Fran Tarkenton
Built more than 20 companies across education, restaurants, management consulting and technology.
- Industry
- Software and small business services
- Country
- United States
- Format
- Video interview
- Interviewer
- Richard C. Wilson
- Source
- Billionaires.com interview
Watch the Interview
About Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton is a billionaire who has built more than 20 companies. His companies span education, restaurants, management consulting and technology. On the field, he was an NFL quarterback. Both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame count him as a member. His football career includes the NFL MVP Award and three Super Bowl appearances. While at the University of Georgia, he was the top salesman in the state for Franklin Life Insurance. Offseasons went to building his skills in sales, management and entrepreneurship. He was also the first athlete to host Saturday Night Live. One of his companies, Tarkenton, develops and deploys software. Liger delivers marketing strategy and execution. Tarkenton Financial partners with insurers and financial professionals to help them scale their practices.
What They Shared in the Interview
In Their Words
“Get in the game. You can’t make things better if you’re on the sidelines. You got to go and be in the game. Whatever the game is.”
“I’ve never lost that need to be better. I don’t know everything. I want to know more. I want to be smarter. I want to be more efficient.”
“I have no interest in working with people that don’t want to work with me.”
“Business is no different. It’s all marketing really.”
“It’s fun when you go out and you help people do better. That’s the mission of business.”
FAQs
How many businesses has Fran Tarkenton started?
He said in the interview that he has started about 24 businesses. His first one was a food place in Atlanta called Scrambler's Village.
How did the partnership between Fran Tarkenton and IBM begin?
He called John Akers, the chairman of IBM. Akers invited him to present to a group of IBM people. Fran was honest that his software company was small and losing money. The IBM team liked the product. IBM then sold it through its sales force around the world and invested in the company.
Who did Fran Tarkenton learn from?
He learned from Johnny Unitas, Y.A. Tittle and Sid Luckman. He also learned from coaches Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi and Don Shula. He credits Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, as a great role model.
