They used their name as a brand, and now it’s a legacy!

Have you ever thought how it would be if you used your name as a brand and were lucky enough to become famous? I secretly think we all want to be successful entrepreneurs. Think about Gucci, Adidas, Ferrari, Disney, and Chanel. All of these well-known companies began with an aspirational businessperson who wasn’t scared to risk their reputation.

However, every iconic logo has a backstory of vision, risk, and perseverance. Some were luckier than others for sure but their stories are pretty catchy.

While some of these founders started with just a dream and an idea, others used their inventiveness and business acumen to completely transform entire sectors. Who were the fearless thinkers behind these iconic brands, then? Prepare to explore their journeys—some startling, some inspirational, but all worth remembering.

Thomas Lipton -Lipton ice tea

Who likes having an iced tea during the summer to cool themselves off? Then you probably drink Lipton a lot. But do you know who is the one who used his name as a brand that lately made him famous, and his tea is still globally selling? I’ll tell you his story.

In 1850, Sir Thomas Lipton, the founder, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Lipton had an adventurous childhood, traveling the world as a cabin boy aboard a steamship before opening a modest grocery store in Glasgow in 1870.

Lipton quickly established a chain of stores throughout the United Kingdom. By the time he was forty, this business had turned him into a self-made millionaire.

After his grocery stores became successful, Lipton went on to create a tea empire. Tea was considered a luxury in the 1800s, only accessible to affluent households, but he wanted to make it accessible to everyone. By eliminating the middleman and purchasing his plantations in what is now Sri Lanka, Lipton was able to lower the price.

Lipton became known for offering high-quality goods at reasonable costs. The multinational conglomerate CVC Capital Partners currently owns Lipton Tea.

Adolf Dassler – Adidas

Adolf Dassler, the designer of Adidas, is another well-known figure, but not many people are familiar with his background. So, let’s see. There were many speculations regarding what “Adidas” means, and the most common one was All Day I Dream About Sports. In reality, though, the brand was named after its founder, Adolf “Adi” Dassler. In 1900, Dassler was born in a small German town.

Dassler began his career as an apprentice baker, but after his family established a shoemaking company, he changed careers and joined his brother Rudi, who later founded the rival company Puma after the brothers drifted apart.

After Dassler died in 1978, his son Horst Dassler took over the business. The most recent numbers from Statista show that Adidas is worth $15.7 billion right now.

Estée Lauder

Josephine Esther Mentzer is another person who used her own name as a brand, and it’s still a worldwide success. She grew up in Queens, New York, with parents who came from Hungary as Jews. When she was a teenager, her uncle would make creams and lotions in the family kitchen, which sparked her interest in skin care.

Estée Lauder was born in 1908 as Josephine Esther Mentzer. She grew up in Queens, New York, with parents who came from Hungary as Jews. When she was a teenager, her uncle would make creams and lotions in the family kitchen, which sparked her interest in skin care.

Lauder learned from him how to create these potions and apply them topically. It was in the late 1920s that Lauder married Joseph Lauder, a businessman.

As soon as they moved to Manhattan, Lauder started selling her goods in beauty salons. Estée and her husband started the Estée Lauder Company when they went into business together in 1946.

It’s also interesting to point out that Lauder was a real entrepreneur, and her work paid off extremely well. Even today her products are sold worldwide, and many people can swear by their quality.

Calvin Klein

Everybody knows about Calvin Klein, but not many people know the story of the one who used his name as a brand, and it was a tremendous success! Born in 1942 in the Bronx, Calvin Klein was the one who would become a famous fashion designer with millions of products sold worldwide from 1968 to today.

Due to his connection with Baron de Gunzburg, he was able to launch his company which made him known in the fashion scene. Klein was elected into the Coty Hall of Fame in 1975 when he was 33 years old.

He was the youngest designer to ever receive this honor. Calvin Klein is known for its underwear, perfumes, and watches these days. Klein is thought to be worth $800 million.

Walt Disney

His birthplace was Chicago, where he was born in 1901. Disney loved to draw as a child, and this love of art would help him become famous as an adult.

Walt’s first job as a commercial illustrator was when he was 18. In the early 1920s, he moved to California and opened Disney Brother Studios with his brother Roy. This is where he made Mickey Mouse, which was his first big hit.

Disney and his company went on to make movies like Fantasia, Dumbo, Cinderella, and Mary Poppins, which were all huge hits. Then he took his business to amusement parks. In 1955, Disneyland opened in California.

Unfortunately, he left us too soon at only 64 years old, leaving behind a huge amount of work. There is no one else in the world who has won as many Academy Awards as he has—26. The Walt Disney Company is worth about $240 billion right now.

Ben and Jerry

These two are the best examples of two childhood best friends who were brave enough to start a business together, even if the idea was just a small thing in the beginning. After all, empires aren’t built in a day, right?

They chose to take a $5 Penn State University course on how to make ice cream by mail. In Burlington, Vermont, they opened their first ice cream shop in a gas station that had been fixed up with just $12,000, which would be about $58,000 today.

Cohen has anosmia, which means he can’t taste or smell anything. He needs different textures in his food to keep things interesting, and it was his condition that led to the creation of the company’s famous chunks, which are mixed in with the ice cream.

After the business did well, Cohen and Greenfield sold it to Unilever for $326 million, about $597 million today. They don’t have any board or management roles in the company, but their names are still on the product.

We all know about McDonald’s, KFC, Chanel, Kellogg, and other famous names, but as this article shows, not many people know about the person behind the brand.
If you’re interested in learning more about people, let’s continue exploring this topic about those who used their name as a brand and it was a total success. The book “Famous Names, Forgotten People: 250 Stories of Forgotten People Behind Our Brand Names” (The Man Behind The Brand Book 2) will certainly tickle your curiosity. It can be your only on Kindle format on Amazon for $5.25.
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