What do you think?
Rate this book
How They Started: Global Brands Edition: How 21 Good Ideas Became Great Global Businesses
Lots of us have ideas we think would make great businesses. Most of us never do anything with those ideas. But for those that do, a world of opportunity awaits them. This book is about 21 people who acted on their idea, made the first steps to start their business and subsequently went on to turn it into a global brand. From Adidas and Apple to Sony and Swatch, we reveal how some of the worlds biggest international businesses got of the ground, and those very first steps taken by their founders. How soon after they started did they venture overseas Following on from the hugely successful How They Started, this next volume How They Global Brands Edition takes the question one step further and asks How do you turn an idea in to a global business
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2008
15 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Read
October 5, 2013ADIDAS= Emphasis on innovation and constant improvement since the start. Pioneers when it came to customizing shoes for needs of different sports. Also pioneers of sports-personality endorsement. Major success story= Brand Adidas used almost universally in the Olympics
Pizza Hut= On opening night, they gave away free pizza to spread WOM.
Strength= strong network of franchisers. Franchisees open store with their own cash (Pizza Hut provides ingredients, equipment, training & brand), so rapid expansion possible. Rapid influx of franchisers at inception due to the craze to have the "American dream".
Rival product= McPizza. Always retained market share, due to cust interests in healthy eating.
Lonely Planet= Original idea was to target student backpackers.
Once published 40k copies of wrongly titled book covers. Management inserted humorous comic-strip bookmarks highlighting the situation, making it something of a collector's item
Pizza Hut= On opening night, they gave away free pizza to spread WOM.
Strength= strong network of franchisers. Franchisees open store with their own cash (Pizza Hut provides ingredients, equipment, training & brand), so rapid expansion possible. Rapid influx of franchisers at inception due to the craze to have the "American dream".
Rival product= McPizza. Always retained market share, due to cust interests in healthy eating.
Lonely Planet= Original idea was to target student backpackers.
Once published 40k copies of wrongly titled book covers. Management inserted humorous comic-strip bookmarks highlighting the situation, making it something of a collector's item
October 5, 2022
How They Started delivers on its promise to let readers know how ideas became great businesses. I picked this book up on a whim, having no idea how it was gonna turn out or if what was stated in it would still be relevant, considering that the book was published in 2008.
However, from the beginning of the book, the tone is historical, recounting the beginning stages of each company. It goes as far back as what led to the idea and how the execution of each idea began.
Unlike a lot of business books that focus on the abstract aspects of business, this one takes the human interest angle. Facts and figures are included, yes, but it goes beyond that, right to the soul of the owner and what drove them to build.
Readers will discover that the creators of Pizza Hut just wanted to raise money for school and didn’t have any competitors vying for a monopoly in the pizza business. You will also realise that Adi Dassler was born a shoemaker, literally growing up in a household of shoemakers, like Miguel in Coco. But, unlike Miguel, Adi Dassler found his way back to the family by establishing Adidas and making it the world-renowned footwear it is.
A resounding theme in the book, which reads like a book of short stories, is the fact that each business founder had a driving passion that helped them create lasting solutions for people (their consumers/customers) through their brand. I also liked the fact that it emphasised the business side of things, the hard, unforgiving parts like business acquisitions, takeovers, and loss of revenues. Because a lot of the time, when passion is spoken about in business, the harsh realities are often glossed over.
I also found the story about the Adidas handover very interesting because it was like how the House of Gucci biopic portrayed the ownership of the fashion house leaving the Gucci family. There’s something to be said about how to run a business with your staff and family interests in mind. How They Started shows that every facet is vital to the life or death of a business.
Each business short story is about five pages long, with a page dedicated to informing the readers about the names of the founders, their age at the start of business, their career background, the countries they were operating in as of 2008, and their net profit (2008).
Although it’s fourteen years old and some of the business practices it alluded to are now redundant, a lot of the business creation and development stories still hold sway for people who would like to get some tips about how to start and grow a business. I also recommend this book to you if you’ll like to read about companies like Apple, Google, Sony, Adidas, KFC, IKEA, and more.
***
Originally published on https://www.folioreview.wordpress.com
However, from the beginning of the book, the tone is historical, recounting the beginning stages of each company. It goes as far back as what led to the idea and how the execution of each idea began.
Unlike a lot of business books that focus on the abstract aspects of business, this one takes the human interest angle. Facts and figures are included, yes, but it goes beyond that, right to the soul of the owner and what drove them to build.
