Are you chicken?
The touching tale of Harland Sander’s ultimate success in the face of lifelong failure.
As he sits under a tree to write his will, 65-year-old Harland Sanders looks back on his life’s journey. But instead of dwelling on all his many failures, he instead thinks about how much life he still has left to live, and how he should make the most out of it. Suddenly jolted out of his depression, the soon-to-be Colonel immediately begins to pursue the thing he can do better than anyone else: cook. He borrows $87 from the bank, refines his fried chicken recipe, and gets to work.
Have you ever felt the pang of rejection? Nobody enjoys it, and the feeling lingers longer than we would like most of the time. However, it is usually not permanent. Eventually you go back to your normal way of life and put the past in the past. Not Colonel Sanders. He faced hardship around every corner of life, and he couldn’t seem to escape it.
Harland Sander’s father died when he was merely five years old. His mother had to work, so Harland was left to care and cook for his two younger siblings. Cooking for his mother became something he truly enjoyed, but little did he know that his favorite past-time would one day become his career. So in order to support his family, he dropped out of school at age 13 to start work. In the years to come, he would hold a series of odd jobs, such as a railway worker and insurance salesperson. But time and time again, he was fired. Despite these setbacks, Harland refused to give up.
Years later, at age 40, Sanders decided to open a small restaurant in a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky, where he sold fried chicken and other southern staples. It was during this time that he discovered his passion for cooking. His cooking became so popular, that he soon went from a station with no seating, to 142-seat restaurant. He spent the next nine years perfecting the method of cooking his chicken, releasing his unique blend of spices in 1939. His life seemed to finally be coming together.
Fast forward twenty-so years, and his restaurant is still booming. For his unparalleled success, the Governor of Kentucky, Lawrence Wetherby, dubbed Harland as “Colonel Sanders”. Prompted by his newfound status, he began developing his new persona. Soon enough, a bleached goatee and white suit would become his trademark able to be recognized all over the globe. What could possibly go wrong?
Apparently, everything.
In 1955, more than 15 years since its opening, the restaurant took an immense hit. An interstate was built which diverted traffic from his location, which devastated his odds of future success. In selling his properties, he once again found himself in the middle of crisis. But did he buckle under the pressure? Of course not. More motivated than ever, the Colonel went out in search of someone who would buy the rights to his “original recipe.” His proposition was rejected about 1,000 times before he found a restaurant owner who agreed to use it. Not many 65 year old men possess that level of determination.
“I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.”
However, Sanders did not have the necessary business skills nor a willing heir to be able to own the company himself. Fortunately for him, he met John Y. Brown, a Kentucky salesman willing to run the KFC franchise. Sanders soon turned the restaurant over to Brown, signing a contract that included a lifetime salary as well as an agreement to remain the company’s trademark. Before long, KFC became the largest fast food operation in the United States. What started out as a mere 5 cents per chicken license had flourished into an empire. Who knew that such large success could come from such a humble beginning?
As per the contract, Colonel Sanders retained significant control over the executives, and made it clear when he disagreed with corporate decisions. When the company headquarters was moved from Kentucky to Nashville, Tennessee, Sanders is quoted as saying “This ain’t no goddam Tennessee Fried Chicken, no matter what some slick, silk-suited sonofabitch says.” On several occasions he tried to argue for the exclusive rights he believed he deserved, but to no avail. He was to remain a figurehead. But the prospects were still good for the Colonel.
Sanders, along with his associates, created the slogan “finger-lickin” good to be the public face of Kentucky Fried Chicken. After years of expansion overseas, KFC became the second-most popular fast food chain in the world. Granting he was a huge success, the company’s rapid growth across boarders was too overwhelming for Sanders. Consequently, in 1964, he sold KFC to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown and a man named Jack C. Massey for $2 million, which would be $15.4 million today.
None of this would have been possible if Harland Sanders had continued to live his mundane life and never took a risk to follow what he was truly passionate about. He ventured into the unknown and came out the other side stronger than ever. So don’t be afraid to chase after your dreams, because chances are that is what you are meant to do. And once you find your calling, stick to it. Never give up. Because who knows, maybe you’re a millionaire in the making.
