If you’re ever feeling a little disenchanted by the lack of traction you may be getting from your small business, remember that many of the world’s most successful companies came from not much more than a garage and a great idea.
Apple
For a company now regarded as the most valuable brand in the world, ranked 103 on the Fortune 500, it is difficult to believe that it all started in the garage of a college drop-out. It was here that Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak spent years perfecting revolutionary products that would create the foundation for the Apple empire.
Google’s origins are not something we hear about often, so it is curious that it has become the second most valuable brand in the world. Similar to Apple, Google as a company started at home in a garage with founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Microsoft
Microsoft was first launched in 1981 with Windows 1.0, but it wasn’t until 1995 – almost 10 years later that the company really took off. It’s fair to say that this was largely due to the product being ahead of it’s time and issues around accessibility for the average person. Still, the company took strides to really establish itself, that have resulted in a multi-million dollar empire and one of the world’s most valuable brands.
Coca – Cola
The recipe for the Coca-Cola beverage was invented by a pharmacist by the name of John Pemberton. It’s first real success as a brand was in 1928. Robert Woodruff, the president of the company at the time, decided to take the product global with its introduction into the 1928 Olympic Games in where it gained notoriety from its unique taste, well-defined packaging and affordable pricing.
While Mark Zuckerberg’s rise to fame wasn’t exactly a rags to riches kind of story, Facebook’s expansion was astronomical. Within a three year time period it went from a university social network to one of the most widely used social networks in the world. Currently, it is home to over 900 million users worldwide.
Disney
Walt Disney is the iconic creator of many of our most treasured childhood friends. He is the recipient of over 20 academy awards and founder of a multi-billion dollar empire, established more than 90 years ago. It is difficult to believe that he was bankrupt at several points in his career and even fired from a newspaper for lacking in creativity.
McDonald’s
With the opening of the first ever restaurant by two brothers in 1954, hellbent on the idea of giving ‘efficient’ service to customers the McDonald’s company was born. Its new-age ideas of fast and convenient service paved the way for many other fast-food outlets. Today, over 69 million customers are served in a McDonald’s restaurant everyday in over 36 000 store and 119 countries.