Readers will discover that the creators of Pizza Hut just wanted to raise money for school and didn’t have any competitors vying for a monopoly in the pizza business. You will also realise that Adi Dassler was born a shoemaker, literally growing up in a household of shoemakers, like Miguel in Coco. But, unlike Miguel, Adi Dassler found his way back to the family by establishing Adidas and making it the world-renowned footwear it is.
A resounding theme in the book, which reads like a book of short stories, is the fact that each business founder had a driving passion that helped them create lasting solutions for people (their consumers/customers) through their brand. I also liked the fact that it emphasised the business side of things, the hard, unforgiving parts like business acquisitions, takeovers, and loss of revenues. Because a lot of the time, when passion is spoken about in business, the harsh realities are often glossed over.
I also found the story about the Adidas handover very interesting because it was like how the House of Gucci biopic portrayed the ownership of the fashion house leaving the Gucci family. There’s something to be said about how to run a business with your staff and family interests in mind. How They Started shows that every facet is vital to the life or death of a business.
Each business short story is about five pages long, with a page dedicated to informing the readers about the names of the founders, their age at the start of business, their career background, the countries they were operating in as of 2008, and their net profit (2008).
Although it’s fourteen years old and some of the business practices it alluded to are now redundant, a lot of the business creation and development stories still hold sway for people who would like to get some tips about how to start and grow a business. I also recommend this book to you if you’ll like to read about companies like Apple, Google, Sony, Adidas, KFC, IKEA, and more.
***
Originally published on https://www.folioreview.wordpress.com
October 29, 2017
Interesting but a bit light on detail.
May 5, 2019
Interesting book! The innovation, perseverance and success stories of businesses listed in this book are really inspiring.
February 10, 2021
Cuốn sách khá hữu ích cho người cho người cần cái nhìn khái quát về các câu chuyện khởi nghiệp.
January 29, 2016
كتاب شيق للذين يريدون ان ينطلقوا بأعمالهم يعطي حافز و قوة دفع قوية لكل من يريد ان يصبح شيء مهم في المستقبل
لكن الكتاب يحوي على كم كبير من الارقام و سرد طويل، و في بعض الأحيان يصاب القارئ بالملل لهذا يستحق ٣ نجوم.
و أليكم بعض الإقتباسات من بعض الشركات
اديداس
يعتبر طاقم اديداس ثاني اضخم شركة انتاج السلع الرياضية في العالم بعد نايك ، ولكنها تعتبر الماركة الرائدة في اوروبا والاولى في العالم فيما يتعلق بالالبسة الرياضية .
كوكاكولا
يشتق الاسم من مكونين رئيسيين استخرجا من اوراق نبتة الكوكا ( الكوكايين ) ومن جوزة الكولة الغنية بالكافايين.
فمن خلال برنامج تسويق اراد منه احداث تاثير على الاطفال الصغار في كل مكان، قام سنتا كلوز الشهير الخاص بكوكاكولا خلال عيد الميلاد في العام ١٩٣١ بالظهور للمرة الاولى ليطيح بسنتا كلوز الاخضر القديم والذي كان لايقهر من قبل.
گرين اند بلاك ( شوكولا )
مثلت گرين موقفهم وبلاك اللون الغامق، تقريباً السواد الموجود في ٧٠٪ من الكاكاو الصلب الموجود في لوح الشوكولا التاريخي الاول.
كنتاكي
قال هارلند في سيرته الذاتية الحياة كما عرفتها كانت تستحق لعق الاصابع " لا ساعات عمل، ولا كمية عمل، ولا مبلغ من المال يردعني عن تقديم افضل ماعندي ".
بيتزا هات
اقترحت زوجة دان الاسم بما أن المبنى يشبه الهات اي الكوخ و بالتالي كان الاسم قد اكتمل.
لونلي بلانت ( شركة منشورات للسفر )
يقول توني صاحب الشركة : ( حتى الان، وبعد مرور حوالي ٣٠ سنة، استطيع ان اعد الايام كل يوم بيومه ذاكراً كل ماقمنا به في الاشهر الستة الاخيرة من العام ١٩٧٢ ) كم مرة في الحياة نحظى بيوم مبهج بهذه الحيوية ؟
إيباي
يقول بيار اوميديار مؤسس إيباي: "لدي شغف بأن أقوم بحل مشكلة أعتقد بإمكانية حلها بطريقة جديدة".
