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Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Saturday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world’s most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

Today, we’re covering KFC and Harland Sanders’ journey to global fried chicken empire.

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What you’ll learn:

Cheers,

Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. We want to be worthy of your time. I respond to every email.

Harland Sanders was 65 years old when he started KFC. Let that sink in. Most people at that age are thinking about retirement. Sanders was just getting started.

His early life wasn't easy. Born in 1890, Sanders lost his father at age 5. By 7, he was cooking for his family. At 13, he left home to work as a farmhand. He bounced from job to job - streetcar conductor, insurance salesman, tire salesman. Nothing stuck.

In 1930, at the height of the Great Depression, Sanders began serving travelers who stopped at his service station in Corbin, Kentucky. He served them chicken. Good chicken. Really good chicken.

"If you've got a good product, you don't have to be a great marketer," Sanders once said.

The chicken was a hit. Sanders' reputation grew. But success was far from assured.

In 1955, disaster struck. The new Interstate 75 was built, bypassing Corbin and Sanders' restaurant. At 65, Sanders was broke.

Most would have given up. Not Sanders. He had a secret weapon - his chicken recipe. He believed in it. Completely.

Sanders hit the road, visiting restaurants and offering his chicken recipe franchise. He slept in his car to save money. He was rejected over 1,000 times.

"I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could," Sanders recalled. "And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me."

Finally, in 1952, he convinced Pete Harman in Salt Lake City to use his recipe. It was a turning point. The chicken sold well. Other restaurants took notice.

By 1960, there were 200 KFC franchises. By 1963, there were 600.

In 1964, at 73, Sanders sold the company for $2 million (about $17 million today). But he wasn't done. He became a brand ambassador, traveling 250,000 miles a year to visit KFC restaurants.

"I don't fear that I'll die," Sanders once said. "I fear that I'll die with something left undone."

KFC faced challenges after Sanders sold the company. It changed hands several times. Quality sometimes suffered. But the core of what made KFC successful - that secret recipe - remained.

Today, KFC is everywhere. It has over 25,000 locations in more than 145 countries.

But numbers don't tell the whole story. KFC's success is about more than chicken. It's about perseverance. It's about believing in yourself when no one else does. It's about getting up after you've been knocked down - again and again and again.

"I've only had two rules," Sanders once said. "Do all you can and do it the best you can."

Simple rules. But they worked for a 65-year-old man with a chicken recipe and a dream. They can work for you too.

Lesson 1: Consistency breeds trust. KFC's "secret recipe" of 11 herbs and spices isn't just a marketing gimmick. It's a promise to customers. Every KFC, anywhere in the world, aims to deliver that same familiar taste. This consistency built customer loyalty. As Dave Brewer, KFC's Chief Operating Officer, put it: "Our customers expect a certain flavor profile and a certain quality, and we have to deliver that every single time." Consistency is hard. But it's worth it.

Lesson 2: Speed isn't everything. Colonel Sanders didn't start KFC until he was 65. He was rejected 1,009 times before someone bought his franchise. But he persevered. As he said, "I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could." Success doesn't have an expiration date. Don't rush. Build something that lasts.

Lesson 3: Make your product impossible to ignore. Sanders didn't just sell chicken. He created an experience. He wore a white suit and black string tie. He grew a goatee. He called himself "Colonel." It was theatrical. It was memorable. It was different. "I don't mind being a symbol," he said. "But I don't want to become a monument." This approach made KFC stand out in a crowded market.

Lesson 4: Don't be afraid to start small. KFC began in a gas station. Sanders served travelers who stopped for fuel. He put six chairs around his dining room table. That's it. "I don't fear that I'll die," Sanders once said. "I fear that I'll die with something left undone." Start where you are. Use what you have.

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

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