Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today, died this past week at the age of 89. When he published the first issue of USA Today on September 15, 1982 he received a lot of criticism from the media industry–they referred to the venture as “Neuharth’s Folly.” After all, everyone knew there was no market for a new daily national newspaper.

Today, “Neuharth’s Folly” is the second largest selling newspaper in the United States–outsold only by The Wall Street Journal. According to USA Today columnist Rem Rieder, Al Neuharth’s career offers two important success lessons for us: “Lesson One: Innovate. Think big and think bold. Lesson Two: Stay the course. Don’t worry about the slings and arrows from critics steeped in the conventional wisdom.

Realize that a new venture, particularly a non-traditional one, does not guarantee overnight success. If you’re confident that you’re on the right track… keep going.” This is what taking the road less traveled is all about and why taking it can be so rewarding. If you would like to read a very interesting article about the impactful life of Al Neuharth, here’s the link:  usatoday.com .