Starting a business isn’t easy and there are challenges met while trying to make it big. Years of hard work, determination and perseverance play a vital role in making a business successful. There may be some tweaks and turning points along the way, and how a business started off can be totally different from how it is now. Here are some interesting facts about how these giants firms started their journey initially.
Sony
Sony was founded in 1946 and is the largest technology and media conglomerate in Japan today. Would you ever imagine its first product was an electric rice cooker?
Nokia
We all associate Nokia with phones, don’t we? However, surprise, surprise, it started as a paper mill in 1865 and its first product was toilet paper.
Samsung
If the fact about Nokia didn’t startle you enough, here’s Samsung which was founded in 1938, today a multinational manufacturing conglomerate based in Seoul, South Korea started by exporting fruit and fish.
LG
Also another South Korean multinational conglomerate, LG, known for electronics got its start in cosmetics. Perhaps it couldn’t keep up with the never-ending demands of ladies for cosmetics (pun intended, not funny, I know)
Lego
Lego started its business in 1932 and its first product was a toy duck. The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark, manufactures a line of plastic construction toys. It is one of the largest toy companies in the world.
Nintendo
Nintendo, a Japanese multinational video game corporation based in Kyoto, Japan creates video games and game consoles. It was launched in 1889 and focused on playing cards.
Colgate
The American brand Colgate was founded in 1806 and this oral-hygiene-products manufacturer sold soap and candles.
IKEA
IKEA is a Swedish-founded, Dutch-based multinational conglomerate that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances and home decor. Guess what is one of its earliest products? It’s a PEN.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. an American luxury jewellery and speciality retailer, headquartered in Fifth Avenue, New York City sold stationery. I’m sure people would still love them even if they sell stationery.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Now let’s talk about the automobile industry. Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan was an innovator in the loom business before it ventured into automobiles.
Lamborghini
The beaut Lamborghini sold tractors before sports cars. We won’t deprive you of the interesting reason behind shifting to sports cars. Here you go, so Ferrccio Lamboghini once complained about his Ferrari to Enzo Ferrari. Enzo’s reply triggered him- “You may be able to drive a tractor, but you will never be able to handle a Ferrari properly.”
(Information & Pic Credit: Jon Elrichman)