Categories: Founder Stories

Most Inspiring Life Story Of Colonel Sanders Before His Success

Who is Colonel Sanders?

Colonel Sanders was born in 1890 in Henryville, Indiana. He lost his father when he was six. He had to take care of his siblings, and in seventh grade, he went to work as a farmhand.

The inspiring life story of Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders, the mega-brand icon and logo, had under his belt multiple occupations. He joined at 16 years the US army enlisting claiming a low age. He had to leave dishonorably after a year, and he took to working by the railway as a laborer. After a dispute, he did not continue there. He studied law while working for the railroad and got into another fight, losing his legal career.

Sanders joined as an insurance salesman, but not for long due to a lack of obedience. His financial struggles were going on, but he was not ready to give up. In 1920, he started with a ferry boat company and began a light manufacturing company. He could not break through.

By the time he was 40, he had played several roles, from insurance salesman, farmhand, and filling station operator to steam engine stoker. He bought a motel with a restaurant that was burned down. He began a motel until WWII and had to close it.

Beginning of his restaurant recipe in KFC

Sanders’s adversity led him to franchise his restaurant. However, his recipe went through rejection 1009 times. Finally, his ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken’ secret recipe was a hit. He finally went about expanding the franchisees of KFC and started hiring across the country.

Sanders was so into business innovation that he made it big even after several years of calamities and failures. He sold the KFC Sandals for $2 million after expanding overseas. Even now, KFC branding is prominent in his image, and it appears in the emblem. He is prominent for his western string tie, white suit, and beard on the emblem.

It is an inspiring story, creating history and giving it an overwhelming feel. Colonel Sanders was the same person facing discouragement or rejection after losses. He had to leave many jobs, lost his career, and faced the Great Depression, WWII, and fires. Sanders was not easy to defeat by anyone or anything, as he built the fast-food world’s largest business. There is a lot to learn from his strong nature.

There’s no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can’t do any business from there.

David Sanders, Philanthropy

The foundation of Sanders donated to children’s hospitals in Canada. Honoring their substantial donation, the Mississauga Hospital for Children and Women bears the name ‘Colonel Harland Sanders Family Care Centre.’

David Sanders: A true inspiration

Facing multiple setbacks, an entrepreneur, Colonel Sanders, took on various occupations and learned from his mistakes to sustain a livelihood. Eventually, his food chain, KFC, became a part of the food chain. His aim was customer satisfaction, and now, even after three decades of him passing away, he has a place in magazines and posters. He is an entrepreneur, the best, who thrives on his product’s perfection.

At age 90, Sanders passed away due to pneumonia. By that time, in 48 countries, there were 6,000 KFC locations, and by 2013, in 118 countries, there were 18,000 KFC locations.

Wrapping Up

Sanders remains the KFC face even after selling his business. He promoted KFC all over the world. His actions demonstrate his persistence, adversity, and determination to encourage customers to do the same. He went to taste the gravy at the KFC restaurants. He was a perfectionist and never compromised on quality.

Sameer
Sameer is a writer, entrepreneur and investor. He is passionate about inspiring entrepreneurs and women in business, telling great startup stories, providing readers with actionable insights on startup fundraising, startup marketing and startup non-obviousnesses and generally ranting on things that he thinks should be ranting about all while hoping to impress upon them to bet on themselves (as entrepreneurs) and bet on others (as investors or potential board members or executives or managers) who are really betting on themselves but need the motivation of someone else’s endorsement to get there.

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