ABOUT DOGASH

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Ray Kroc

One of the customers for Ray Kroc's line of milkshake mixers was a small California hamburger chain. Kroc was intrigued with the chain's potential, and bought the business in 1961. Fast-forward to today: that small chain is McDonald's, the largest restaurant chain in the world! Kroc grew by focusing on speed, cleanliness, quality, and consistency. He also developed innovative "assembly line" techniques that made it possible for even inexperienced workers to make and serve tasty food.

Walter Annenberg

Who would have thought people would want to read about TV? Walter Annenberg did. He created TV Guide with a national section that was distributed to different regions of the nation and combined with local TV listings. People responded in a big way: in the 1960s, TV Guide passed Reader's Digest to become the highest-circulation magazine in America. At its highest point, TV Guide sold 20 million copies every week!

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

In 1978, childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield decided to start a business in Burlington, Vermont. They thought they might open a bagel shop, but the investment was more than the $12,000 they had. Instead, they opened an ice cream store in a renovated gas station. Today, Ben & Jerry's Vermont's Finest Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt is sold in all 50 states through grocery stores, food service operations, and hundreds of scoop shops--which you'll find in Canada, Israel, and the Netherlands, as well!

Michael Dell

Michael Dell was a student at the University of Texas-Austin when he had the idea he could build a better computer. He started the business in his dorm room. Two years later, he had 250 employees; a decade after that, in 1996, Dell Computer Corporation opened its online computer store, which today sells more than $14 million in computers and associated products a day. It just shows that you're never too young to put a great idea to work.

James Casey

Around the turn of the century, 19-year-old James Casey founded a package delivery service with a telephone, two bicycles, six messengers, and $100 in cash. Merchants Parcel Service advertised "Best Service and Lowest Rates," and Casey was a success. Over the years, he moved from bicycles to Model T Fords, and eventually to fleets of delivery trucks and airplanes. He also changed the name of the company to United Parcel Service, or UPS--today, one of the largest and most respected delivery services in the world.

LL Bean

When LL Bean advertised a money-back guarantee for his hunting boots, he wasn't quite prepared for what happened: 90 of the first 100 pairs he made fell apart! But Bean was true to his word. He refunded his customers' money, then borrowed $400 to perfect the quality of his boots. Today, LL Bean is one of the world's largest and most successful catalog retailers...and they'll still give you your money back if you're not satisfied with their products.

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