In the 1970s Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen starred in a movie called Papillon. Papillon was a convicted felon who was imprisoned on Devil’s Island, a small island in the Pacific. He was desperate to escape and one day while watching the surf coming in and out, he noticed that every seventh wave was larger than the others. So large in fact that it was strong enough to carry a raft out to sea. Papillon built a raft made of coconuts and he and another convict made their escape.

That Seventh Wave is a way to describe how truly successful entrepreneurs (business people, authors and small publishers) attack a problem. Where others look and look at the waves, seeing only “waves,” Papillon leaders keep an open mind and take a chance when they see an opportunity.

Papillon the convict wanted to escape and kept his mind open to all possibilities. He was able to see that the Seventh Wave could help him and he made his escape. Had he seen only “waves” he would still be on that island.