All Businesses Start as Small Businesses

After 101 years, General Motors is ending its journey of being the largest automaker in the world. When we look at a company like General Motors, we think about how big it is.  We forget that it once started out small. All businesses start with one location, one small group of employees (or even NO employees) and they grow.  Here are some examples of large companies and their humble origins

Some well-known examples of companies that started from humble origins.

Wal-Mart. A photo of the first Walton’s 5&10 in Bentonville, Arkansas. This store is actually a converted Ben Franklin that Sam Walton bought the franchise to. Today, Wal-Mart today is the world’s largest public company by revenue and the largest grocery retailer in the U.S. (Image: kb35@flickr)

McDonald’s. The McDonald brothers began their Bar-B-Que restaurant in 1940 in San Bernadino, California.  Ray Kroc buys out the franchise rights in 1954 and the rest is history. This photo is of the first McDonald’s franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois, where McDonald’s corporate headquarters reside. (Image: Newscom)

Microsoft. This Microsoft memorabilia is from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Bill Gates went to start the company after he took a leave of absence from Harvard in 1975 (he never went back).  Gates and his friend Paul Allen started their new company, first called Micro-Soft, by developing software for a computer company in Albuquerque. The company moved to its present location in Bellevue, Washington, in 1979.  (mwichard@flickr)

Hewlett-Packard. In 1938, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their company in this garage in Palo Alto, California with an initial investment of $538.  One of their earliest customers was Disney Studios. (Image: Newscom)

Whether you are starting a new technology firm, buying your first franchise, or creating something new, your small business can become a big business.  All it takes is hard work, time, and a lot of luck.