Fight Through Barriers
Panera Bread founder Ron Shaich approached the Clark University administration with his idea for a campus convenience store. They weren't keen on the idea and declined. The Panera story could have ended there, but entrepreneurs fight through barriers. Shaich appealed the decision to the student body council and won their support.
He spent his sophomore and junior year running the convenience store. He sold anything students wanted: drinks, cookies, candy. Every morning his assistant manager came to his apartment at 5AM. They went to a discount supermarket, bought 10-15 baskets of products, and sold them in the store. He hired 20-30 students.
“I was more interested in that store than academics,” Shaich said.
About this image. Sarah Lee sees photography as "a mode of visual problem solving above the surface or below." I love this image of fighting through a wave, coming up for air. Entrepreneurs and surfers must fight through forces that stand in their way."
This post is part of a series of entrepreneurial lessons from Panera Bread. Subscribe below for updates as each is released.
