Norman Goldstein: Empowering Generations through Social Responsibility
Norman Goldstein, CEO and founder of Edunetwork Partners, is not your typical business leader. With a career spanning over five decades, Goldstein has worn many hats: entrepreneur, inventor, mentor, life coach, and mediator. His journey is a testament to the power of nurturing talent, fostering creativity, and using business as a force for good.
The Early Years: A Prodigy in the Making
At the young age of 28, Goldstein became the President of Geoffrey Beene Menswear, making him one of the youngest corporate executives of his time. This early leadership role set the stage for a career defined by innovation and partnership. In 1970, he partnered with Peter Max, now a world-renowned modern artist, managing the early monetization of his artwork and talent. Goldstein’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to the Sharper Image Company, where he established a licensing initiative, developing new products and helping entrepreneurs realize commercialization. His journey then took him to help create Priceline, where he served as Executive Vice President of Walker Digital, leading the team that created this pioneering new form of online travel reservations.
A Philosophy of Purpose and Perseverance
Goldstein’s approach to business and life is deeply rooted in personal development and goal setting. He starts each day by consulting Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, following its 13 great ‘Principles’. (Originally published in 1937 and rereleased in 2015. This disciplined approach to daily planning and reflection helps him stay focused and accountable. “I feel it is important to pay attention to and be responsible for our actions as well as our results,” Goldstein explains.
Beyond Trends: A Mission-Driven Approach
In an era of rapidly changing business landscapes, Goldstein takes a different approach. Rather than chasing the latest trends, he focuses on universal truths and making the world a better place. This philosophy is evident in Edunetwork Partners’ many campaigns, such as the “Social Identity Quest” to prevent sexual exploitation of youth, created in partnership with the Hard Rock Café and EXPACT.
“If our on-line program prevents even one young person from facing this terrible fate, we are a success,” Goldstein states.
Nurturing Innovation and Creativity
Goldstein’s leadership style is characterized by a commitment to nurturing talent and fostering a safe environment for ideation. He believes in the power of supporting others’ ideas and learning from mistakes. This approach has been central to his success throughout his career, from his early days partnering with creatives to his current role at Edunetwork Partners.
A Father-Daughter Collaboration: The Birth of “By Kids, For Kids”
Perhaps the most significant partnership in Goldstein’s career began with his 11-year-old daughter. Observing her struggle with dysgraphia, he supported her invention of a device to help her grip crayons more easily repurposing empty water tubes from cut rose flowers. Not only was his daughter honored as the youngest person to have a patent at age 14, the experience and her new shining self-esteem demonstrated the importance of nurturing creativity, problem-solving and inventive thinking in children. This experience led to the founding of “By Kids, For Kids” in 2003, a company dedicated to empowering and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in young people. Goldstein obtained the inventive thinking curriculum from the US Patent Office which was written originally in the 1980s. He gathered a talented team that rewrote and redesigned this curriculum. His contacts in industry helped to find Xerox to sponsor this kit, produced by Scholastic and sent to thousands of teachers across the country. The kit contained a poster, teacher guide and student workbooks and a sample of the Crayon Holder for inspiration. Through partnerships with companies like Mattel, Best Buy, and Staples, “By Kids, For Kids” provided free curriculum and resources for ideation to thousands of teachers across the country. Many contests and challenges spurred innovation and inventive thinking with celebrations across the country. The company’s most notable achievement was assisting 26 children in obtaining free patents and commercializing their products.
Edunetwork Partners: A Culmination of Experience
Edunetwork Partners represents the culmination of Goldstein’s experiences and learned lessons. The company specializes in creating meaningful social responsibility programs for corporate, non-profit, and business clients. Their work spans a wide range of issues, from forming healthy habits to preventing cyberbullying and promoting emotional wellness. One of their most successful campaigns featured Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, utilizing an animated series to teach financial literacy and entrepreneurship based on the wisdom of the “Oracle of Omaha’s” life’s lessons. This campaign garnered over 2 billion media impressions and resulted in over 1,500,000 downloads of educational materials.
Learning from Challenge: The Pandemic Pivot
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Goldstein to rethink his business model, which had relied heavily on live celebratory events. This period of reflection led to the transformation of “By Kids, For Kids” into Edunetwork Partners and the writing of his book, The Book of Normanisms: Adages and pictorial visions to provide a fresh perspective on daily living. This collection of the many little wisdoms he absorbed during his life helped him to reflect on the importance of making mistakes and learning from these mistakes. “The glass is neither half full nor half empty. It is always overflowing with opportunity. Our job is to look for the possibilities in the overflow,” Goldstein writes in his book.
Balancing Work/Life and Career
Despite his numerous professional commitments, Goldstein prioritizes his family. He is a devoted husband, father to three successful children, and grandfather to seven. He also gives back to his community, actively involved in the community and his temple. Thus, his “titles” include CEO, Founder, Father, Husband, Grandfather, Life Coach & Mediator. He has also been named the “Meditation Guru” for providing the free weekly sessions in his Temple.
Looking to the Future: Empowering African Girls
Goldstein’s latest project aims to empower “10 million Black Girls” in partnership with Junior Achievement Africa. This initiative seeks to provide technology, communication, entrepreneurship curriculum, and advocacy training to the next generation of women leaders in Africa. Currently, girls in Africa are challenged by educational and cultural barriers. However, despite not having the kind of internet resources and technology, the team from JA Africa won the 2024 international JA competition, demonstrating their grit and determination. Goldstein’s role is to find sponsors who want to join this important campaign and employ the entrepreneurial and fiscal wisdom of Warren Buffett for these young women. In his life, he has experienced making the impossible happen. Therefore, putting technology, communication, entrepreneurship curriculum and advocacy training into the hands of the next generation of women leaders in Africa is his next project! “What the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve. Program your ‘human computer’ with positive and constructive thoughts to achieve your very best,” Goldstein advises.
A Legacy of Empowerment
Throughout his career, Goldstein has received numerous accolades, including a Congressional Award for “Pioneering Paradigms Fostering 21st Century Skills of Inventive Thinking in Underserved Communities in America”. He has been featured in the cover story as the “Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs to follow in 2024 “and acknowledged as 1 of the 10 Most Influential Business Leaders to Watch in 2023 The Inc Magazine. These are only a few of the many recognitions of his leadership in social responsibility and status as a Global Goodwill Ambassador. Goldstein also serves as a New York State mediator and lemon law arbitrator. He provides life coaching/mentoring for people in need. His work life, volunteering efforts and many ventures have enabled transformation of many lives. Goldstein measures his success not in awards, but in the lives he has transformed. From child inventors to employees, people he has coached/mentored as well as parishioners in his meditation sessions, Goldstein’s work has enabled many individuals to experience self-esteem and self-confidence. As he continues to innovate, mentor, coach and lead, Norman Goldstein’s legacy of empowerment promises to inspire generations to come.
