Most lists of inspiring people contain the billionaires, or world-wide success stories of people who have decoyed 20-30-40 years of service towards their field.  While I also find the work they've done inspiring, I sometimes find it inaccessible.  Richard Branson spends 9-10 months completely immersing himself in a new industry and how the Virgin brand can enter the market.  While I get that is conceptually possible; without a staff of 35 in Virgin HQ, Richard Branson's deep Rolodex, an established brand such as Virgin, the billions in backing and most importantly, the 40-years of hardcore entrepreneurial experience Richard Branson has, I wouldn't know where to start with disrupting an established international industry.

So while I hold a huge candle to all the greats who have achieved so much, I've also constantly striven to find inspiring people who I can emulate now, my role models.

Role models are so important because they help guide you to make good choices, and so having good role models is paramount.  A good role model is someone who has taken the route you're travelling on before, and you admire and like the way they've come out the other side.  Just by talking to them and telling them where you're at, they can offer invaluable insight.  As well as that though, as they (or their projects) are only a few years older than yourself (in terms of experience), it makes it easier to look at what they've achieved and imitate them with your own twist.

Victoria Lennox:  In 2008 founded NACUE, which has 40,000 members in the UK.  Expanding internationally now through ICUE.  VIctoria won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2011.  She exited NACUE after only 1 year, and they now have 15 full-time staff!
Reason:  Victoria has grown an international non-profit with heaps of members, with paid staff and she has successfully exited.

Danny Almagor:  Received a Churchill Fellowship in 2004 and then subsequently founded the Australian Division of Engineers Without Borders, which is very well known and respected amongst engineering circles in Australia.  Successfully exited in 2010 after growing to 14 staff.
Reason:  He founded an engineering-based organisation in Australia, making his journey a lot closer to home for me.

Mai-Li Hammergren:  Founded MuteWatch 3 years ago in 2008 and has since gone on to sell 10,000 MuteWatches around the world.
Reason:  She founded a company that manufactures something in the real world, which required her to design the product, manufacture, mass-manufacture in Taiwan, test, tweak, launch, promote, market and sell.  Inspiring!

Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs (when Steve Jobs was my age):  Founded Apple Computer and sold 200 units through the Byte Shop over 16 months.  The success of the Apple 1 meant that they got $250,000 of funding, and the rest is history!
Reasons:  As a wannabe-tech-entrepreneur, the condensed story of their beginning is a fairytale.

All 4 stories have a different angle for me:
Victoria:  How to grow your non-profit amazingly quickly.
Danny:  How to grow an engineering non-profit in Australia.
Mai-Li:  How to grow an international manufacturing company in today's day and age
The Steves':  What's possible if it all goes well.

I think it's really important to have role models that have achieved what you want to achieve in the next few years because it gives you something to model off and lets you know that what you want to achieve is possible.

I'm very fortunate in that I get to talk to my role models (except for the Steves).  Victoria Lennox is on the Robogals Global Advisory Board, Danny Almagor is just a tram ride away, and Mai-Li and I are both part of the Sandbox Network.

Finally, Vic, Danny and Mai-Li have all achieved their goals with integrity, grace and lots of hard work, all qualities which I admire.