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Comment by imjk | Hacker News Reader

If there's an important lesson from that car wash/fast food chain/whatever that can be applied to start-ups, then I'd encourage posting about it here.

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I miss on the important lessons. Those two chains grew because they cared about their customers above all else, we are told. But what about thousands of chains all over the world that grow despite having no special focus on the customer? Save marketing pitches.

What makes these two chains stand out? Do they, really? How would one prove their success isn't random or fueled by some other factor?

All valid points that could make for great discussion. Perhaps this story isn't the greatest example, but I've seen much less related submissions that have made for great discussion and applicable contributions to startups/technology.

The reason they stand out most is their consistency over the decade. The consistency they have as they expand. India is a lot different scenario than the rest of the world. Tackling innovation alone won't get you far. There are so many factors starting from purchase of license, regular bribing the police, rogues etc etc. Besides, this is a story of an uneducated person raising this big a company. Gathering customers without use of a computer or internet. I believe this is an important lesson for all startups for this reason. It shows going beating the usual, taking the untrodden path can take you miles.

Most of those points stand for other fast food or supermarket chains as well. And the cases of single place becoming a chain usually feature owner without a formal business education.

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