Success Stories: Real Stories of Incredible Businesses
The main question that interests our clients is: what business should they start?
This question is relevant, but there is no straightforward answer, as there is no universal recipe that works for everyone. Each successful business is unique, backed by an original idea, an unusual person, or a non-standard solution that has allowed them to break out of templates and create something new.
But it’s also important not to forget common sense. What is popular in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, or other countries may not work in the USA. Different mentalities, different attitudes towards business, and different approaches to clients—there are many factors to consider that could lead to failure if not heeded.
To illustrate our point, let’s look at a few examples of businesses that became successful not so much because of, but in spite of forecasts and expectations.
Packaging as an Architectural Masterpiece
In 2008, many entrepreneurs were on the brink of bankruptcy due to the crisis and the difficult situation in the country. During this period, a client approached us who had been quite successful in selling alcoholic beverages but wanted to expand his horizons. Interestingly, he was actually an architect by education, but life is unpredictable, especially when it comes to survival.
So, our architect-entrepreneur decided to start selling alcohol in the USA and came to us for help. Knowing how high the competition is in this field, we tried to appeal to his reason and dissuade him from this reckless endeavor, but he decided to take a different approach. Choosing a rather ordinary product, such as caviar, he focused on the packaging—after all, an architect’s education is not easily ignored.
Next, he went to an American architectural firm to voice his wishes. The lack of experience of the architects in this sphere did not deter him, nor did their attempts to argue. The crisis, coupled with the amount of the fee and his determination, led to the creation of a true architectural masterpiece within a month. To call it just packaging would be an understatement. They practically revolutionized the packaging industry.
The next step was finding a factory to produce this beauty at a high quality. But the result was worth it: the product became so popular that it flew off the shelves. Yet, the actual product didn’t interest customers much; they primarily bought it for the creative packaging.
However, this was not the end of the story. After some time, our entrepreneur began receiving significant orders for packaging production from fairly large companies. Realizing that this business was far more profitable than selling the actual product, the former architect rebranded his company and began focusing exclusively on packaging design.
The moral: find what attracts the buyer. Sometimes the packaging is more important than the product, especially if it advertises itself.
Gift Sets: A True Temptation for Gourmets
Another client of ours proved that even the most mundane idea can take on new colors in skilled hands. He decided to sell gift sets. A fairly ordinary thing in the USA: a basket with a couple of bottles of wine, sweets, some cheeses, crackers, and raisins.
But our client approached the implementation from a completely different angle. He filled his sets with amazing snacks for drinking: several types of expensive cheeses, gourmet sausages, truffles, unusual bread, special mustard, Swiss chocolate, and exquisite candies. Just the sight of the basket made customers salivate, and upon request, clients could assemble a set to their liking.
To attract customers, a large-scale and well-thought-out advertising campaign was launched: the contents of the sets were beautifully arranged on luxurious tables in photos and videos, featuring happy people. Such a basket immediately became associated with the best moments in life: family celebrations, friendly gatherings, luxurious receptions, and successful deals. As a result, the business took off.
Over time, some clients became regulars, word-of-mouth and advertising spread the news about the company capable of organizing a banquet for any occasion, and the business transformed into catering. Today, this company has moved on from gift sets and serves the homes of billionaires and the offices of the largest companies in Silicon Valley. Moreover, the entrepreneur does not plan to stop there: he is actively negotiating with renowned chefs to develop even more diverse and exotic menus.
The summary: By considering client needs and seizing opportunities, a person turned an ordinary idea into a completely new business direction.
Chocolate Sculptures for Fans of Modern Art
This business story began in a small Alpine village thanks to a local sculptor. His talent was great, but he clearly lacked space in the village: there were a couple of monuments, a sculpture in the central square, occasionally a tombstone or a bust of a notable figure, but otherwise no room for creative expansion.
Unfortunately, even the most beautiful sculpture is just a stone, and it won't fill your stomach. After the sculptor's yard was adorned with sculptures that outshone any palace, the question arose: what next? After many disputes with his wife, a brilliant idea struck our creator: why not use chocolate instead of stone, so the sculpture could be eaten! There was enough material, plenty of inspiration, and soon the house was filled with a life-sized chocolate horse weighing 10 kilos and a dozen other chocolate sculptures. But what to do with them?
Here, a roadside café owner from the village came to the rescue. He organized an exhibition-sale of the chocolate masterpieces, providing the sculptor with work, himself with profit, and bringing tourists to the village who were eager to see the amazing museum of chocolate statues. This continued until a certain businessman from Kazakhstan visited the village.
He was not just impressed by the local sculptor’s talents but also immediately realized how to capitalize on them. The first batch was bought up right away, and then it was just a matter of putting production on stream. After all, there was no similar production anywhere in the world, so exclusive supplies of chocolate sculptures could be established.
The businessman turned out to be not only smart but also ambitious, so he quickly dismissed the idea of selling the sculptor’s works through grocery stores—he simply created advertising aimed at horse lovers and equestrian sports, leading to fantastic sales. Clients, stable and racetrack owners, considered it an honor to own such a sculpture...
