Happy National Entrepreneur’s Day! We have to hand it to all the brave individuals who have set off on their own path to pursue dreams they truly believe in! It takes courage, confidence and a lot of smarts to get a business off the ground and on the long and winding path toward profitability. We love stories about business startups – the inspiration, the struggle and the eventual triumph. To celebrate a National Entrepreneur’s Day on Nov. 19 here are some great startup stories.
GrubHub
Two software developers, Matt Maloney and Mike Evans, in Chicago got tired of calling around restaurants looking for take-out food, so they developed a one-stop food delivery service. It’s now a multi-million-dollar company and spurred competitors Door Dash and Uber Eats.
Starbucks
Howard Schultz, a young marketing professional for a Seattle bean roaster, took a trip to Milan, Italy. He thought perhaps bringing the idea of an upscale espresso café like they have all over Italy back to the United States.
Trader Joe’s
Joe Coulombe had been managing a chain of convenience stores in southern California when he thought that college grads might enjoy a more upscale stop-and-shop versus the only available 7-11 gas stations. He opened up a tropical-themed store stocked with good beer and wine for cheap, with friendly, well-paid employees. More locations and more inventory came later and that was the birth of Trader Joe’s.
Burt’s Bees
A hitchhiker got a ride from a local with a honey stand. Roxanne Quimby and Burt Shavitz decided there was more profit to be made from bee’s and began using the wax to create candles and then further down the road, beauty products.
KFC
Colonel Sanders just had a dream and a love of fried chicken. He learned to cook by helping raise his siblings – no formal training or experience. He decided to add a restaurant component to the local gas station where he was employed, and the rest is history.
VoiceNation
Yep! We at VoiceNation are proud of our history. Our founders Jay Reeder and Graham Taylor had a dream of PBX and voicemail services that started in a garage and several thousand lines of code. That business grew and eventually entered the live answering industry in 2009. Since the day our operators began picking up calls for businesses, we haven’t closed one single day. We are here to help businesses grow by offering 24/7 live call answering. Want to learn more? Check out our simple pricing, or try our free, seven-day trial. Or give us a call at 877.679.3777.