Business
6 Entrepreneurs who started business in the Garage or Basement
They say the world can be your oyster if only you take the plunge. But what does it take to be a successful tech entrepreneur? How can you make it big? Well, the one-liner answer or shall I say the mantra is to start small.
Wait, what? Start small, really? Yes, really! Of Course, the initial funding, contacts, exposure, marketing, etc., matters. But nothing and I mean nothing, matters as much as passion, creativity, commitment, consistency, conviction, and courage.
Don’t believe me? So let me share the story of six tech entrepreneurs. They started their companies in restrained spaces like a garage or basement and managed to take them to unprecedented heights. Their passion gave us some fantastic tech products that we use today and a heady mix of inspiration and motivation. So what if we are starting small, we could also make it big.
- Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne – Apple
- Larry Page and Sergey Brin- Google
- Bill Gates and Paul Allen – Microsoft
- Tim Sweeney – Fortnite/ Epic Games
- Michael Dell – Dell
- Will Hewlett and Dave Packard – Hewlett-Packard
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne – Apple
Then – Steve Jobs parents’ garage
Now – Apple Park, Cupertino
In 1976, three dreamers got together in a garage to build the first Apple product, the Apple I computer, for $500. A local retailer soon gave them their first order of 50 computers. The trio hand-built them in 30 days.
Today, the company operates from a swanky, $5 billion office and sells millions of devices, including Macs, iPhones, iPads and more. And even though founding members are not part of the core team now, Apple’s rise from a garage to a $2 Trillion company could only happen because of these visionaries.
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Larry Page and Sergey Brin- Google
Then – Susan Wojcicki’s garage
Now – Googleplex, Mountain View, California
Oh yes, the most famous search engine and the most trafficked site in the world was birthed in a garage. Two Stanford University graduates, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin dreamt about a website that will maintain and organize all kinds of information.
They rented a friend, Susan Wojcicki’s garage and worked day and night for months on the project. Years later, Google is the biggest internet giant and Page, and Brin leads the company till 2019. Interestingly, the garage owner Wojcicki currently serves as the CEO of YouTube.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen – Microsoft
Then – Small garage in Alburquerque, New Mexico
Now – The Microsoft campus, Redmond, Washington, U.S.
Can you imagine a world where Microsoft Windows did not exist? The two young boys in that garage might have had limited resources at the time, but they had some nifty weapons. Solid knowledge of coding, an idea, and most importantly, the zeal to create something unique.
And though it took them a few years to develop and introduce Windows to the world, the operating system is housed in over 80% of computers worldwide. Microsoft is currently evaluated at around $1 Trillion, and Bill Gates is amongst the top 5 wealthiest people in the world.
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Tim Sweeney – Fortnite/Epic Games
Then – Parent’s place in Potomac, Maryland
Now – Headquarters in Cary, North Carolina
Sweeney started his coding journey at the age of 9 with an Apple II computer. At the age of 20, he dropped out of the University of Maryland; mind you, he was just one credit shy of graduating.
With $4000 as his initial investment and his parent’s basement as his first office, Sweeney founded Potomac Computer Systems, which later became Epic Games. The company hosts one of the biggest online games, Fortnite, with over 250 million players, and runs Unreal Engine, a platform where other gamers can design and host their games.
Michael Dell – Dell
Then – College Dorm, UT Austin
Now – Round Rock, Texas, United States
An entrepreneurial spirit, Dell indulged in side hustles from the age of 12. But it was in his freshman year that he started PCs Limited with $1000 in startup capital. The idea was to build custom computers as per the user/company’s specific needs.
Soon, he managed to sell computers worth $80,000 and moved to a nearby garage as he needed more space. By age 19, Dell dropped out of college to run his company full time. The company was later re-christened as Dell Inc, a $50.2 billion business with over 165,000 employees.
Will Hewlett and Dave Packard – Hewlett-Packard
Then – Rented garage, Palo Alto, California
Now – Springwoods village campus, Houston Texas
Two electrical engineers from Stanford University, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard became friends during a two-week camping trip. Soon the friendship transitioned into a partnership with $538 as their startup capital in a rented garage.
Interestingly, whether the company should be Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett was decided by a coin flip. Their first product was a resistance-capacitance audio oscillator. And the Walt Disney Company was their first major client.
As of July 2021, HP’s net worth is $36.21 B. And though HP is currently facing some troubles, the company has soared to great heights in the past.
While the term Entrepreneur traces back to the mid 18th century, it is now that the phenomenon is catching heat. Our world is currently opening up to new possibilities and opportunities, and now is the best time to spread your wings and make it big.
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These uber-successful tech entrepreneurs had limited capital and space. But they didn’t allow circumstances to clip their wings, and neither should you. I hope their stories have lent you the confidence and push that you needed. And always remember, you might start small, but things will get bigger and better. So stay put, work harder, smarter, and don’t stop the hustle.
Author Bio:– Arshmeet Hora – A self-professed Geek who loves to explore all things Apple. I thoroughly enjoy discovering new hacks, troubleshooting issues, and finding and reviewing the best products and apps currently available at iGeeksblog. My expertise also includes curating opinionated and honest editorials. If not this, you might find me surfing the web or listening to audiobooks.