In this special newsletter, we hear not from a young entrepreneur, but from a mentor, Uncle Wade Ishimoto.
I first met Uncle Wade in November 2023, at the Holokū Ball hosted by the E Ala E Hawaiian Cultural Center in Crystal City, Virginia.
Over the past year, Uncle Wade has provided me with invaluable guidance related to life and work. Not to mention, he is one proud ʻIolani grad!
Uncle Wade has a wealth of knowledge, so I asked him if he would be willing to share some guidance for young entrepreneurs coming from Hawaiʻi.
But first, here is his short bio, which I copied and pasted so as not to interfere with the clarity and force of his accomplishments:
Wade Ishimoto was born in Hawaiʻi shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He enlisted in the US Army in 1961 and retired 20 years later.
In his military career he served as a Military Policeman, a counterintelligence agent, a human intelligence case officer, and 14 years in Special Forces.
Among his notable assignments were as the Project Gamma Operations Sergeant during the Green Beret Murder case in 1969, Special Force School Instructor of the Year in 1974, a founding member of the Delta Force, and leading a roadblock team on the fateful 1980 attempt to rescue 53 American hostages in Iran (Operation Eagle Claw).
After his military retirement, he served on the investigation of the Branch Davidian incident, the Khobar Towers bombing, was the Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, and a Special Assistant to the Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy.
He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Joint Special Operations University, a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment, and was inducted into the Special Operations Command Commando Hall of Honor.
He has been written about in Delta Force, The Guts to Try, Best Laid Plans, Those Gallant Men, Killer Elite, Never Surrender and A Murder in Wartime"
Having years of experience under his belt, here is Uncle Wade’s advice.
I asked Uncle Wade three questions. For each question, he gave me six bullet points. Why 6?
“Well 7 is considered lucky, and one can’t rely on luck!” he said.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LEADER
Know yourself … your strengths and work to overcome weaknesses.
Care for others.
Build a team and teamwork.
Be humble, behave ethically, and be of good moral character and act discretely.
Act with integrity
Mentor and develop future leaders.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN?
Follow the Golden Rule … Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.
Be involved in your community.
Volunteer for organizations and causes that help others.
Vote.
Consider military, national or public service.
Protect the environment.
ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
Wishing for something is fine but planning leads to success.
Metrics … choose the right ones and monitor progress.
Be resolute in the face of hard times, but also be realistic.
Know when to sell or quit.
Be passionate about what you do.
Get seed money to start your business.
If you want to know more about Uncle Wade, take a look at this:
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