“I was always interested in discovering how people started their businesses and their business development strategies. I think it’s something that most new entrepreneurs can easily relate to.”
Success. A seven-letter word littered with thousands of clichés.
“It takes grit, determination and steel.” Elon Musk realised that these ingredients weren’t just exclusive to his cars when he bravely invested all of his capital from PayPal into Tesla.
“You have to build one brick at a time.” Will Smith’s father knows the significance of this statement better than anyone. In order to teach his son that no feat is impossible, he forced him to build a garden wall and lay one brick down each day.
These revelations are just a snippet of the fascinating stories seen on HowItStarted.co.uk, a ground-breaking website documenting the humble beginnings of influential public figures. Putting a few clichés into practice, the site’s founder, Samuel Wood, was quick to capitalise on this market niche.
“My business idea emerged after I realised that most media sites only documented entrepreneurs when they made massive wins. However, they rarely focussed on the humble origins of their ventures.”
For any individual seeking to break through a perceived glass-ceiling in their career, How It Started provides factual biographies with the power to reinvigorate a generation. With Forbes estimating that eight out of ten businesses fail in their first year, the realisations of childhood dreams are particularly few and far between in the business world. However, Samuel’s enterprise assembles an informal and inspiring curriculum for those beginning their journey to the top.
“I was always more interested in discovering how people started their businesses and their business development strategies. I think it’s something that most new entrepreneurs can easily relate to.”
Although the success of famous figures has evidently been a strong influence on Samuel, experience is proving to be his greatest teacher as he navigates through the trials of building a new start-up.
“My two biggest obstacles are raising capital and building a team. At the moment, I’m in a tricky situation. I need to spend a lot of time growing How It Started but I also need capital to expand and incentivise people to join the team. Currently, I’m the only person on the project but I’ve found ways to market my company for little or no cost.”
Samuel’s current status as a student only emphasises his drive and determination to succeed, refusing to allow the harsh time constraints of student life to be a hindrance. However, he is well-aware of the need to juggle various aspects of his life.
“My work-life balance often gets blurred and I usually reflect and readjust every couple of weeks. However, whilst I’m at university, I reduce the time I put into How It Started and prioritise my studies first.”
Having made a solid entry into the business world, Samuel’s ambition is unrelenting. Keeping with the theme of his enterprise, he is confident that his current success is only the beginning.
“I want to take this business to the masses. I feel that it has the potential to inspire people by showing them how to turn their ideas to profitable ventures. Secondly, I want to point them in the right direction when it comes to starting their own businesses.”
As the founder of a website centred on potentially life-changing lessons, it is only fitting that Samuel contributed a few words of his own:
“It’s so easy to become a bystander and read every business blog or book you can get your hands on. But the only way to truly learn is to experiment yourself and see what works for you.”
With the dynamics of the global economy continuously shifting, new openings and opportunities are emerging thick and fast. The first steps in business can often be the most challenging but a closed mouth does not get fed. This startup offers a brilliant avenue to absorb the lessons of leading global personalities, but in the words of Samuel, after watching How It Started, GET It Started.