The world’s most successful business can be difficult to measure – what is success, in the first place? Some might say it’s all about profit margins. Others might say it’s the ability to grow and evolve over time. Still others might say it’s inventive ideas that are ahead of their time. How does one go about deciding who makes the list? In this article, we’ll explore 10 companies that have been some of the world’s best-run Successful Businesses in history.
Apple
Apple is one of the most successful businesses of all time. They have been in business since 1976 and have a current market value of over $1 trillion. They are a technology company that designs, manufactures, and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. Their products include the iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. They also have a range of other services such as the iTunes Store, the App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud.
Apple has been incredibly successful since they started in 1976. In 1980 they introduced the Apple III which was their first commercial success. This was followed by the release of the Macintosh in 1984 which revolutionized personal computing. They went public in December of 1980 and became the first company to reach a market value of $1 billion in May of 1983. In July of 2001 they released the first generation iPod which changed the way people listen to music and led to their domination of the digital music market. In 2007 they released the iPhone which revolutionized mobile computing and has become their most iconic product. In 2010 they released the iPad which changed how people interact with computers and has become one another hugely successful product line for them.
Facebook is one of the most successful businesses of all time. Founded in 2004, Facebook has over 2 billion active users and is worth over $500 billion. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO, is now the fifth richest person in the world.
Facebook’s success can be attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, it was one of the first social networking sites and so it benefited from first mover advantage. Secondly, it has an excellent platform that is easy to use and very addictive. Thirdly, it has been very innovative, for example introducing live streaming, instant articles and Messenger. Finally, it has a strong business model with revenues coming from advertising and user data.
Looking to the future, Facebook faces a number of challenges. Firstly, it needs to continue to grow its user base in order to maintain its current levels of profitability. Secondly, it needs to deal with the regulatory threats posed by data privacy concerns. Thirdly, it needs to come up with new ways to monetize its huge user base. But if it can overcome these challenges then there is no reason why Facebook cannot continue to be one of the most successful businesses of all time.
There’s no doubt that Google is one of the most successful businesses of all time. The company has a market cap of over $1 trillion and generates billions in revenue each year. Google’s success can be attributed to a number of factors, including its innovative search engine, strong brand identity, and diversified business model.
Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford University students who developed a new way to rank web pages based on their popularity. Their search engine quickly gained popularity and became the dominant way to find information online.
Google has continued to innovate over the years, developing new products and services such as Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube. The company has also expanded into new businesses such as cloud computing and self-driving cars.
Google’s brand is one of the most recognizable in the world, and its name has become synonymous with search. The company has been able to maintain its position as a leader in the tech industry despite intense competition from rivals like Microsoft and Apple.
Google’s business model is also highly diversified, with revenue coming from advertising, cloud computing, hardware, and more. This diversity has helped the company weather economic downturns and emerge as one of the
Microsoft
Microsoft is an American multinational technology company with headquarters in Redmond, Washington. It develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services. Its best known software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software, and the Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers. Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface tablet lineup. As of 2016, it is the world’s largest software maker by revenue (currently US$85 Billion), and one of the world’s most valuable companies. The word “Microsoft” is a portmanteau of “microcomputer” and “software”.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by Microsoft Windows. The company’s 1986 initial public offering (IPO), subsequent rise in its share price created three billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees; as of 2015 Microsoft has 57 billionaires. Since then Microsoft has diversified from being solely a developer of operating systems for IBM PC
Disney
Disney is one of the most successful businesses of all time. Founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, the company has grown to be a global entertainment powerhouse. With theme parks, resorts, movies, TV shows, merchandise, and more, Disney has something for everyone.
Over the years, Disney has been innovators in the entertainment industry. They were the first to release a feature-length animated film (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), as well as the first to create a fully-fledged theme park (Disneyland). Today, they continue to push boundaries with new technologies and ideas.
Disney is a company that knows how to entertain people of all ages. From their lovable characters to their thrilling rides, there’s something for everyone at their parks and resorts. And with new movies and TV shows being released all the time, there’s always something new to enjoy from Disney.
Walmart
Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates a chain of discount stores, hypermarkets, and grocery stores. With over 11,000 stores in 27 countries, Walmart is the world’s largest company by revenue and one of the largest employers.
Walmart has been incredibly successful thanks to its low-cost strategy, which allows the company to offer everyday low prices that are difficult for competitors to match. In addition to its rock-bottom prices, Walmart also offers customers a convenient one-stop shopping experience with a wide variety of merchandise all under one roof.
The company has continued to grow steadily over the years, and today it generates annual revenues of over $500 billion. Walmart is truly a retail powerhouse, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Alibaba
Alibaba is a Chinese multinational conglomerate specializing in e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology. Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma, Alibaba has grown to become one of the world’s largest companies. With over 660 million active users, Alibaba is the world’s largest online and mobile commerce company. In 2013, Alibaba had the biggest public offering in history, raising $25 billion.
Alibaba’s business model is based on providing a platform for businesses to sell to consumers and other businesses. The company does not directly sell products or services itself. Instead, it makes money from fees charged to businesses that use its platform. Alibaba also generates revenue from advertising and through its own online payment system, AliPay.
Alibaba has been incredibly successful in China, where it has a dominant market share. But the company is now looking to expand internationally. It has made significant investments in India, where it sees huge potential for growth. Alibaba is also looking to enter developed markets like the United States.
Netflix
Netflix is a streaming service for movies and TV shows. It has over 130 million subscribers in over 190 countries. Netflix was founded on August 29, 1997, in Scotts Valley, California. Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph are the co-founders of Netflix. The company started as a DVD-by-mail service. In 2007, they introduced a streaming service which allowed instant streaming of TV shows and movies on personal computers. The company then became available on devices like Xbox, Playstation, Apple products, and smart TVs. In 2013, they produced their own series (House of Cards) and released all episodes at once so that viewers could “binge watch” the entire series. This new business model was very successful and led to them producing more original content like Narcos, Stranger Things, and The Crown.
Amazon.com
Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com is an online retail and technology company based in Seattle, Washington. With over 150 million active customers worldwide, Amazon is the most popular e-commerce website in the world. In addition to selling books, music, and other consumer goods, Amazon also manufactures and sells electronic consumer goods under its own brand name, such as the Kindle e-reader and Fire TV streaming media player. The company also provides cloud computing services to businesses and individuals through its Amazon Web Services subsidiary. Amazon has been extremely successful since its inception, with annual revenues exceeding $100 billion in 2017.
McDonald’s
In 1955, Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. Today, McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast food restaurant chain, serving 68 million customers in 119 countries each day. McDonald’s has been successful due to its focus on providing a consistent product, affordable prices, and excellent customer service. The company has also been innovative, introducing new menu items (such as the McGriddle and McFlurry), re-imaging its restaurants, and using technology to improve the customer experience.
