From the Desk of

 

Former Army Private

Was Entrepreneurial Trailblazer

Colonel Harland Sanders

 

Before he was an honorary Kentucky colonel, Harland Sanders was a private in the U.S. Army.

And he would go on to prove that a veteran, even at age 65, can start and operate a hugely successful business.

Harland David Sanders was born September 9, 1890, in Henryville, Ind.. His father died when Harland was only 7, so young Harland learned to cook for the family. It was skill he would nurture for the rest of his life.

Sanders enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private in 1906. He told the recruiter he was 21, but Sanders actually was not yet 16.

"I guess I ought to be ashamed of lying, but in those days you weren't blamed too much for a little lie if you needed to get a job," Sanders said, according to "The Colonel: The Captivating Biography of the Dynamic Founder of a Fast Food Empire" by John Ed Pearce.

Sanders spent almost his entire military career, about a year, serving in Cuba.

After mustering out, he worked at the variety of jobs.

By the 1930s, he was operating a service station in Corbin, Kentucky. And it was there that he started selling more than just fuel.

According to the KFC.com Web site, 40-year-old Sanders "began cooking for hungry travelers who stopped in for gas. He didn't have a restaurant yet, so patrons ate from his own dining table in the station's humble living quarters."

His chicken recipe proved to be wildly popular. In 1935, according to the KFC Web site, Kentucky's governor made Sanders an honorary Kentucky colonel "in recognition of his contributions to the state's cuisine.

During World War II, the newly constructed I-75 expressway rerouted potential customers away from Sanders' restaurant. And by the 1950s he was forced to sell it.

But but he didn't give up. In 1955, at age 65, using his first $105 Social Security check, Sanders started selling his his secret recipe to restaurants.

By 1960, according to KFC's Web site, there were 400 KFC franchise units in the United States and Canada. Four years later, that number had grown to 600 and Sanders sold the company to a group of investors for for $2 million.

He stayed on as the company's spokesman, sporting a white beard, a string bowtie and his trademark white suit.

He died in 1980 at the age of 90.

Are you a veteran who would like to start your own business? Or the spouse of a veteran? Or a member of the Guard and Reserve?

If so, the non-profit Vetbiz Central can help you get started, no matter how old you are. We also can help you if you own an existing business.

Vetbiz Central offers training and assistance to veterans and their families. We can talk to you about securing government contracts, developing business plans, getting business loans and finding mentors.

For more details, see this Web site or call us at (810) 767-8387 or toll-free at (866) 8387.

Carl Stoddard

Maj. ANG (Ret.)

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