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Head Hotelier in the Making: The Early Years of Isadore “Issy” Sharp
He was just 29 years old when he launched what has become the internationally successful Four Seasons luxury hotel chain. Today, Isadore “Issy” Sharp is recognized as one of Canada’s most successful businessmen, having been inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Consistently ranked among the best hotels in the world, the Four Seasons earns annual revenues in excess of $200 million. That is no small achievement for a man who knew little stability as a boy, moving 15 times in his first 16 years.
His Finest Season: Sharp Creates a Life of Luxury
After borrowing $300,000 from his two friends, Sharp still needed over $700,000 in capital to begin building his dream hotel. Once again, he turned to a family connection. Cecil Forsyth was a friend of Sharp’s father; he also happened to be the manager of the mortgage department at Great West Life Insurance Company. Forsyth initially refused Sharp’s mortgage application, doubtful of the young builder’s business know-how, but Sharp was persistent. Eventually, Forsyth gave in and provided Sharp with the rest of the money he would need for his project.

Lesson #2: Success Comes From Pursuing A Single-Purpose Goal
Sharp says he is often asked what his overall vision for the Four Seasons was when he first began pondering the idea in the late 1950s. “What was my grand dream?” he asks. “Well I can say with a great deal of certainty and truth that there was no vision, there was no grand dream. The fact is I was just trying to do one small hotel deal. One deal – not a company.”

Lesson #5: Find Your Comparative Advantage and Step Beyond the Standard
It is one of the Four Seasons’ greatest ironies that despite its tremendous success as one of the world’s premier luxury hospitality companies, it actually owns very few hotels. One of the most important decisions Sharp made early on in the life of the Four Seasons was that he wanted to create a unique business model; he wanted his company to be principally occupied with management, instead of ownership of its hotels.

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