Whatever It Takes

Starting a business isn’t easy. There will be plenty of challenges on your journey and they’ll be times when you’ll need to dig deep. Those that are able to keep moving forward will survive.

Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company.

It’s Everett factory in Washington State is the biggest building in the world.

It supplies aircraft to 150 countries around the world and employs more than 150,000 people.

You get the idea. It’s a significant contributor to the US economy.  

It’s kind of a big deal. An organisation that’s ‘too big to fail.’

And yet, there was a time early on in it’s history where it nearly went under.

Boeing was founded in 1916 by William Boeing.  

A Yale graduate, he had worked initially in the timber industry where he had learnt a lot about wood and it’s suitability for aircraft construction.

When World War I ended, ex-military planes flooded the market. It made it very hard for aircraft manufacturers to sell new planes.

Many went out of business. They weren’t prepared to think of other ways to survive.

Boeing did.

They started making furniture and flat bottomed aluminum boats called ‘Sea Sleds’ to make ends meet.

Later, as the market for new planes began to improve Boeing were in a healthy position to capitalise.

The rest is history.

So please remember these words when you’re facing a hurdle in your business:

Do whatever it takes.