Failure Is Not Final. A Setback is a Setup!

Harland was born in 1890 and raised on a farm. He was only five years old when his dad died. Life became a real struggle. As the eldest child at the age of five, Sanders was left to care for his two siblings while his mother took a job at a canning plant to make ends meet. Harland was 7 years old when his mother taught him how to cook.

At 14 he dropped out of school and hit the road. He tried odd jobs as a farmhand, hated it. Tried being a streetcar conductor, hated it.

At 16 he lied about his age and joined the army – and hated it. When his one-year reenlistment was up, he headed out and tried his hand at blacksmithing, and failed. Next Harland tried his hand at being a railroad locomotive fireman and he liked that.

At 18 he got married and within a few months found out he was going to be a dad. It just so happened that his wife announced she was pregnant on the same day he was fired from his locomotive fireman job.

Then Harland found a job that he loved and it loved him back. He became a chief cook in a restaurant and this was great… until the day the new highway opened several miles away and all the traffic stopped. Diners stopped. The restaurant closed its doors, never to open again.

Harland had found what he loved doing so he was not going to be dismayed or distressed by this. He decided to open his own restaurant so he made a commitment and took over a lease of a petrol station that had excellent visibility for the motorist.

In 1937 Harland expanded his restaurant to 140 seats, and in 1940 purchased a motel across the street. His restaurant was so successful that he received acknowledgement and recognition from the state governor and was given the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel.

Harland sold his first franchise, which opened on September 24, 1952, in Salt Lake City, Utah. became one of the first fast-food chains to expand internationally. Now, in 2021 there are over 25,000 restaurants carrying his brand and eating his food.

Moral of the story:

If you're overwhelmed by rejection or discouraged by setbacks, remember the story of Harland. We all know him. Harland is Colonel Harland Sanders and his brand – where he served his 11 original herbs and spices recipe fried chicken - is called Kentucky Fried Chicken.