seriously good income supporting all my other on line activities.
What you don’t know is that my grand mother, Hetie had two brothers, Ernie and Dickie Pearl and they together with Bob Dean set up a company called Pearl & Dean. Pearl & Dean was formed in 1953 to sell and produce advertising to appear on British cinema screens prior to the showing of the main feature. With their adverts playing in major cinemas in the United Kingdom, the company became pretty much a household name.
Right through my early childhood, Pearl and Dean pulsed through my blood. My father, Mervyn Lewis was Managing Director of Pearl and Dean Screen advertising. My earliest memories were sitting on my Dads lap on many occasions as one or other of his Sales team came to our house. Frequently at the breakfast table my Dad was on the phone to a salesman or cinema manager somewhere in this country. It seems now that much of my childhood focused around Pearl and Dean. What with family parties, and events within the Company everything seemed to be centred around the family business. I even featured in an advert for shoes when I was about 6 years old.
It amazes me that such a well known company with a musical score that so many people could hum at the mention of the name Pearl and Dean has so little written about it. There is an incredible story behind it all, and here I plan to tell it. So here through this blog I intend having a special category aptly titled “The Pearl & Dean Story.”
Very few people know how this international company came into existence. Particularly that two of the founders, Charles (Dickie) Pearl and Ernest (Ernie) Pearl were the off springs of two immigrants who were from the then Russian State, Ukraine. They arrived in Swansea, South Wales, where they had four children, Hetie, my fathers mother was the eldest, then came Charles, Ernest, and finally Millie. They settled in Swansea, the father was Joseph. The mother Rachel Pearlman. Of course they were very poor. Joseph made a small living as a commercial traveler, just to put food on the table. As neither parent could read nor write in English for the whole of their lives, life was fraught with difficulty for them. But without their courage and determination, the Pearl and Dean story would never have been written, and my life would never have come about, particularly in the way I have been fortunate enough to have.
I am excited at putting this story together. In truth this has long been a dream of mine. Now I feel the time is right. My Dad is still with us, and I want to compile this for him to read, and contribute his knowledge.
What better example of entrepreneurship is there than two Jewish boys from a refugee family from the Ukraine, starting up the world famous company Pearl and Dean. If they can do it you can do it. Here at Larry Lewis I’m going to tell their story, and the story of their Managing Director of Screen advertising., my father Mervyn. A true rags to riches story. Through it I hope you can find your true entrepreneur trail, but never forget the key … follow your passions
I know how hard it is to start a business, to create something extraordinary but I am determined to use this example to inspire you to believe in all possibilities. Having the tenacity, the determination and persistence to create amazing things in your life means you truly can achieve anything you put your mind to … so start to dream once again.
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