Do you know which company sells the most motorcycles in the world? If you answer Honda, then you’re right. Honda Motor Company is one of the biggest automobile makers in the world.
How Soichiro Honda started.
In the 1930s, Japan was hit badly by the Great Depression. It was around that time Soichiro Honda started a little workshop, developing the idea of a piston ring, used in cars.
His plan was simple – to develop a great piston ring and then sell the rights to Toyota, which was a big company at that time.
And so Honda worked day and night. And for many nights, he had to sleep in the workshop. When he was running out of working capital, he had to pawn his wife’s jewelry for money.
Finally, his hard work paid off. He completed his piston ring design and then took a sample to Toyota, but he was turned down. Toyota told him that his design did not meet their standards.
Soichiro Honda was ridiculed, but he didn’t give up. He chose to continue to improve his design.
Two years later, he showed his improved design to Toyota. And this time, he won a contract.
Honda simply refused to give up.
Now that Honda has won the contract with Toyota, he had to find ways to build a factory to supply Toyota.
However, those times were tough due to the war. And building materials were in short supply.
But still, Honda did not give up his dreams. He invented a new concrete-making process that enabled him to build the factory he wanted.
Now that he has the factory and was ready for production, guess what happened next? His factory was destroyed due to the war.
By now, most people would have given up, but not Honda.
Read: 7 Steps How To NOT Give Up On Your Dreams
He then started to collect gasoline cans left by US fighters, which he turned into new raw materials to rebuild his factory and manufacturing process.
But soon after that an earthquake happened, and his factory was leveled.
However, that was not the end of the road for Honda.
The final test before Honda succeeded.
After the war, entire Japan suffered a gasoline shortage. No one would drive because there was not enough gasoline for everyone. People were forced to walk to use bicycles.
Honda then got the idea to install a tiny engine and attached it to his bicycle. His neighbors saw it and wanted one. He tried to make as many small motors as possible and attached them to a bicycle, but he couldn’t find the material required.
And you know what he did? He hand-wrote 18,000 letters and sent all of them to the bicycle shop owners across Japan, asking them to help him revitalize Japan.
5,000 shop owners replied to him and gave him the advanced money he needed to build his small bicycle engines.
At this time, you may think that Honda finally succeeded, but it is not. Honda’s first design was too bulky to work well.
But luckily, his never-give-up mentality helped him improve his design. And that was how “Super Cup” was born. It was the first motorcycle in Japan, developed by Soichiro Honda.
Words spread quickly and The Super Cup became a huge success. Honda then began exporting his motors to Europe and America.
The 3 success lessons you should learn from Soichiro Honda
Today, Honda Corporation is one of the largest automobile companies in the world and employs over 100,000 people across the world.
So, what can you learn from Soichiro Honda and his extraordinary success? Here are 3 lessons you should learn…
1. Believe in your dreams and don’t give up
If you read the story, you will understand that Soichiro Honda was able to make it because he believed in his dreams and simply refused to give up.
No matter how tough or hard the situation becomes, Honda simply did not quit. He chose to believe in his dreams even when all odds were stacked against him.
You have to do the same. Choose to believe in your dreams and do not give up.
2. Treat failure as feedback and constantly improve for growth
The first piston ring design from Honda was rejected by Toyota. He then took that as feedback and worked on improving his design.
The same goes when Honda designed his first motorcycle. It was too bulky. He accepted the feedback and chose to work on improving his product.
When you fail, don’t give up, instead, treat it as feedback and work on improving yourself.
You will face many defeats in your journey, as what Honda has gone through, but you must NOT be defeated. You must work on improving yourself, developing better skills, and turning failures into stepping stones for success.
Read: 3 Fundamental Principles How to Turn Failure Into Success
3. Take massive actions and put in the hard work
That’s right, there’s no success without hard work. If you study successful people who created extraordinary results in life, you will learn that they are extremely hard-working people.
In the early days of Soichiro Honda, he hustled and spent most nights sleeping in his workshops and factory. He worked hard for his goals and dreams.
What about you? Are you willing to wake up early, stay later, and work harder for what you want?
Most people have dreams and goals they want to pursue in life, but they are not willing to put in the hard work to transform what they want into reality.
Therefore, be 100% committed to your dreams. Be willing to take massive action and don’t be afraid to fail. Here’s a great quote from Soichiro Honda you should always keep in your mind…
“Instead of being afraid of the challenge and failure, be afraid of avoiding the challenge and doing nothing.”
