How They Started: How 25 Good Ideas Became Great Companies [Paperback]

David Lester (Author), Carol Tice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2012

How do you turn a good idea into a great business?

Lots of us have ideas we think would make great businesses. Most of us never do anything with those ideas. Maybe it's because we're really happy with our jobs, maybe it's because we're not confident that our idea would really work. Or maybe it's simply because we don't know where to start.

This book is about 30 people like you. They had an idea, and went on to start a business. Those businesses are all extremely successful and most are now household names all across America.

With success stories ranging from retail and gaming to social media and the restaurant business, How They Started relives the humble beginnings of companies such as Coca-Cola and Disney, Google and Twitter, Zynga and Chipotle Grill. Through personal interviews with key sources - including founders, investors and past employees - each profile reveals how the company took its first tentative steps and subsequently became the famous name it is today.

Written by Carol Tice, regular writer for Entrepreneur Magazine, and David Lester, who set up a highly successful software company in Farmington, CT and now runs a company dedicated to supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs, How They Started is an enlightening and fascinating book that answers key questions for each business, such as:

-What happened first?
-How did they choose their name?
-How much did it cost to set up?
-Where did they find suppliers?
-How did they get their first customers?
-What problems did they run into - and how did they overcome them?

Profiles include: Blackberry, Chipotle Grill, Coca-Cola, Disney, Dropbox, eBay, Electronic Arts, Etsy, Gatorade, Google, Groupon, IBM, Jamba Juice, KFC, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Pinkberry, Spanx, Trip Advisor, Twitter, Wholefoods, Zipcar, Zynga.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For anybody like me who is an entrepreneur (or dreams of becoming one), this book is a welcome reality check. Yes, pluck, luck, and being smart enough to know you need some good mentors are vital. And as for the reader in all of us, who likes a good tale, How They Started delivers big time, too! It's the personalities involved, and the values that drive people to be bold and creative that I found most endearing. --Dan Hill, author of Emotionomics

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Crimson Publishing (May 29, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1780590741
• ISBN-13: 978-1780590745
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi there -- thanks for checking out my Amazon author page.

I'm a longtime freelance writer, journalist, blogger, and copywriter. I've been covering business and finance topics for roughly 20 years. And I still love it! My first co-authored print book, How They Started: How 25 Good Ideas Became Great Companies, was published in May 2012.

I am also featured in another edition of the book, How They Started: Digital. My first solo-authored book, The Pocket Guide to Starting Your Business on a Shoestring, is due out in Spring 2013 from Skyhorse/Allworth.

And I'm featured in the Writers Market 2013, now on sale.

Places I've written for include Entrepreneur (where I'm also a regular blogger), Forbes.com, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Seattle Magazine, the Seattle Times, Puget Sound Business Journal, and many more.

Corporate clients have included Costco, American Express, True Blue (Labor Ready), and Milliman.

Online, I've appeared on Copyblogger, Problogger, WritetoDone, DIYThemes, Freelance Switch, and many more.

Besides my own writing, I mentor other writers and teach them how to earn more on my Make a Living Writing blog at http://www.makealivingwriting.com, and in my community, Freelance Writers Den (http://freelancewritersden.com).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great idea for a book -- brilliantly written for maximum retention May 26, 2012

By Micah Solomon

Format:Paperback

So... EITHER the idea of writing a book on how companies got their start OR writing in the brilliantly informative and clear style of the authors would be enough to make me enjoy this great business book.

However, the combination, represented here, is really remarkable.

First the concept: read about how some great companies started from a good idea, the roadblocks they encountered, the good decisions (and sometimes bad) they made. This is a great, straightforward concept. You almost never will end up, as an entrepreneur (of which I am one), entirely imitating the path of another company, no matter how successful. This is because of the different variables, such as product line and timing, that are inherent in every business situation. Nonetheless, having these remarkable examples to a) benchmark and b) inspire you is incredibly useful as a pick-me-up, idea generator, and in many cases actual guidebook.

Now, to the style in which this book is written. Many business authors, ironically, aren't actually particularly good writers. On the other hand, some really are good writers, and yet notheless fail to write in a way that maximizes ease of reading and comprehension. Ms. Tice and Mr. Lester, however, have shaped literally every sentence in a way that goes down easy and actually sticks in memory in a very retrievable way. For a business book, that is my highest compliment.

Micah Solomon
Author of "High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Stories for Would-be Entrepreneurs, Businesspeople June 2, 2012

By dkanenh

Format:Paperback

If you have a stack of untouched "how to" business books gathering dust on your nightstand (like I do), then "How They Started" is the perfect read: it's short, smartly written and won't put you go to sleep.

Focusing on 25 American companies, from famous Internet start-ups like Google, Ebay, and Twitter, to more established names like Coca-Cola, IBM, and Walt Disney Company, the book tells insightful, entertaining stories of how these businesses started and what made them successful. All have one thing in common: they started with a great idea. Some of the founders had financial resources, many didn't; some were college drop-outs or by-passed college altogether. All had chutzpah. For example: Sara Blakely, founder of SPANX, a women's shapewear manufacturer, got her first big order by modeling the undergarments herself for a Neiman-Marcus buyer; Stephen Kaufer started TripAdvisor because he wanted honest advice about where to go on vacation; and Whole Foods founder John Mackey pioneered retail sales of organic food in beef-centric Texas, in the early 1980s.

Each chapter features a different company, with a profile of the founder(s), age(s), education and where they're from. The chapter continues with the story of how the business started, finishing with a summary of where the company is now.

"How They Started" is entertaining and informative -- though I got bogged down by tech-speak in a few chapters. For entrepreneurs seeking additional inspiration as well as readers interested in a behind-the-scenes look at American business, it's a good read, packaged in an entertaining, easy-to-read format.

4.0 out of 5 stars how they started July 29, 2012

By soyulong

Format:Paperback

This is a great little book to get you inspired and motivated, with concise but well documented histories of some major companies and the people behind them. Whether you are interested in business, run your own business, or are just interested in a bit of modern history, this book will give you an insight into the thoughts and actions, and story behind some of the biggest and most influential people of our time, and some other less known, but none the less inspiring accounts of people who have followed their dreams and ambitions, and gone on to become the leaders in their fields.