3. Colonel Sanders endured a lifetime of setbacks to finally strike it rich when most people his age were retiring
While many people retire from work at the age of 65, Harland David Sanders was just getting started. The American businessman had spent 50 years trying to earn his fortune. Born in 1890, he had a wide range of jobs as a young man. However, he never took to the insurance business or to pumping gas. When the rest of the country was struggling through the Great Depression, Sanders set up a roadside diner and patented his “secret recipe”. And even when he was forced to close his first restaurant and rely on social security checks to get by, Sanders used his experience to bounce back.
According to the legend, Colonel Sanders – the title was given to him by the State of Kentucky rather than by the U.S. Army – set up his first KFC at the age of 65. Recognizing the potential of the franchising model, he oversaw his company’s rapid expansion across the United States. By the time he turned 70, he was a rich man. And at the age of 73, he sold KFC for $2 million. Even then, the Colonel had no plans to retire and play golf. For years, he traveled the country, serving as a well-paid ambassador for KFC. Towards the end of his life. However, Sanders became highly critical of the brand he set up.