Superlatives are highlighted: the oldest the most valuable
1. The Oldest Company
KongÅ Gumi was a Japanese construction company. It started in the year 578 and built temples. The same family ran it for almost 1,400 years, so many people call it the oldest company in the world. In 2006, it had money problems, and a bigger company bought it. It still works today.
TALK ABOUT IT - Does it surprise you that one family ran a business for 1,400 years?
- What is the most important thing for a business to live a long time?
2. The Empty State Building
The Empire State Building opened in New York in 1931. It was the tallest building in the world for almost 40 years, and workers built it in only 410 days. That is still one of the fastest big building projects ever. But it opened in the worst time for business, the Great Depression, so many offices stayed empty. People called it the "Empty State Building".
TALK ABOUT IT - What do you think about opening a big project in a bad economy?
- In your construction work, what is the hardest part of finishing a project fast?
3. The Biggest Deal
In 2000, the British company Vodafone bought the German company Mannesmann for about 180 billion dollars. Mannesmann did not want to sell, so it was a very hard fight. Many people say it was the biggest deal in business history. After the deal, Vodafone became one of the largest phone companies in the world.
TALK ABOUT IT - Is buying a company the fastest way to grow? Why or why not?
- Would you ever sell your business if somebody offered you the highest price?
4. The Most Valuable Company
Apple started in 1976 in a family garage. In 2018, it became the first company worth one trillion dollars. In 2022, it became the first company worth three trillion dollars. Today, Apple is often one of the most valuable companies on Earth. It is also one of the most famous brands.
TALK ABOUT IT - How do you feel about a startup that begins in a garage and becomes huge?
- What is the most important thing for a strong brand?
5. The Smallest Team, the Biggest Price
In 2014, Facebook bought WhatsApp for about 19 billion dollars. At that time, WhatsApp had only around 55 workers. It is one of the most expensive startup purchases ever. For Facebook, it was the best way to get hundreds of millions of new users fast.
TALK ABOUT IT - Is a small team with a great idea the best kind of startup?
- What is the most valuable thing in your new startup idea?
6. The Most Expensive Pizza
On May 22, 2010, a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 bitcoins for two pizzas. At that time, it was about 40 dollars. Later, those bitcoins were worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Many people call this the most expensive pizza in history. Every year, fans celebrate "Bitcoin Pizza Day".
TALK ABOUT IT - How would you feel if you were that programmer?
- What is the biggest money mistake you ever made, or almost made?
7. The Most Profitable Company
Saudi Aramco is a giant oil company. In 2019, it had the biggest IPO of that time and raised about 25 billion dollars. In 2022, it reported a profit of about 161 billion dollars. That is the highest yearly profit ever reported by a public company, so it is often called the most profitable company in the world.
TALK ABOUT IT - Does a profit this big sound fair to you? Why or why not?
- What is the most profitable part of your own businesses?
8. The Biggest Furniture Store
Ingvar Kamprad started IKEA in Sweden in 1943, when he was only 17. At first, he sold pens and matches. In 1956, a worker took the legs off a table to fit it in a car. That gave IKEA the smartest idea: flat-pack furniture. It is cheaper to send, so prices can be the lowest in the market. Today, IKEA is the largest furniture seller in the world.
TALK ABOUT IT - Which is better for a business: the cheapest price or the best quality?
- What is the smartest small idea that changed a business you know?
9. The Most Famous Pay Raise
In 1914, Henry Ford told his workers: "You will get five dollars a day." That was about double the normal pay. Many people thought it was the craziest idea. But the best workers wanted to join Ford, fewer people left, and workers could buy the cars they made. It is still one of the most famous business decisions.
TALK ABOUT IT - Would you pay your team double? What do you think would happen?
- What is the most important thing for keeping good workers?
10. The Most Creative Way to Find Money
In 2008, two young men, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, could not pay their rent in San Francisco. They started renting air mattresses in their home. Later, to get money for their startup, they sold cereal boxes with funny names during the US election. They made about 30,000 dollars. That company became Airbnb. It was not the easiest start, but it was the most creative one.
TALK ABOUT IT - What do you think about selling cereal boxes to start a company?
- What is the most creative thing you did to solve a business problem?