* و اليوم أكثر من سبعة ملايين غرض جديد يعرضون على إيباي كل يوم وأكثر من 112 مليون غرض متوفرين في أي وقت كان.
غوغل
المؤسسان: سيرجي برين و لاري بيج
كان والد لاري أحد الحائزين على شهادة في علوم الكومبيوتر من جامعة ميشيغين. وكانت والدته مستشارة لقاعدة البيانات مع شهادة ماجستير في علوم الكومبيوتر.
و كانت والدة سيرجي عالمة في ناسا ووالده مدرساً للرياضيات في جامعة ماريلاند.
لكن الكتاب يحوي على كم كبير من الارقام و سرد طويل، و في بعض الأحيان يصاب القارئ بالملل لهذا يستحق ٣ نجوم.
و أليكم بعض الإقتباسات من بعض الشركات
اديداس
يعتبر طاقم اديداس ثاني اضخم شركة انتاج السلع الرياضية في العالم بعد نايك ، ولكنها تعتبر الماركة الرائدة في اوروبا والاولى في العالم فيما يتعلق بالالبسة الرياضية .
كوكاكولا
يشتق الاسم من مكونين رئيسيين استخرجا من اوراق نبتة الكوكا ( الكوكايين ) ومن جوزة الكولة الغنية بالكافايين.
فمن خلال برنامج تسويق اراد منه احداث تاثير على الاطفال الصغار في كل مكان، قام سنتا كلوز الشهير الخاص بكوكاكولا خلال عيد الميلاد في العام ١٩٣١ بالظهور للمرة الاولى ليطيح بسنتا كلوز الاخضر القديم والذي كان لايقهر من قبل.
گرين اند بلاك ( شوكولا )
مثلت گرين موقفهم وبلاك اللون الغامق، تقريباً السواد الموجود في ٧٠٪ من الكاكاو الصلب الموجود في لوح الشوكولا التاريخي الاول.
كنتاكي
قال هارلند في سيرته الذاتية الحياة كما عرفتها كانت تستحق لعق الاصابع " لا ساعات عمل، ولا كمية عمل، ولا مبلغ من المال يردعني عن تقديم افضل ماعندي ".
بيتزا هات
اقترحت زوجة دان الاسم بما أن المبنى يشبه الهات اي الكوخ و بالتالي كان الاسم قد اكتمل.
لونلي بلانت ( شركة منشورات للسفر )
يقول توني صاحب الشركة : ( حتى الان، وبعد مرور حوالي ٣٠ سنة، استطيع ان اعد الايام كل يوم بيومه ذاكراً كل ماقمنا به في الاشهر الستة الاخيرة من العام ١٩٧٢ ) كم مرة في الحياة نحظى بيوم مبهج بهذه الحيوية ؟
إيباي
يقول بيار اوميديار مؤسس إيباي: "لدي شغف بأن أقوم بحل مشكلة أعتقد بإمكانية حلها بطريقة جديدة".
* و اليوم أكثر من سبعة ملايين غرض جديد يعرضون على إيباي كل يوم وأكثر من 112 مليون غرض متوفرين في أي وقت كان.
غوغل
المؤسسان: سيرجي برين و لاري بيج
كان والد لاري أحد الحائزين على شهادة في علوم الكومبيوتر من جامعة ميشيغين. وكانت والدته مستشارة لقاعدة البيانات مع شهادة ماجستير في علوم الكومبيوتر.
و كانت والدة سيرجي عالمة في ناسا ووالده مدرساً للرياضيات في جامعة ماريلاند.
February 2, 2013
At the end you relies every good restaurant you love is owned by Pepsi . And no matter how far your dream is at the end another big company will buy it from you and make it about money .
But it’s lovely to know how all these big company started with just a small idea and humble steps .
But it’s lovely to know how all these big company started with just a small idea and humble steps .
December 19, 2015
When you have a book written by a number of contributing authors, proofreading becomes essential. Consistency in standard of writing is also lacking. The chapter on Hilton Hotels, in particular, reads like an extended press release.
August 11, 2014
A book of interesting little businesses and the way they started out and grown into global brands. It is interesting that some of the brands have already evolved into something else.
January 20, 2018
An essential read for every aspiring entrepreneur
August 24, 2015
Great book!!
November 7, 2015
no depth in their analysis, just superficial... wikipedia offers more valuable information.
Nice idea to collect those, but the analysis sucks...
Nice idea to collect those, but the analysis sucks...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews