By:
Lubnah Abdulhalim
INSPIRING FAMOUS FAILURES
1.
Akio Morita is the founder of giant
electric household products, Sony Corporation. First product was an electric
rice cooker but it became a fail since it burned rice rather than cooking. Today,
Sony is generating US$66 billion in revenue and ranked as the world's 6th
largest electronic and electrical company.
2.
Albert Einstein, when he was young; his
parents thought he was mentally retarded. His grades in school were so poor and
he even considered himself stupid. However, he became a theoretical physicist
widely regarded as the most important scientist of the 20th century. He was
awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the
photoelectric effect in 1905 and "for his services to Theoretical Physics".
3.
John Grisham's first novel was
rejected by sixteen agents and twelve publishing houses. He kept on practicing
the art of writing until he became best known as a novelist and author for his
works of modern legal drama. The media has coined him as one of the best novel
authors even alive in the 21st century and his books are read worldwide.
4.
Marilyn Monroe was dropped by
20th Century-Fox, one year into her contract, because her producer thought
she was unattractive and cannot act. She didn’t give up on her dreams and
eventually she was recognized by the public as the 20th century's most famous
movie star and pop icon.
5.
Henry Ford not only revolutionized
industrial production in the United States and Europe, but also had such
influence over the 20th century economy and society yet his first two
automobile companies failed. His first failure did not stop him from
incorporating Ford Motor Company and being the first to apply assembly line
manufacturing to the production of affordable automobiles in the world. His
combination of mass production, high wages and low prices to consumers has
initiated a management school known as "Fordism". He became one of
the three most famous and richest men in the world during his time.
6.
Soichiro Honda was turned down
by Toyota Motor Corporation during a job interview as engineer after World War
Two. He continued to be jobless and soon, his neighbors started buying his home-made
scooters. He set out on his own to start
his own company, Honda. Today, the Company has grown to become the world's
largest motorcycle manufacturer and one of the most profitable automakers. With
a global network of 437 subsidiaries, Honda develops, manufactures, and markets
a wide variety of products ranging from small general-purpose engines and
scooters to specialty sports cars.
