Young entrepreneurs are bombarded with success stories of how top entrepreneurs got it right. It can be discouraging to the average guy or girl particularly when popular culture keeps punting perfection.
The reality is that many flagship entrepreneurs had dismal fails sometime in their career before hitting it big. Here are some of those less known blunders.
- No room for Honda founder at Toyota
“Sorry, no vacancy” – many know that phrase all too well. However, how many people when rejected by an international company will go ahead and start their own business which will give that very establishment a run for its money?
Soichiro Honda did just that. After unsuccessfully applying for an engineering post at motor manufacturer company Toyota, he founded Honda.
- From automated rice cooker fail to co-founding Sony
No matter where you are in the world, some brands – like Sony – need no introduction. However for Akio Morita, Sony Co-Founder, success was not intuitive. Way before Sony, Morita introduced the world to an automated rice cooker; a dismal fail that barely sold 100 units. Yet, that is not where the story ends. He pressed on, sharpened his mind and didn’t give up.
- From zero to hero with the KFC secret recipe
Sometimes all it takes is the belief in yourself – even when pressed against tough opposition and you are told you will amount to no good.
It is alleged that Harland “Colonel” Sanders (KFC Founder)’s “Secret Recipe” was turned away and/or rejected over a 1 000 times before being added to a restaurant menu.
So don’t allow yourself to be discouraged by a few people who are dampening your dream, just keep going. The best is yet to come if you keep at it.
It does not matter what your great (or ordinary) idea is. You’re bound to succeed if you don’t quit when you fall into potholes and dream crushers. They are part of the journey and need not discourage you. Learn from these stories and don’t be discouraged.
