True story, when my family and I escaped the Soviet Union and came to the United States, one of the first “American foods” we ate was KFC.
Back then it was called Kentucky Fried Chicken… and I’m sure it’s still finger lickin good! LOL
Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC was forced to close down his first business and retire.
Since the business didn’t do so well, he wasn’t sitting on a pile of money when he retired. BIG PROBLEM.
He did have a pension, and that would have been fine, but he only got a measly $105 a month from it. Even back than that was NOT a lot of money.
That’s why Colonel Sanders, at 65-years-old came out of retirement to start Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
It didn’t become the national franchise that you and I know today. At least not overnight.
In fact, for the first few years he drove around in his car selling chicken. Not the most sophisticated business plan, but it worked.
That’s not the only thing he did in that car.
When he wasn’t selling chicken, he was sleeping.
This was his daily grind.
He’d wake up, sell chicken, and then go back to sleep.
Yet, with everything against him, especially his old age, he never gave up.
The dude just kept selling chicken.
Soon he opened up his first KFC restaurant.
Then he franchised it, giving others the opportunity to go into business with him.
And after 12 years of working on his dream and perfecting the secret recipe, KFC is known for…
…Colonel Sanders sold KFC for $2 million.
Now, this may seem like chump change in terms of today’s economy. But $2 million in 1964 is equivalent to $16,876,258.06 today.
That’s stupid rich!
If he was alive today, he’d be one of the wealthiest dudes on the planet, and on the cover of every business magazine.
The moral of the story: Never give up!
But there are more lessons in this story…
- Pay your dues.
- It takes at least a decade to build a big brand.
(Look what I was able to do with Fit Body Boot Camp in a decade)
- It’s never too late. Not even if you’re 65 years old.
Listen, whatever your goals are in business I can tell you this. It’s going to be harder than you think and it’s going to take longer than you think.
That’s the cost we all must pay for success and financial freedom.
Talk soon,
Bedros
PS. We’re opening up new Fit Body Boot Camp territories in 17 areas across the United states. If you’d like to learn more about opening and operating a successful FBBC franchise then click here for more info and apply to see if we have a territory near you.