In 1964, a young accounting graduate named Phil Knight had a bold idea. He believed that Japanese running shoes could outperform the German brands dominating the market at the time. With just $50 in capital , he started a small business importing athletic shoes from Japan — calling it Blue Ribbon Sports . That tiny … Read more
In 1997, Reed Hastings faced a common problem: he forgot to return a DVD and was hit with a $40 late fee. That small annoyance sparked an idea that would revolutionize entertainment — Netflix . Starting as a DVD-by-mail rental service , Netflix evolved into the world’s leading streaming platform , with over 230 million … Read more
In 1994, Jeff Bezos left his well-paying job on Wall Street after noticing one thing: the internet was growing at a staggering rate — 2,300% per year . With just $300,000 in savings and a bold idea, he moved to Seattle and started selling books out of his garage. That small online bookstore would soon … Read more
In 2000, Sara Blakely had just $5,000 in savings, no business degree, and no fashion background. Yet, she dared to create something that would change women’s undergarment industry forever — Spanx . Today, Spanx is a billion-dollar brand , and Sara is the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire on Forbes ’ list. What makes her … Read more
In 1998, two Stanford University PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin , started something extraordinary — not in a high-tech lab or a fancy office, but in a garage in Menlo Park, California . What began as an academic research project soon turned into one of the most powerful and influential companies in the … Read more