Colonel Harland David Sanders (1890–1980) had a life full of
mixed success, holding various jobs including Fireman (steam engine stoker), Farmer,
Wagoner, Blacksmith and Insurance salesman.
How He Started: At the age of 40, in 1930, Sanders took over
a Shell filling station in North Corbin, Kentucky. He began serving
meals—including fried chicken, country ham, and steaks—to passing travellers
from his own living quarters. This evolved into the Sanders Court & Café.
The Problem & The Spark: Sanders believed his chicken
had to be slow-cooked in a cast-iron skillet to achieve high quality, but this
took 35 minutes, which was too long for travellers. He refused to deep-fry the
chicken, which he felt lowered the quality.
In 1939, he found his solution: the commercial pressure
cooker. He modified it into a pressure fryer. This reduced the cooking time to
be comparable with deep frying while, in his opinion, retaining the moisture
and quality of pan-fried chicken.
In 1940, at age 50, he finalized his famous "Original
Recipe" of 11 herbs and spices. This made him and his recipe a Talk of
town. And the appreciations and accolades reached to such high that he was awarded
honorary title of Kentuchy Colonel by none other than the State Governor in
1935.This title created for him as his brand identity.Then came the crisis period.
In the early 1950s, the construction of Interstate 75 was planned to bypass
Corbin, Kentucky, spelling the end for his successful roadside restaurant.
Facing the collapse of his main business, and with only a small Social Security
check, Sanders decided on a radical, late-life career change.
The Greener Pasture era: Instead of retiring, he decided to
travel the US to franchise his recipe and cooking method. The business model
was brilliantly simple and scalable:He did not only sell a restaurant;but also
sold his system. He would enter a restaurant, cook his chicken for the owner,
and if they agreed to sell it, he would franchise the recipe and the process.
He charged a royalty fee of only four in the beginning then
it gone up to five cents on every chicken sold by the franchisee.
Initial Employees & Early Expansion:
His first franchise was opened in 1952 in South Salt Lake,
Utah, by his friend Pete Harman. It was Harman's sign painter who came up with
the name "Kentucky Fried Chicken."
Sanders himself was the initial "employee" driving
his car, selling the recipe door-to-door. Legend says he was rejected over
1,000 times before striking a successful deal.
By 1964, there were more than 600 KFC franchises in the US
and Canada.
The Business Proliferation and Legacy
Sanders sold the company in 1964 (at age 73) for $2 million
to a group of investors, who took the company public and rapidly expanded it.
He remained the brand ambassador, traveling over 200,000 miles a year to
promote KFC globally.
KFC Key Business Metrics Detail
Founded Year (Restaurant) 1930
(Sanders Court & Café)
Founded Year (Franchise) 1952 (First
Franchise in Utah)
Annual Sales (Global Systemwide) Over $30 billion (Estimated 2024 figure, as part of Yum!
Brands)
Current Spread Over
25,000 outlets in nearly 150 countries.
Export to Sheets
The reason for the proliferation of KFC was the success of
its franchise model combined with product differentiation:
Unique Product: The "Original Recipe" and the
pressure-frying method set it apart from typical deep-fried Southern chicken,
giving it a distinctive taste and texture.
Scalable Franchise Model: The low initial royalty fee made
the concept attractive to small, independent restaurant owners.
Branding and Personality: Colonel Sanders became one of the
world's most recognizable celebrities, ensuring trust, authenticity, and
instant brand recognition globally.
The Inspirational Lesson for the Unemployed
Colonel Sanders' story is one of unrelenting perseverance
and the belief that age is just a number:
He faced bankruptcy in his 60s, an age when most people
retire, yet he chose to start a new, far more ambitious business.
He drove across the country, sleeping in his car and facing
over a thousand rejections, demonstrating extraordinary "grit"
(persistence and passion).
His success came from recognizing that his value was in his
unique, perfected process (the pressure fryer method) and his secret formula,
not just the brick-and-mortar restaurant. He monetized his intellectual
property (the recipe and system).
His journey proves that if you have a unique skill or
perfected product, you can build an empire, even if you have to start from
scratch multiple times. Those who see his success as an inspiration if they contemplate
the toil behind this they will learn a lot that there is no shortcuts in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment