3M’s Failure Was Their Beginning

What IKEA, CVS, and TES Can Teach You About Building Your Career Identity

Some of the world’s most successful brands started with complicated names that they simplified into memorable acronyms. IKEA isn’t just a random set of letters—it stands for Ingvar Kamprad (the founder’s name) and Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (his farm and hometown). CVS? Consumer Value Stores. Even KFC was once Kentucky Fried Chicken before health-conscious consumers made “fried” a dirty word.

Let’s explore what these acronym success stories can teach you about building your own career identity—and why you don’t have to figure it out alone.

1. IKEA: From Swedish Farm Boy to Global Empire

Ingvar Kamprad was just 17 when he founded IKEA in 1943. The name combines his initials (IK) with Elmtaryd (his family farm) and Agunnaryd (his hometown in Sweden). What started as a mail-order business selling pens and wallets became a $48 billion furniture empire. The lesson? Your humble beginnings can become a source of strength. According to Statista, IKEA operates 462 stores across 63 countries—all from a name that honors a teenage farm boy’s roots.

2. CVS: Evolving Beyond Your Original Promise

Consumer Value Stores launched in 1963, promising exactly what the name implied: value for consumers. But as the company evolved into a healthcare giant, the full name became limiting. The acronym CVS allowed them to expand beyond just “value stores” into pharmacies, clinics, and insurance. Today, CVS Health generates over $322 billion in annual revenue (Fortune 500, 2023). Sometimes your career plan needs room to grow beyond your original vision.

3. 3M: From Mining Failure to Innovation Leader

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company sounds like a regional industrial supplier. 3M sounds like a forward-thinking innovation company. This rebrand helped them expand from failed mining operations into creating 60,000 products, including Post-it Notes. With $34.2 billion in sales (3M Annual Report 2023), they prove that you can successfully pivot from your original plan.

4. AT&T: Simplifying the Complex

American Telephone and Telegraph Company was a mouthful even in 1885. AT&T made it accessible. Despite industry upheavals, the brand remains one of the most recognizable in telecommunications, serving over 100 million wireless subscribers (AT&T Investor Relations 2024).

The Real Lesson: It’s Not About the Letters, It’s About the Pivot

Here’s what is often missed about these acronym success stories. It wasn’t the name change that made them successful—it was their willingness to pivot. To evolve. To see themselves differently. This pivot is not just a change, it’s an empowerment, a way to take control of your career identity.

CVS didn’t just shorten its name; it pivoted from a discount store to a healthcare company. 3M didn’t just become three letters; it pivoted from a failed mining venture to innovation. IKEA didn’t just create an acronym; they pivoted from mail-order pens to furniture revolution. 

These companies succeeded because they were willing to change how they saw themselves fundamentally. And that’s precisely what The Entrepreneur’s Source® (TES) has been helping people do for 40 years—pivot from seeing yourself as an employee to seeing yourself as the owner of your career.

The TES Pivot: From Employee Mindset to Ownership Thinking

At The Entrepreneur’s Source®, we’re often referred to as TES by our clients. But our real power isn’t in our acronym—it’s in our ability to help you pivot your entire identity. Just like CVS pivoted from stores to healthcare, we help you pivot from job seeker to career ownership. For instance, we’ve helped individuals transition from corporate roles to successful franchise ownership, from traditional employment to consulting, and from job security to financial independence.

Our Career Ownership Coaches™ are pivot specialists. They are experienced professionals who have successfully navigated their own career pivots and are now dedicated to helping others do the same. They provide personalized guidance, support, and resources to help you make the transition from employee mindset to ownership thinking.

“I need a job” to “I create opportunities”: When 3M’s mining venture failed, they didn’t look for other mining jobs. They pivoted to manufacturing. When your corporate career ends, why look for another corporate job? 

“I have skills” to “I have assets“: IKEA’s founder didn’t just have carpentry skills—he had a vision for how furniture should be sold. Your decades of experience aren’t just resume bullets; they’re the foundation for career ownership. MIT research shows that founders over 50 are twice as likely to succeed as 30-year-olds, precisely because they can leverage their experience into opportunities.

“I work for security” to “I create security”: AT&T pivoted from telegraph to telephone to wireless to entertainment. They didn’t cling to what was safe—they evolved toward what was possible. 

How Career Ownership Coaches™ Enable Your Pivot

This is where TES becomes transformational. We help you pivot your entire self-concept, just like those billion-dollar brands pivoted their business models.

The Identity Pivot: The Hardest Part Isn’t Learning Business Skills—it’s Unlearning Employee Thinking. After 20 or 30 years of seeking approval, following directions, and fitting into corporate culture, you’ve forgotten how to think like an owner. We help you rediscover that independent spirit. 

The Risk Pivot: Employees see risk in leaving stability. Owners see risk in depending on others. We help you pivot from fearing career ownership to fearing employment dependency. Your pivot might seem risky until it generates your financial freedom.

The Value Pivot: Employees Create Value for Others. Owners create value for themselves. We help you pivot from giving your best years to someone else’s dream to building your own.

The Timeline Pivot: Employees think in pay periods. Owners believe in decades. We help you pivot from two-week pay cycles to five-year strategies.

The Pivot That Changes Everything

Those famous acronyms—IKEA, CVS, 3M, AT&T—they’re not really about letters. They’re about companies brave enough to pivot, to evolve, to become something more than their original vision.

At TES, we’ve spent 40 years perfecting the ultimate pivot: helping employees change their identity. You stop asking “Who’s hiring?” and start asking “What’s possible?” You stop fearing layoffs and begin building a legacy.

Your Career Ownership Coach™ is ready to guide you past the paralysis and into prosperity. With TES, you’re not alone in this journey. We’re here to support you every step of the way, ensuring you feel reassured and confident in your pivot.

And action starts with a conversation. Let TES help you write your success story. Don’t wait, take the first step towards your career pivot today. Your future is waiting.

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About Your Career Revolution

Our mission is to help individuals explore self-sufficiency as an alternative career.

We help them define their Income, Lifestyle, Wealth, and Equity goals and provide education on the best ways to achieve them. We don’t sell franchises – we help people achieve their dreams of self-sufficiency through business ownership. The approach is different, the experience is different. And it works.

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