Companies you didn't know Started in their Garages

It's hard to believe but even big brands that are famous the world over started out from nothing. In fact, many of them began their fledgling lives in humble surroundings. Here are some famous companies that were conceived in a garage.

Microsoft

Arguably the biggest tech giant on the planet, the inspiration for Microsoft was sparked in a small garage in Albuquerque in 1975. Chums Bill Gates and Paul Allen focused on the software market, licensing their first operating system with IBM for $80,000.

Apple

The Apple brand is one of the most highly respected tech names of today, but its early beginnings were far from esteemed. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne tinkered around in a Californian garage owned by Steve Jobs' parents, to create the first Apple computer in 1976. From the garage, the trio built 50 computers in a single month by hand, retailing at $500 each. When a film was later made about Steve Jobs, some of it was shot in the very same garage!

Amazon

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos set up an online bookstore in his garage using this space to store, pack and ship books - he sold his first book in 1995. Amazon now claims the top spot for the world's biggest online retailer.

Google

Search engine giant Google is one of the most influential brands today, so it's inconceivable to imagine life began for this world-famous name in a garage. In 1998, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin rented a garage, working tirelessly to create a website that would organise information. Ironically, their original website creation was rejected.

Mattel

Harold Matson and Elliot Handler established toy brand Mattel in a Californian garage in 1945. The pair initially created picture frames, but they used the leftover materials from the frames to create dollhouses. This side-line business proved more popular and the duo decided to venture into creating the highly successful Barbie dolls and Matchbox toys.

Yankee Candle Company

At just 16 years old, Massachusetts college boy Michael Kittredge decided to make a candle for his mum’s Christmas present. Using melted crayons, he beavered away in the home garage. However, the candle he created caught the eye of a neighbour who bought it instead. With the profit, Michael made more candles, and after five years he expanded from his garage to a large empty mill.

Lotus Cars

Lotus may be a luxury car brand today, but it hasn't always revelled in the high life. In fact, its beginnings trace back to a North London garage, where in 1948 Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman set about creating one of the most iconic supercars of all time.

Every business has to start somewhere – big oaks from little acorns grow!  As long as you are organised and you’ve got good ideas, determination and the right equipment, anyone can become a successful entrepreneur. So, if you provide the light bulb moments, Solent Plastics can provide the most effective home office storage solutions.