Some people only dream of greatness, while others exemplify it.
Take author and businessman, Ron Coury. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Coury joined the Marines and moved to Vegas after his service. Surviving two of the toughest cities, working with corrupt politicians, and still managing to better his community, Coury sat down with Grit Daily to answer some burning questions.
Grit Daily: Your motto is “failure is not an option.” At what point in your life did that become the driving force behind your success?
Ron Coury: I’ve found through personal experience that success in business requires many skills and talents, but none more essential than the core belief of the Marine Corps: “Failure is not an option!” As a former Marine, this belief was instilled in me at an early age, preparing me for every situation I have faced throughout my career. This fighting spirit drives a person to take on life’s challenges with resolve and a refusal to be defeated.
GD: Of all of the businesses you’ve started, which one was the most challenging and why?
RC: Building a neighborhood casino in a jurisdiction with an unethical Councilman who was a business competitor. The steps he would take to do away with me as a business rival would result in my defense of criminal charges and battling his corruptive influences within his small-town police department. My book, Tenacity, describes that entire experience, how I combated those events and would surely qualify as my greatest challenge.
GD: How has the business landscape changed in Las Vegas over the last 45 years?
RC: The Las Vegas Valley has grown in size to exceed 2 million residents. It’s now more difficult to conceive an idea and implement its creation due to the fact so much has already been developed and improved.
GD: What do you hope today’s business owners will take away after reading Tenacity?
RC: Business owners will hopefully find the motivation to be diligent, detail oriented and fearless when they know they are right. With the facts and perseverance on your side, success may not always be assured, but it will often prevail. Even if you fail, you fail knowing you did all you could to achieve your goals.
GD: What characteristics helped your businesses become successful?
RC: When there was a need in a community for the service or product we offered, our ability to provide that product or service more efficiently and in better form than our competitors contributed to our success. The implementation of a dream with appropriate follow-through to strive for success will generally result in a profitable outcome. Determination, perseverance and diligence or, in a word, TENACITY, results in success when others may fail.
GD: How were you surprised by the levels of corruption you encountered at some of the highest political levels? Do they still exist today?
RC: I never imagined a city council or a small-town police department would stoop to such levels of reckless, clear-cut corruption, antagonism and hostility over a simple property use permit. I believe these levels of corruption are not as clear-cut as what I experienced in the 1980s and early ‘90s. Possibly, occurring in smaller towns around Nevada, as cities grow in size, they tend to exhibit higher levels of professionalism.
You can read about businessman Ron Coury in his own words here. You can also follow him on Twitter to keep up with this signature Las Vegas and California figure.
Keep up with Grit Daily’s series of entrepreneur stories for more like businessman Ron Coury.
