Barriers

Mental barriers are the hardest to break when trying to do any new or innovative thing. Some examples of people accomplishing ambitious things regardless of their existing barriers.

Disney. Walt Disney (22) arrived in California in the summer of 1923 with a lot of hopes but little else. He had made a cartoon in Kansas City about a little girl in a cartoon world, called Alice’s Wonderland, and he decided that he could use it as his “pilot” film to sell a series of these “Alice Comedies” to a distributor. Soon after arriving in California, he was successful. A distributor in New York, M. J. Winkler, contracted to distribute the Alice Comedies on October 16, 1923, and this date became the start of the Disney company. Source: Walt Disney Archives

UPS. In 1907, two teenage entrepreneurs created what would become the world's largest package delivery service. Starting in a Seattle basement with a $100 loan, Claude Ryan (19) and Jim Casey (19) opened the American Messenger Company. Source: UPS

KFC. It wasn't until age 40 that Colonel Harland Sanders began selling chicken dishes in a service station. As he began to advertise his food, an argument with a competitor resulted in a deadly shootout. Four years later, he bought a motel which burned to the ground along with his restaurant. Yet this determined man rebuilt and ran a new motel until World War II forced him to close it down. Following the war, he tried to franchise his restaurant. His recipe was rejected 1,009 times before anyone accepted it. Sander's "secret recipe" was coined "Kentucky Fried Chicken", and quickly became a hit. However, the booming restaurant was crippled when an interstate opened nearby so Sanders sold it and pursued his dream of spreading KFC franchises & hiring KFC workers all across the country. After years of failures and misfortunes, Sanders finally hit it big. KFC expanded internationally and he sold the company for two million dollars ($15.3 million today). Source: Snaga

IKEA. At 14, Ivan moved to attend boarding school nearby. Ever the entrepreneur, he kept a stock of pens, watches, wallets and belts under his bed. (His classmates needed these!) Too young to set up the firm he wanted, his father gave legal consent and paid the registration fee as a graduation present in 1943. So, the IKEA name was born using Ingvar Kamprad’s initials plus Elmtaryd, the family farm, and Agunnaryd, the farm’s parish in Småland. But the 17-year-old IKEA founder didn’t sell furniture – yet. Ingvar continued his business and his studies at college. His future took shape as he realised success depended on the simplest, most cost-efficient distribution from factory to customer. Source: IKEA

Walmart. In 1950, the Waltons left Newport for Bentonville, where Sam opened Walton’s 5&10 on the downtown square. They chose Bentonville because Helen wanted small-town living, and Sam could take advantage of the different hunting seasons that living at the corner of four states had to offer. Inspired by the early success of his dime store, and driven to bring even greater opportunity and value to his customers, Sam opened the first Walmart in 1962 at the age of 44 in Rogers, Arkansas. Source: Walmart

Reliance. Dhirubhai Ambani (25) returns to India in 1957 after a stint with A. Besse & Co., Aden, Yemen. He starts a yarn trading business from a small 500 sq. ft. office in Masjid Bunder, Mumbai, but dreams of establishing India’s largest company. Source: Reliance

Samsung. With only 30,000 won (about US$27), Lee Byung-chul (28) started Samsung as a trading company based in a city called Taegu in 1938. Source: Lifewire

BYD. Wang was born in Wuwei County, Anhui province to a family of poor farmers. While in high school he was cared for by his elder brother and sister because both of his parents had died. After high school he studied chemistry at the Central South University, and went on to earn a master's degree in 1990 from the Beijing Non-Ferrous Research Institute. He spent several years as a government researcher, but in 1995 he entered the private sector and founded his own company, BYD Company, outside of Shenzhen. Founded with his cousin Lu Xiangyang when he was 29 years old, BYD Company is currently the world's biggest mobile phone batteries manufacturer. Source: Wikipedia

Starting a company is kind of like embarking on an adventure. There's no surefire roadmap, but that's what makes it exciting! Often, it all kicks off with that lightbulb moment - maybe you spot something in the world that needs fixing, and you think, "Hey, I could do that!"

People dive into entrepreneurship for all sorts of reasons, and that's fantastic. But here's the thing: the folks who really hit it big? They're usually the ones who fall head over heels for a problem they want to solve. They eat, sleep, and breathe their mission, and they've usually got at least a rough game plan in mind.

The cool part is, these days, getting a company off the ground is easier than ever in many places. That's amazing news for aspiring entrepreneurs! But don't be fooled - building a company is still a wild ride that'll push you to your limits. Sure, some people jump in thinking it's a quick path to riches, but they often tap out when they realize just how challenging it can be. Even with a solid plan, it's tougher than it looks!

So here's my advice: zero in on that problem you're passionate about solving. Figure out what makes your approach special. What's your secret sauce that sets you apart from the crowd? If you can nail that down and stay fired up about your purpose, you'll be in great shape to weather the storms and come out on top. Remember, it's your unique vision and determination that'll carry you through. So dream big, plan smart, and go make your mark!