This blog was originally posted to GregoryPalivos.com
While it can be hard to look at multi-million or even billion dollar companies and think about the first steps it took to even starting the company or bringing the idea to fruition, most of these companies come from humble beginnings.
Apple
Everywhere you go you can see an Apple product in use whether it be a phone, computer, or even watch. This household name actually started in the garage of Steve Jobs’ parents’ house where he, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne developed the first Apple computer in 1976. They then sold the first computer to a local store for $500. The founders’ products and company didn’t become famous until they got their big break from their Macintosh product line. Now Apple has expanded its products and reach and is worth $750 billion.
Amazon
Surprisingly, being able to order almost anything you want and having it shipped to your front door wasn’t always the case. Jeff Bezos started Amazon first as an online book store in his garage in 1994 and created a website that could enable him to sell, order, and deliver books with an investment of $40,000. He sold his first book in July and from there created an empire and had Jeff Bezos becoming one of the world’s richest people.
Google
Google, starting as BackRub, began in a garage in 1998 and Larry Page and Sergey Brin continued to work out of their garages for the next 5 years. Originally turned down by Excite, Google clearly found its footing on the web and is know the most used search engine throughout the world with a networth of around $498 billion.
It is important to remember that not all tech startups began with a huge lump sum of money in a shiny office, and that certainly doesn’t define success. Having a product that you believe in as well as a few investors that are prepared to back you up can go a long way. Working in your parent’s garage one year can lead to your company becoming a household name the next. After all, Facebook was started in a college dorm room and Mark Zuckerberg is now worth $74.2 billion.
