10 Startup Tips
Chapter 1: Oaks Grow From Oak Nuts…
A few years ago, Marcus Samuel
– a young businessman,
set up a small factory in East London.
He embellished seashells with ridges,
part decoration,
part collector.
He began to focus on specializing in this market.
After a while,
when he became a business in this commodity,
he realized that he could make more money
if he imported shells from the Far East
and sold them to other shops.
The Marcus Samuel Shipping
and Trading Company was born.
On a business trip to the Far East,
his son realized that they could buy oil here
and built a specialized oil tanker.
It was 1890.
Then the company changed its name to Shell Transport and Trading Company,
focusing on shipping seashells.
When demand for oil surged and replaced seashells,
the company became Shell Oil Company.
Today, Shell is the world’s largest oil retailer.
What is the lesson from this story?
Every business begins like acorns.
Therefore, when you first enter the business,
it is easy to get discouraged
before big businesses like the big oak trees around.
You should not panic.
Look at the names of today’s household goods companies:
Marks & Spencer, Monsoon, Microsoft, JP Morgan.
They started from the stalls in the market,
the bedroom,
the trailer or the back of the truck.
But Shell’s story surprised me.
Why don’t more market stalls become multinationals?
Is there something special about Marcus Samuel
that makes him different from the world?
That is the purpose of this book.
Hope the tips and advice of the insiders will be useful to many people.
But the most important thing is you
– instill the beliefs and actions that keep you thinking
and acting like an entrepreneur.
