Bill Rancic Visits Kuwait for 24 Hours, Speaks at AUK

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) hosted Bill Rancic, the renowned American entrepreneur, winner of the first season of The Apprentice, and star of the hit reality show Giuliana & Bill, to give a lecture to aspiring entrepreneurs in Kuwait.

Bill Rancic talked about his own success story, highlighting main milestones in his career path. As a child Rancic had the heart of an entrepreneur. Growing up, he explained, he had an inquisitive mind that drove him to explore simple business ideas as a teenager, then later as a college student. After earning his B.S from Loyola University Chicago, he spent a few months working for a private company, in which he witnessed a situation that changed his life; Rancic saw one of the founders of the company being fired by the owners after 30 years of service. "I watched this guy packing up his office, marching to the parking lot and driving away," Rancic recalled, "As he drove away, it hit me right here [pointing to his heart] and I said to myself I am never going to let that happen to me."

This revelation revived Rancic's entrepreneur spirit and redirected his career path. Not long after this incident, he applied and got accepted to compete in the first season of Donald Trump's now-famous reality TV show - The Apprentice, where he became the first person to win the contest, thus enabling him to take his first steps towards the world of fame and fortune.

Rancic spoke to the AUK audience about the traits of a successful entrepreneur, emphasizing that everyone is born with great potential "but only a few of us understand their true potential." He explained that in order to utilize these potentials "you've got to get out of your comfort zone... and change the way you do things." This, according to Rancic, requires an ability to get over ones fears, manage risks, and make educated decisions. A lot of potential entrepreneurs are pulled back by the overwhelming goals and the fear of failure. Rancic added that an entrepreneur's life is full of peaks and valleys, and sometimes failures. However, the ability to pull oneself together, possess agility, and assume responsibility are fundamental traits of successful entrepreneurs.

Rancic advised Kuwait's youth to avoid the tracks to failure, revealing that failure is triggered by reactive rather than proactive attitudes, permitting negative people to influence one's life, and adapting an egocentric management style. Rancic concluded his talk by quoting Joel Osteen from his book Become a Better You "I heard somebody say that the wealthiest place on earth is not Fort Knox or the oil fields in the Middle East. Nor is it the gold and diamond mines in South Africa. Ironically, the wealthiest places on earth are the cemeteries, because lying in those graves are all kinds of dreams, and desires that will never be fulfilled. Buried beneath the ground are books that will never be written, businesses that will never be started, and relationships that will never be formed. Sadly, the incredible power of potential is lying in those graves."

Rancic's talk was followed by a Q&A, whereby AUK students and visitors engaged in a rich conversation with the celebrity. One of the questions asked addressed ways to motivate well-off young Kuwaitis to get out of the secure job track and start a business. Rancic pointed to the importance of holding a future vision to keep building Kuwaiti innovators who can steer the country through challenges 100 years from today.

Being one of the remarkable US success stories, Bill Rancic is in demand as a speaker for large corporations, US Universities and most recently at one of Bill Clinton's CGI events.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 8th December 2013

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2013