10 Successful People Whose Ideas Were Thought To Be Ridiculous At The Beginning

Do you have an idea? Are you not pursuing it because you think it is impractical, ridiculous, cost-ineffective or non-marketable? Think again! In today’s world, we are using a lot of products and services that were initially thought to be not workable at all. However, today we can’t think of living without them. Don’t you believe me? Here is a list of 10 famous people whose ideas seemed ludicrous in the beginning but they were actually destined to be successful and practical.

1. Mark Zuckerberg

Who could have thought that a simple idea of socially connecting people in the virtual world will ACTUALLY take over the world? Mark Zuckerberg did! Our interactions today are totally dominated by the social media and Facebook is definitely one of the top few sites. Who would have paid heed if they were told that in a few years, the way we remain connected to each other will change entirely? He pursued the idea relentlessly and look… today he’s one of the wealthiest people on earth.

2. Henry Ford

Who doesn’t know Henry Ford today? Would you believe it if I tell you his ideas were totally rejected in the beginning? When Ford tried to present his project of a motor to a group of industrialists, nobody bothered to give him any importance. For them, what Ford presented was nothing and they would have thrown it in the trash. However, he was only encouraged by Thomas Edison and today everybody is reaping the benefits of Ford’s idea: affordable vehicles for an average citizen.

3. Walt Disney

Every childhood is incomplete without knowing “Mickey Mouse”. However, Walt Disney’s many ideas including Mickey Mouse were initially badly rejected. Disney was told a giant mouse would “frighten women.” Walt Disney also suffered several financial blows. But eventually, Disney’s resilience paid off, and the Walt Disney Company turned out to be a huge success.

4. Colonel Sanders

We all love KFC. It’s one of the most favorite and distinguished fast food stores around the world. Harland David Sanders, better known to most as Colonel Sanders, however, experienced some serious rejection initially and we should thank him for his resilience. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have tasted his world-renowned chicken. In the beginning, the Colonel’s famous secret chicken recipe was apparently rejected by restaurant owners 1009 times. The Colonel officially founded KFC at the age of 65. The company is now the world’s 2nd largest restaurant chain (in term of sales).

5. Elvis Presley

Can you imagine the likes of Presley being rejected for his poor musical performance? After a performance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, Elvis was told by the concert hall manager that he should return to Memphis and keep driving a truck. But he didn’t. And he became a legend.

6. Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King (although he doesn’t need any introduction) is an American author of contemporary horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies but before that, his most renowned and first book, Carrie, was rejected thirty times. King decided to throw away the book, which his wife then went through the trash to rescue, and convinced him to re-submit it.

7. J.K. Rowling

It is difficult to find anybody in this generation who wouldn’t know “Harry Potter” and its amazing author J.K. Rowling. Can you believe that the manuscript of Harry Potter was rejected not once, not twice but twelve times by publishers? Thanks to her strength, she didn’t give up and gave us one of the most entertaining books in today’s times.

8. Stephenie Meyer

The author of Twilight wrote 15 letters to literary agencies. Five didn’t reply. Nine rejected. One gave her a chance. The lesson; you should keep pursuing your goals. There is no way you won’t succeed.

9. The Beatles

Everybody’s beloved band, they were rejected by many record labels. In a classic rejection, the label said, “guitar groups are on the way out” and “the Beatles have no future in show business”. Today, there success knows no bounds.

10. Jim Gray

Jim Gray’s early ideas for databases in the 70’s were scoffed at by academics as being “too academic” and not realistic for real world use. And then they became a success.

Do you still need any more motivation? Get up and start working on your dreams!

Featured photo credit: Mark Zuckerberg Facebook SXSWi 2008 Keynote/Jason McELweenie via flickr.com

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