If you think you need a corporate office to get your business began, think again. Discover how these multi billion dollar firms grew out of the garage. However tremendous they may appear now, at one time, some of the largest and most victorious companies around started in someone’s garage. Sometimes the garage was at the childhood home of the company’s founders. Other times, the entrepreneurs needed to employ a garage simply to get slightly privacy for their strategies to develop. The humble beginnings of the following multi billion dollar companies prove that great ideas are still first class ideas, no matter where they are started and developed.
It’s one of the most valuable brands in these days, so it can be most commonly surprising when persons learn that Apple’s first computers were built in a small garage in Cupertino, California. In 1976, Steve Wozniak created the first Apple computer. He then joined forces with the late Steve Jobs and another partner, Ronald Wayne, to launch Apple Computer Co. from Jobs’ adopted parents’ garage. One of their first big orders was from a local retailer who ordered 50 computers at $500 apiece, which they were able to produce in just 30 days. Today, the Silicon Valley home where Jobs grew up is listed as one of the city’s historic properties.
Address: 2066 Crist Drive, Los Altos, California
In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded in a garage future corporation Microsoft. It was here that they have licensed its first operating system to IBM for $80 000. Later they came up with Windows, which still dominates the personal computer market.
Four years after being named the youngest vice president of a successful Wall Street investment firm, Jeff Bezos quit his job and moved to Seattle to pursue what he believed to be untapped online retailing opportunities in the book industry. He set up shop in his garage in Bellevue, Washington, and began developing software. In July 1995, Bezos launched Amazon.com and sold his first book from his garage startup. Two years after that, Bezos issued his IPO. The company is now the world’s largest online retailer.
Address: 10704 NE 28th Street, Bellevue, Washington
In 1901, 21-year-old William S. Harley drew up plans to create a small engine to power a bicycle. Over the next two years, Harley and his childhood friend, Arthur Davidson, built their motor-bicycle out of their friend?s 10 by 15-foot wooden shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They officially founded Harley-Davidson in 1903 and today it?s the most well-known motorcycle brand in the world.
Address: Northern Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In 1969, at 16 years old, Michael Kittredge made his scented candle in his garage out of melted crayons as a gift for his mother. The neighbors took notice and expressed interest in buying Kittredge?s candles, so he started mass-producing them. Four years later, Kittredge outgrew the garage so he moved the Yankee Candle Company to an old mill in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Today it?s the largest manufacturer of scented candles in the US.
Address: South Hadley, Massachusetts.
In 1974, the first public performance of the rock band «The Ramones». Earlier, two of its members, John Cummings and Tommy Ramone rehearsed as part of a school group in the garage.
Harold ?Matt? Matson and Elliot Handler founded Mattel out of a garage in Southern California as picture frame company in 1945. To get the most out of their materials, they started using picture frame scrapes to create dollhouses. Soon their dollhouses were selling better than their picture frames so they turned their emphasis to toys. Today Mattel, Inc. is the highest-grossing toy company in the world.
Address: Southern California
In its early years, the American alt-rock band playing in a garage rented in Amherst, Los Angeles.
About 45 minutes down the road from Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA, there?s a house in Los Angeles where The Walt Disney Company got its start. In 1923, the house belonged to Walt Disney?s uncle, Robert Disney. Walt and his brother Roy moved in with their uncle and set up ?The First Disney Studio? in the one-car garage out back. There they started filming the Alice Comedies which was part of the original Alice?s Wonderland. Today, Disney is the highest-grossing media conglomerate in the world.
Address: 4651 Kingswell Ave, Los Angeles, California
As Stanford Graduate students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin started what?s now known as Google from Susan Wojcicki?s garage in September 1998. Soon the project was interfering with their schoolwork, so they tried to sell it to Excite for $1 million. Excite rejected the offer and now Google is the most trafficked site in the world.
Address: 232 Santa Margarita Ave, Menlo Park, California
In 1939, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in Packard?s garage with an initial investment of $538. Their first product was an audio oscillator and one of their first customers was Walt Disney, who purchased eight oscillators to develop the sound system for the movie Fantasia. The HP Garage in Palo Alto is known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley and HP is now one of the largest companies in the world.
Address: 367 Addison Ave, Palo Alto, California
In 1948, at the age of 20, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman started Lotus Cars by building the first Lotus racing car in stables behind The Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. Chapman used a 1930s Austin Seven and a power drill to build the Lotus Mark I. Today Lotus Cars is one of the premier racing car manufacturers in the world.
Address: 472 Hornsey Rd, London N19 4EF, United Kingdom
Nike (from 1964 to 1978 – Blue Ribbon Sport) was founded by student-runner and his coach. Their business idea was simple and straightforward. They purchased 300 pairs of sneakers from Asian manufacturers and sold them under its own brand. In this initial stage, the company could not afford to even rent a garage.
In 1953, at age 14, Yvon Chouinard became interested in mountaineering. At age 18 he bought the necessary equipment, which set in the garage of his parents. The company began to produce and sell special hooks for $1,50 each. By 2012, Patagonia Clothing had a turnover of $500 million, becoming one of the most recognized names in the production of clothing for outdoor activities.
Before the formation of The Beatles, John Lennon was a member of a group called The Quarrymen, along with several friends at school. When the parents of one member of the group could not longer endure their noise, future superstar were forced to postpone rehearsals in an old bomb shelter in the backyard.