Unfortunately, after a year and a half, the business had to be closed due to the untimely death of the sculptor. Finding a master of such level and talent proved impossible, especially since the sculptor used his own technique for working with chocolate. So, the venture ended, even though at the peak of popularity, one sculpture could sell for up to $10,000, with the company completing up to 50 orders a month.
The takeaway: Opportunities exist everywhere; the key is to recognize them and find a way to utilize them.
Recording Studio: A Cover That Turned into a Business
There were no prerequisites for opening this business. In the 90s, our client started a small firm for website development and support. It wouldn't be accurate to say that the business was thriving: there were few clients, money was tight, and the constant threat from the tax authorities and other agencies didn't help morale. But the team worked hard, taking on even the tiniest orders, building a reputation, and despite all the obstacles, the company began to strengthen.
At some point, the issue of concealing the business arose. The thing was, the business was unregistered and illegal. To provide his team with decent salaries, it was necessary to avoid official work, and hiding a growing company that operated without a sign became increasingly difficult. As a result, they had to think about a facade, and the businessman decided to create a small ruse by opening an audiobook recording studio. For credibility, he even bought a tape recorder with a microphone and hired a reader.
The visiting artist looked around, laughed, and told the guys how a real recording studio should be equipped: with soundproofing, microphones, and mixers. For some reason, our businessman thought: why not? He did everything needed, registered the company, hung up a sign – and got back to his work. He still continued working with websites.
But the thought of a fully equipped, quality studio where no one worked wouldn’t leave him alone. After all, so much money had been invested in it, something had to pay off, right? Then the space started to be rented out and used for its intended purpose.
For a while, the businessman got distracted, but when he found himself near his studio again, he was speechless with astonishment. Around his apartment, life was buzzing – and it was the middle of the night. Crowds of people, musicians, all sorts of creative personalities. Finding his manager in this chaos, the businessman discovered that he had been owning the most popular recording studio in the city for a couple of months now. What started as a modest cover had transformed into a profitable business that didn’t even need advertising: the music scene had spread the word about the 24-hour studio with top-notch equipment and reasonable prices.
Thus, an ordinary businessman inadvertently found himself caught up in the whirlwind of show business. Realizing that this was indeed a profitable venture, he began to think about how to promote it even further. Raising prices – everyone would go to the competitors. Opening a new studio in another city – there were already plenty of those studios there.
Then we suggested opening a studio in Los Angeles, but in the same format as in his hometown. After resolving various issues related to finding a location, restoring a building, and equipping a new space from scratch, our client launched the business and within just a month achieved a workload of 18 hours a day. In general, the efforts paid off handsomely.
And the main thing – no one thought that a small computer firm could grow into a mega-popular business in the entertainment industry. And all because its owner wasn’t afraid to veer off the beaten path and dive headfirst into an unfamiliar endeavor.
By the way, the studio in Los Angeles was soon bought by people from the entertainment industry, so the business passed into the hands of those who knew how to utilize it, and our businessman received an uncommonly large sum.
What we have: under favorable circumstances, a cover for the main business can become the main business itself.
The Clown Store: How to Monetize Your Hobby
Many people are afraid of clowns, but there are some crazy fans who are happy to link their lives to collecting various clown-related paraphernalia. One such fan is our client, who has been collecting everything related to this theme since childhood.
Everything was wonderful until a woman entered our hero's life. At first, she admired her beloved, praising him for having such unusual hobbies and generally expressing her enthusiasm. But as soon as the woman changed her status from fiancée to wife, she immediately demanded to free the couple's living space from all that junk.
Perhaps the husband would have argued with his beloved, but the couple was planning to move to the USA, and the collection would still have to be disposed of. To at least partially compensate for the separation, our client decided to sell the collection online. A website and a convenient catalog with the option to purchase desired items were created for this purpose.
At first, sales went well, but then the collector faced the fact that some items sold quickly; they were very popular and always in demand. However, the rest were stagnant. To satisfy customer requests, our client organized a team to search for necessary and popular clown items and began selling not only his collection but everything his team found.
Somehow, the temporary website for selling a single collection turned into a serious online store where rare clown-themed items could be found. And the couple that owned the store became wealthy businessmen. Although they soon sold the business, they made enough money to live comfortably.
What we see: a hobby can be wonderfully turned into a main business.
What’s the Conclusion
These five stories were told by us not just for fun. We wanted to show that there is no magic button that will launch a successful business, but there are simple rules that can help you find your button:
- Don't be afraid of the new. The more creative your approach to ordinary things, the greater the chance that you will be noticed and appreciated.
- Look for original ideas. Sometimes the craziest thought can turn out to be the key to a successful venture.
- Use your hobbies. If you can turn your passion into a profitable business, consider yourself lucky.
- Do your work. If you want to achieve results, actively work on your project. No one else will make your business successful, as only you love it enough.
- Don't be afraid to move on. If you have outgrown your business, confidently sell it and work on new ideas. There is nothing worse than stagnation and hatred for your work.
If you don't know where to start, don't want to deal with bureaucracy, or are simply looking for a reliable advisor in the field of starting and developing a business in the USA, our company is happy to help resolve all issues. Contact our representative, and you will receive all the necessary information, support, and consultation on any question.