An entrepreneur's guide: The strength of small beginnings

Mention the biggest Information Technology (IT) companies that revolutionised our day to day lives, and you will not fail to pick more than one firm that began from a garage. Notable amongst these companies are Microsoft Corporation and Apple Computers. Their stories read like a fairy tale, with twists and turn that rival the best-selling fictional novels. It all began with a dream and the desire to try. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak both college drop-outs co-founded Apple Computers in 1976 and set up operations in his parents’ garage with a dream of building the most portable and easy to use a computer. Bill Gates and Paul Allen, one of the wealthiest men on earth, also co-founded Microsoft Corporation from Bill’s parents’ garage in 1975.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were not alone in their pursuits. They brought on board co-founders who had special skill sets that helped them launch their legacy innovations. These co-founders may not have had the initial dream, but they shared the ambition and thirst for pursuing technological possibilities. The platforms for innovation were few and far between, but it was the golden era of IT innovations with limitless horizons, and they took all possible chances to etch their names into the history books. Fired by youthful ambition and an aversion to modern life trends common with technological ‘nerds,’ these innovators literally burnt the midnight oil researching, experimenting and brainstorming all these armed with a shoestring budget which they sustained with odd jobs.