The Influence of the First Startups
When most people think about startups, they think of all the technological advances in recent years. Initially, the Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world come to mind. Jobs created Apple from his parent’s garage, and at the age of 27, multibillionaire Zuckerberg founded Facebook. Or you think about the creators of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who left Stanford to start Google. Although they might be the most famed now, they didn’t originate the ‘startup’. In a country where innovation and creating solutions are so intertwined with the “American dream”, startups have existed for quite awhile. Here’s a little history on some of the most influential startups that haven’t received enough recognition lately.
Handcrafted products are of superior quality, but the expensive production costs have always been problematic. With the creation of the assembly line in 1913, Henry Ford introduced a speedy and efficient way to building products. Although the car is a grand innovation, the assembly line is really his greatest accomplishment. Without him, there wouldn’t be mass production. Without him, there would be no self-driving Google cars in our future.
Fifthteen years later, Carrier Engineering provided the general public with air conditioning. The company jumped on the market (and dominated it) during a time when only the wealthy could afford the luxury.
Then, came America’s first grocery store. King Kullen was the first time there was a place where the public could shop for all their needs in one spot. it capitalized on the idea of convenience.
The leader in all of the golden stories from Silicon Valley, the partnership of Bill Hewlett and David Packard paved the way with their launch of HP in 1939. The company was started out of a garage in Palo Alto, and Walt Disney was one of their first customers when they sold precision audio oscillators.
Whether you’re a fan or you’re not, you can only be impressed with Ray Kroc who bought a small burger joint in 1955 and turned it into the billion dollar franchise McDonald’s. Before him, fast food wasn’t a thing on anyone’s radar.
In 1962 Sam Walton took grocers and homegoods to the next level and created one of the biggest corporations, Wal-Mart. Today, it makes $15.9 billion in annual sales.
Without the impact of these entrepreneurs, the technology industry would not be where it is today. All of these startups utilized five core qualities: sound business and revenue models; set prices appropriately; effectively budgeted for the market; and developed clear-cut systems, procedures and policies. These tools are the same that have helped Facebook, Google, and Apple become the successes they are today.
Info courtesy Gigaom and Geek Wire.
