Choice, not circumstances, determines your success.

Je wajua ni vipi kampuni hii ilipewa jina hili la Shell (Makombe)? kuna mahusiano gani kati ya Kombe na mafuta? je ni nini historia ya kampuni hii na mmiliki wake? ifuatayo ni historia fupi sana juu ya kampuni hii:- 

Some years ago, a young entrepreneur called Marcus Samuel set up a small shop in the East End London. He spotted a growing craze for seashells, partly for decoration, and partly for natural history enthusiasts. He set about specializing in this market.

 

After a while, and being an enterprising type of chap, he soon realized he could make some more money from actually shipping the shells in from the Far East selling them to other shops. The Marcus Samuel shipping and trading Company was born.

 

On a business trip there, his son spotted that there was also abundance of oil, which they could ship at the same time, and built a special boat for this. This year was 1890, and the company changed its name, in recognition of its main cargo, to the Shell Transport and Trading Company. As the demand for oil really took off and replaced the shells, the company became good old Shell Oil.

Shell is today the largest retailer in the world. 

Bila shaka hadithi hii fupi sana itakuwa imekupa picha fulani, na kama utakuwa mmoja wa wale ambao ulikuwa haujui jinsi gani Kampuni hii ya Shell ilianzishwa. 

Lakini jambo kubwa la kujifunza katika hadithi hii fupi ni uthubutu wa kuamua, Bwana Marcus alikuwa anafanya biashara ya Kombe (Seashells), alianza kuokota, kukusanya na kisha kufungua kiosk na kuuza, lakini hakulidhika na kiosk aliamua kuanza kusafirisha nje ya nchi na hatimaye Mashariki ya mbali, akawa mfanyabiashara wa kimataifa. 

Watu wengi (wafanyabiashara, waajiriwa, waliojiajiri nk) wakifika hapo uwa wanajenga tabia ya kuridhika, na kuona maisha wameyapatia, katika hatua hiyo wengi udhani wanajua zaidi ya yeyote na kuwa hakuna mtu anaweza kumshauri kuhusu biashara ama fursa nyingine ya kuwekeza, wanakuwa katika COMFORT ZONE,  si pabaya ila si pazuri pia. 

Marcus Samuel alishauriwa na mwanae juu ya kujaribu fursa ya mafuta, biashara mpya kabisa ambayo hawajai kuifanya, lakini pia ambayo ilihitaji mtaji mkubwa zaidi ya ule waliokuwa nao, mtu aliye kwenye COMFORT ZONE angesema, achana nayo hii yatosha sana, yanini hiyo? kwani hapa pesa hatupati? wapi tutapata pesa zoote kuanzisha biashara hiyo? je tutauza wapi? 

Kumbuka kuwa miaka ile 1890 hakukuwa viwanda, mitambo ama magari mengi yanayotumia mafuta kama hii leo, asilimia kubwa ya magari yalikuwa ni ya kuvutwa na farasi, lakini bado Marcus Samuel aliamua, "ALICHAGUA" pasipo kuangalia "CIRCUMSTANCES" kufanya biashara hiyo, na hivi leo ni kampuni kubwa sana ya mafuta duniani?  

Utaona kuwa, ni kweli:- "Choice, not circumstances, determines your success." 

Source: Caspian Woods - From acorn: