Collection Of Old Business Photos

The major corporations that we know of today all had their humble start as a startup and small business sometime back.

Where Wal-Mart Started

First Wal-Mart

Sam Walton, a former J.C. Penney Employee In 1945, purchased a branch of the Ben Franklin Stores to offer products at lower prices to get higher volume sales. Initially he experienced setbacks, because the overheads were too high; but he was able to find lower-cost suppliers than those used by other stores and the rest is history.

Where McDonalds Started

First McDonalds

Once upon a time, the global behemoth was a tiny barbecue joint in San Bernardino, California operated by two brothers. The brothers discovered that most of their profits came from hamburgers. In 1948, they closed their restaurant for three months, reopening it in December as a walk-up hamburger stand that sold hamburgers, potato chips, and orange juice. Today the company sells 75 hamburgers per second in 31,000 locations across 118 countries.

Where Reliance Started

Dhirubhai Ambani started his textile business in a congested place in the by-lanes of south Mumbai at Kalbadevi, Mumbai. It is this place where Dhirubhai Ambani started his textile business from and rose to become India’s richest business man. Today Reliance is a global conglomerate with a market capitalisation of ₹890 billion (US$13 billion) and net assets worth ₹1800 billion (US$27 billion).

Where Ford Started

First Ford Factory

Henry Ford's initial foray into automobile manufacturing was the Detroit Automobile Company, founded in 1899. The company foundered, and in 1901 was reorganized as the Henry Ford Company. In March 1902, after falling out with his financial backers, Ford left the company with the rights to his name and 900 dollars. Today Ford is the fifth largest automobile maker in the world.

Where Apple Started

The Apple Garage

Apple was established in 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit at Los Altos, California in a small garage. In 2014, in addition to being the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, Apple became the first U.S. company to be valued at over US$700 billion.

Where Samsung Started

First Samsung Office

Samsung started out as a small trading company with forty employees located in Su-dong dealing in locally grown groceries and noodles. When the Korean War broke out, the founder was forced to leave Seoul. Later Lee Byung-chull, the founder started a sugar refiner in Busan and began diversifying into many areas. Today Samsung is a global conglomerate with interest in information technology to shipbuilding.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about History of Major Corporations and Their Humble Beginnings.

Walmart started as a small discount store called "Wal-Mart" in 1962, founded by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas. According to the article, Walton previously worked at J.C. Penney and purchased a branch of the Ben Franklin Stores in 1945, initially facing setbacks due to high overheads. However, he found lower-cost suppliers, enabling him to offer lower prices and higher sales volume, laying the foundation for the future success of Walmart.

The article mentions that McDonald's started as a tiny barbecue joint in San Bernardino, California, operated by two brothers. They realized that most of their profits came from hamburgers. In 1948, they closed the restaurant for three months and reopened it as a walk-up hamburger stand, selling only hamburgers, potato chips, and orange juice. This focused concept paved the way for McDonald's to become the global fast-food giant it is today.

According to the article, Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries, started his textile business in a congested area in the by-lanes of south Mumbai, specifically in Kalbadevi, Mumbai. The article states that it was from this humble beginning that Ambani rose to become India's richest businessman, with Reliance now being a global conglomerate with a market capitalization of over US$13 billion.

The article mentions that Henry Ford's initial foray into automobile manufacturing was the Detroit Automobile Company, founded in 1899. However, this company failed, and in 1901, it was reorganized as the Henry Ford Company. After a fallout with his financial backers in 1902, Ford left the company with the rights to his name and $900. This ultimately led to the establishment of the Ford Motor Company, which became the fifth-largest automobile maker in the world.

According to the article, Apple was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit. The company started in a small garage in Los Altos, California. From this humble beginning, Apple grew to become the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization in 2014, reaching a valuation of over US$700 billion.

The article states that Samsung started out as a small trading company with forty employees located in Su-dong, dealing in locally grown groceries and noodles. During the Korean War, the founder was forced to leave Seoul, after which he started a sugar refiner in Busan and began diversifying into many areas. This small trading company eventually grew into the global conglomerate that Samsung is today.

According to the article, after realizing that most of their profits came from hamburgers, the McDonald's brothers closed their restaurant for three months in 1948 and reopened it as a walk-up hamburger stand selling only hamburgers, potato chips, and orange juice. This focused approach and concept paved the way for McDonald's to become the global fast-food giant it is today, with the company now selling 75 hamburgers per second in 31,000 locations across 118 countries.

The article mentions that when Sam Walton purchased a branch of the Ben Franklin Stores in 1945, he initially experienced setbacks because the overheads were too high. However, he was able to find lower-cost suppliers than those used by other stores, enabling him to offer lower prices and higher sales volume, which eventually led to the success of Walmart.

According to the article, Apple was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit from a small garage in Los Altos, California. From this humble beginning, Apple grew to become the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization in 2014, reaching a valuation of over US$700 billion, reflecting the company's remarkable growth and success.

The article states that Henry Ford's initial foray into automobile manufacturing was the Detroit Automobile Company, founded in 1899. Although this company failed, it was later reorganized as the Henry Ford Company in 1901. After leaving this company in 1902, Ford retained the rights to his name and went on to establish the Ford Motor Company, which became the fifth-largest automobile maker in the world.