When you look at some of the biggest companies around the world, you may be surprised to know that they were originally garage start ups. Many of us forget that companies like Amazon and Google are companies that started in a garage.
If you feel like you’re struggling to reach your business goals, just keep in mind that some of the biggest companies that started in a garage have gone on to pave the way for some of the greatest examples of human innovation.
When enough drive, passion and motivation is paired with a great business idea, your business dreams can become a reality too. Once your business has grown enough to move into your own office, make sure a new fitout is also on the cards to continue spurring your motivation and success forward.
If you’re in need of a motivational boost for your business goals, take some inspiration from these well-known companies who all started from humble beginnings.
Apple
One of the biggest and well-known brands around today with products that have changed the world. Despite its size and immense influence today, in 1976 Apple’s first computers were built in a small garage in Cupertion, California – the garage of Steve Jobs’ adoptive parents to be exact.
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and their small team hand-built 50 computers in 30 days and the first sale was made to a local retailer for $500 apiece. A few decades later, Apple is now one of the biggest technology companies in the world.
The world’s biggest search engine and world famous brand. Google may seem to dominate the internet today, but back in 1998 when the value and potential of the internet was just being realised, Larry Page and Sergey Brin thought up the idea for an online search engine called Google.
To turn this dream into a reality, they rented the garage at Susan Wojcicki’s house in California to help pay her mortgage. They spent five months creating the search engine and once it was up and running, within that year, they had already outgrown the garage and moved into an office.
Amazon
Amazon is the biggest online store in the world, so it’s easy to forget that this goliath only started as an online bookstore in 1994.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw an untapped market for selling books online and he wanted to pursue it, so he gave up his high-flying career as vice president of a successful Wall Street investment firm and started this website from his garage in Washington.
Because he operated as a garage start ups, his very first client meetings and first contracts were negotiated and signed at the nearby Barnes & Noble.
Mattel
The origin story of Mattel, one of the largest toy companies in the world, is truly inspiring. Company founders Harold “Matt” Matson, his wife Ruth Matson and Elliot Handler were originally making picture frames from their garage in Southern California, but they were very quickly going broke.
In 1945 they began to make dollhouses out of picture frame scraps, and eventually, the dollhouses were outselling the picture frames. It didn’t take long before their focus solely switched to manufacturing toys.
Mattel soon soared to new heights when Ruth invented the Barbie doll in 1959, and now Mattel is one of the most popular and well-known toy brands in the world.
Disney
Before the iconic Disney animated movies hit our screens, Walt Disney struggled to make his name in animations. The very first Disney studio was set up in the Los Angeles garage of Walt Disney’s uncle, where the very first Disney animated films were made way back in 1923. The short films created in this garage soon became inspiration for the original Alice in Wonderland animated movie.
The road towards success was a bumpy one for Walt Disney, but with passion and persistence he pushed through, and today Disney has become the highest-grossing media conglomerate in the world.
Expand Your Success with a Stellar Fitout
If you have a start-up business and feel like it’s struggling to grow, take some solace knowing that some of the biggest brands in the world started from humble beginnings.
When big ideas turn into reality, the best way to show off that success and growth is to invest in an office fitout. Not only will it show how far you have come, but having a brand new space that reflects the strengths and values of your business can also help to motivate you and your staff to keep improving and growing your business.
If you’re ready to graduate from garage start ups to your own corporate office space, get in touch with future fitouts for your new commercial fitout! Call today on 1300 368 461 or request a proposal! Future Fitouts – transforming your commercial space.
Updated: 21/04/2021