Inspiring Stories of Successful people

Fred Smith
When Fred Smith attended Yale University Business School, he wrote a project paper on the concept of overnight package delivery. The professor awarded Smith a "C minus" for it. This was because he reasoned the proposal had little potential as the postal industry was monopolized by the US Mail. Who would want to send a package through another courier when there was the US Mail? Undeterred, Smith put his money where his mouth was and started Federal Express. On the first day of business, his goal was to deliver 167 packages. However, he only delivered 7, 5 of which were packages sent to himself. Today, Federal Express is one of the World's largest overnight delivery companies.


Arthur Fry
The glue used in 3M Post-It pads was originally meant for fixed surfaces like the bulletin board. A 3M chemist, Arthur Fry, thought of other uses but could not find any for this glue. One evening, while he was practicing singing with his choir at North Presbyterian Church in St Paul, a light breeze blew his hymn sheets away. He was irritated. Then- Aha! He had a creative insight. To prevent the hymn sheets from flying away, he used the glue to stick paper onto paper. The Post-It pad was born. Fry received a yearly royalty for his invention.