Glenn Curtiss

Be cautious of business partners or associates who cannot produce what they promise and make excuses repeatedly. When someone consistently fails to deliver on commitments with new explanations, this is a sign of fundamental dishonesty rather than circumstance.

Augustus Herring repeatedly promised to produce patent documents to Curtis and the board, then disappeared, reappeared with new excuses, and ultimately could not produce anything because the patents never existed. This pattern of consistent non-delivery should have signaled fraud immediately, demonstrating how obvious dishonesty often is in hindsight.

“Herring could not comply because there were no patents to produce.”

A master architect who conceptualizes solutions is fundamentally different from a master builder who executes and applies them. Both types of talent are necessary, but they serve different functions and have different comparative advantages.

Wilbur Wright is characterized as a master architect, a self-taught intuitive scientist who made intellectual leaps to solve intractable problems that had eluded the greatest minds. Glenn Curtiss was a master builder, a superb craftsman and applied scientist who could take ideas and turn them into practical, marketable products. Curtis's ability to engineer superior motors and build working aircraft faster created competitive advantage where Wilbur had only theoretical superiority.

“Wilbur Wright is a master architect, and Glenn Curtis was a master builder.”

You cannot make a good deal with a bad person. Character and integrity matter more than the apparent financial or strategic benefits a bad actor offers. Bad partnerships inevitably turn into costly nightmares.

Glenn Curtiss was persuaded by Augustus Herring, a known scammer and deceiver, that Herring held valuable patents and had financial connections for aircraft manufacturing. In reality, Herring had neither patents nor connections, was dishonest about his work, and the partnership nearly destroyed Curtiss financially. The lawsuit over the failed partnership cost Curtiss's heirs $500,000 and continued long after both men were dead.

“You can't make a good deal with a bad person.”

Constantly improving your product and staying engaged on the factory floor is more valuable for long-term business success than executive focus on legal protection or office management. The entrepreneur who never stops tinkering and innovating builds more sustainable competitive advantage.

While Wilbur Wright spent his final years consumed by patent lawsuits in executive and legal roles, Glenn Curtiss remained a fixture on the factory floor, constantly tinkering and inventing. Curtiss invented the throttle for motorcycles, created the most efficient motors in the world, designed the first seaplane, and held multiple speed records. His refusal to leave the engineering work meant he continuously improved his products, ultimately building a more successful company worth $30 million.

“No matter how big the business got, Curtis never ceased being a fixture on the factory floor.”

Dogged perseverance that refuses to give up is a core trait of successful inventors and builders. When faced with obstacles that would stop ordinary people, relentless determination to continue forward separates exceptional innovators from the rest.

Glenn Curtiss repeatedly faced situations where his projects seemed finished and hopeless, yet he refused to accept defeat. He recovered from failed business partnerships, financial crises, and competition from better-capitalized rivals through sheer persistence and continued tinkering, eventually building a $30 million company and becoming the most successful aviator of the early era.

Find exceptional people who are naturally talented at selling or demonstrating your product, then hire them and give them latitude to showcase your offerings. Great salespeople and exhibition pilots create brand equity that compound over time.

Glenn Curtiss discovered Charles Hamilton, a natural pilot with remarkable ability to survive crashes and wow audiences. Curtiss gave Hamilton an exhibition contract and Hamilton's demonstrations grew crowds from hundreds to thousands. Hamilton kept Curtiss aircraft in the headlines and created customer demand through spectacular performances, similar to how Enzo Ferrari built brand equity through racing victories.

“Curtis signed Hamilton to an exhibition contract and then turned Hamilton loose on an eager public. The crowds, which began in the hundreds, grew to the thousands, and they loved him.”