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A Little Colonel Of Truth: How Sanders Turned KFC Into A Global Success
Article Overview: “Life as I have known it has been Finger Lickin’ Good.” That was the title of Sanders’ autobiography. Indeed, for this entrepreneur who started off on the brink of poverty, life seemed to have gotten a whole lot better for him. After numerous failed startups, Kentucky Fried Chicken would be the one to finally stick. Today, the company has one of the most recognizable brands in the world. How did Sanders turn a little service station into the international fast-food franchising success it is now?
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A Little Colonel Of Truth: How Sanders Turned KFC Into A Global Success
“Life as I have known it has been Finger Lickin’ Good.” That was the title of Sanders’ autobiography. Indeed, for this entrepreneur who started off on the brink of poverty, life seemed to have gotten a whole lot better for him. After numerous failed startups, Kentucky Fried Chicken would be the one to finally stick. Today, the company has one of the most recognizable brands in the world. How did Sanders turn a little service station into the international fast-food franchising success it is now?
Branding: Sanders did not think he was a particularly handsome man, but he knew that associating his company with the character of a southern Kentucky Colonel would mean big bucks for business. Indeed, Sanders’ image has been so successful for the company that its logo has undergone only five minor changes in its decades of operation.
Marketing: Who would have ever thought that there could be so much appeal to knowing the recipe for fried chicken? The answer? Colonel Sanders, for one. He knew that by keeping his special blend of 11 herbs and spices a secret, more people would be induced to try it. Sanders was a brilliant marketer who knew what it would take to lure people to his food.
Determination: Few 60 year olds would be able to handle hearing rejection more than 1,000 times and keep going. But then Sanders was no ordinary 60 year old. Indeed, whether it was KFC or one of his prior failed startups, Sanders never seemed to care about what was standing in his way. Instead, he only focused on clearing the obstacles on the road to success.
Quality: Practices such as being able to see into the kitchen of a restaurant have become somewhat mainstream in today’s world. But, in Sanders’ time, such things were unheard of. He was one of the first entrepreneurs to promise high standards and allow customers to judge for themselves whether or not he was telling the truth. It was that demonstration of commitment to keeping high standards that kept customers coming back for more.
Resourcefulness: Sanders is proof that you do not need a large amount seed money to get a company started. Nor do you need to have a proven track record of success. Armed with little more than an idea and a recipe, Sanders started small and began to scale up. Taking things one step at a time, one franchisee at a time, and one gas tank at a time, Sanders proved that you can in fact build something from nothing, and that something can be great.
Sanders was proud of the company he started, and despite his regrets about selling it off, he remained involved with KFC until the day he died. Indeed, he continued to travel approximately 160,000 kilometers every year, visiting KFC franchise outlets on a regular basis. He also spent much of his time devoted to charity, and became particularly known for his adoption of 78 foreign orphans. After all, “there’s no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery,” Sanders once said. “You can’t do any business from there.”
Lesson #1: You Have To Get Yourself A Gimmick
Branding: How KFC Is Trying to Reclaim Its Brand Identity
The World Famous Colonel: How Harland Sanders Got His Start
Lesson #3: Dedicate Yourself And Follow Through
Lesson #4: Set High Standards So You Can Take Pride In Your Product
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Hello, I'm a newbie too
- Hi,
I was introduced to your site by a friend from a different forum. I had asked the question "how many people became successes after age 45?" and one response led me here. I'm still looking for the answer to that question, I've been studying a variety of things, and I've read Ray Kroc's autobiography, which led me to wonder how many people became a success after the age of 45. So far I've come up with Kroc, Colonel Sanders, and a few singers.
Can any one assist me with this?
Thanks,
Anita
The Value of Mentoring
- Successful mentor pairings (in case there was any doubt as to the value of mentoring):
1. André Ouellet (President, Canada Post) mentor to Mark Whalen (Urban Organics and winner, Young Entrepreneur Award)
2. Marc Lefrançois (President, Via Rail Canada) mentor to Jeffrey Campbell (Core Networks, Inc. and winner, Young Entrepreneur Award)
3. Donald Kendall (former CEO of PepsiCo) mentor to John Scully (former CEO of Apple)
4. Harland Sanders (the Colonel) mentor to Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy's)
5. Stuart Friend (KMart manager) mentor to Wayne Sales (CEO of Canadian Tire)
6. Jim Rohn (author, motivational speaker) mentor to Anthony Robbins (author, motivational speaker)
7. Robert Patterson (CEO, National Cash Register) mentor to Thomas Watson (founder of IBM)
8. Henri-Paul Rosseau (President, Laurentian Bank of Canada) mentor to isabel Rodriquez and Yves Besner (i4design and winners, Young Entrepreneur Award)
How to develop sales contacts?
- I’m pretty new in the business and I've just gotten into selling and yesterday I made about 35 calls. Turned with two major prospects, but I was just wondering what are some other ways that you all use to make contacts?
seeking investors for global finance opportunity
- Phoenix Global Funding, Inc. is a Global Commercial Loan Brokerage, Merchant Bank, and a Business Consulting Firm that can work on commercial deals of all sizes. Our greatest strengths are revealed through our superior internet interface and our extensive private network of lenders and equity partners with which we can service any company on the planet by having the ability to broker and coordinate mergers, acquisitions, and funding of all kinds. As a full service commercial financial conduit we also provide valuation, business management, and profitability consulting. I am offering common stock ownership in Phoenix Global Funding, Inc. It is exciting to be in a position to be able to share not only ownership but profit in this latest project. Our business plan was developed from the oldest, most reliable and the most profitable business model ever created, LENDING. This is all about what the big boys do on Wall Street everyday. We are raising US$1,000,000.00 with share prices starting at $1.00. The exit strategy is in 3 years with a minimum 3 to 1 return on capital, plus a 20% profit share annually.
Re: What would you like to see be invented?
- Sirs,
It is all well and good thinking about where you could go, but don't forget, lots of jolly unwelcome types might suddenly show up on your doorstep.
If you are going to invent a teleporter, I want you to invent an unidentified-teleporting-personage-unexpected-arrival-on-my-doorstep-repulsion-mechanism that I can use to fend off sudden and unappealing arrivals.
Yours faithfully,
Colonel Blimp
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