It takes determination, drive, and a plan to make it to success. Fortunately, Dave Bing of The Bing Group has all of these qualities. Dave Bing who was originally born and raised in the Washington D.C. area is a graduate of Syracuse University, and a former NBA player. He spoke to us about how challenging his college experience was. Bing talked about the experiences that made a deep impact on his future at a young age. He watched one of his college friends pass away from lukemia. Bing then made a promise to himself that no matter what he was going to graduate from college and make something of himself. Once Bing was drafted into the NBA and moved to Detroit, he realized the potential in Detroit. I was most impressed when Bing spoke about the activities that he involved himself with durning his off season. Bing, unlike most athlete’s today, wanted more from life than just the fame that the NBA offered him. He realized early on that he had to support his family, and one of the only ways he was going to be able to do that outside of the NBA was through entrepreneurship.
Luckily for Bing, he had a great role model to point him in the right direction. Bing’s father was an entrepreneur, which gave him the drive toward entrepreneurship. Once Bing retired from the NBA, he formed a maufacturing steel company that has grown into a powerful asset for Bing. Over the years Bing has turned his focus to uplifting Detroit neighborhoods. Bing spoke of his recent investment opportunities, and how he plans to make a difference in the Detroit community.
Bing was inspirational to me, because he showed compassion for entrepreneurship. He encouraged our class to “never be afraid to fail.” Which was helpful to me, because it showed that at some point everyone may experience self-doubt. It also shows that as long as you do not give up on your dreams, you can accomplish your goals and often much more. One thing that will always stick out in my mind is that those who are successful take the neccessary steps to get themselves where they want to be.
