Colonel Sanders Success Story: The Tale Of KFC’s Founder

“One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.” – Colonel Harland Sanders.

This quote is given by the founder of fried chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). With this Colonel Sanders Success Story, you get an insight into his life and achievements. 

About KFC

KFC is an American food restaurant chain that specialises in fried chicken. Colonel Sanders founded the restaurant in 1952 in North Corbin. The company has been part of American culture for nearly five decades. But slowly and gradually, KFC stretched its business to other countries, and now it has become a well-known fried chicken corner worldwide. In the article, we will take you through the Colonel Sanders success story to tell you how it has become such a popular brand.  

Let’s See Who Colonel Sanders Was Before He Founded KFC 

Colonel Sanders was born on 9 September 1890 in Henryville, Indiana, United States. At a very young age, merely six years old, he lost his father, which compelled him to take on family responsibilities. He left the school when he was in seventh grade and left home to work as a farmhand, about 80 miles away from his home. From childhood only, he has had an interest in cooking. 

After several years in a conventional job, he joined a cafe as a cook and dishwasher to feed his family. He later joined the US army and served there almost for a year, and then he was hired by the railway as a labourer. His struggle is not over yet, and Colonel Sanders success story continues to explain it. 

Colonel Sanders later worked as an insurance agent, sold tyres, and worked in a lighting company. During his work period, he managed to study as well and took a degree in the field of Law.  

Also read: Bill Gates Success Story: The Father Of Microsoft

The Inception Of KFC

As you can see in this Colonel Sanders success story, he joined several jobs but could not get successful. In 1930, he started selling fried chicken at the local station. During the early phase, he faced various difficulties, but later he set up a restaurant. He did not stop there, and soon his recipe became a legendary chicken dish. By the year 1937, he expanded his business by accommodating up to 150 people simultaneously. 

At this stage, he was very glad to own his business which was so successful. But he always looks towards expanding his production and meeting customers’ demand. He faced a lot of struggles in his life before he could make his story ‘Colonel Sanders success story’. 

He travelled to several restaurants and showed owners his fried chicken recipes to expand his business. But he did not give up even after getting rejected by 1009 restaurants. He was still confident about his unique recipe and its taste. And finally, a day came when a few restaurants agreed to sell Sander’s chicken recipe. 

At the age of 62, his recipe got a hit in nearly 600 restaurants, including Kentucky Chicken. Today KFC has established itself as the world’s largest food chain, spread over more than 136 countries. The lesson we learn from the Colonel Sanders success story is you can achieve success at any age if you are passionate enough. Always have faith in your dreams, and success will pave the path towards you.

The Secret Behind The Success Of KFC

Undoubtedly, KFC is among the most popular fast-food corners worldwide, visited by millions daily. The reason behind Colonel Sanders’ success story is the delectable fried chicken recipe. Yeah, it is the same recipe which got multiple rejections. With each rejection, he improved his recipe by tweaking the ingredients until he was not satisfied and achieved perfection. Here are some secrets that made KFC achieve its heights. 

  • The fried chicken recipe was a personal recipe of Colonel that was not perfect until it got selected
  • From the beginning, Colonel Sanders was ready to accept the challenge and feedback. 
  • Before becoming a brand, Kentucky Fried Chicken was sold in other restaurants, which made it prominent. 
  • One of the game-changing marketing strategies adopted by KFC is its tagline ‘FINGER LICKI’N CHICKEN’. 

Besides these secrets, there are several things to learn from Colonel Sanders success story. 

Lessons To Learn From Colonel Sanders Success Story 

There are various things one should learn from Colonel Sanders success story. Today KFC is one of the reputed franchises with restaurants available in almost every city of the world. Following are the lessons we can learn from Colonel Sanders success story. 

  • There is no specific age to achieve success 

Colonel Sanders’s Kentucky Fried Chicken became popular at the age of 62; with this, he proved that age does not matter when you are willing to do something. 

  • Never let failure decide your fate

Before Colonel’s recipe became world famous, it faced 1009 rejections. It depicts that failure is a part of life, and we can get successful with constant improvements. 

  • Be ready for the feedback

Colonel was always open to feedback and accepted the rejections as a challenge. Every rejection brought to the plate, an opportunity for improvement. 

  • Patience results in victory

Having patience in his hard time is something to learn from Colonel Sanders. His ‘NEVER GIVE UP’ attitude is important to turn a business idea into reality. 

Colonel Sanders success story teaches us never to give up in life, no matter what age we are. Today, KFC has more than 41 000 restaurants in more than 125 countries and territories. His attitude of ‘NEVER GIVE UP’ made him achieve what he is today. So the next time you go to KFC, think about the inspiring Colonel Sanders success story.

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