For many businesses, making it onto the Inc. 5000 list is just the start of their journey. Markets fluctuate, consumer preferences shift, and small management errors can turn into major issues. While some companies manage these changes and remain essential small to medium-sized enterprises, others reach greater heights.
Among the companies that have grown beyond the Inc. 5000 to become household names are Zoom, Yelp, Domino’s, Zillow, Chobani, AMC Theatres, and Facebook. We reviewed past coverage of six such companies to understand how they transformed rapid growth into lasting success.
When Chobani applied to the Inc. 5000 in 2012, it had already made waves by sponsoring the London Olympic Games that year. Inc.’s editors were intrigued by Chobani’s story, particularly the journey of its founder and CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya. A native of Turkey, Ulukaya was struck by the low-quality yogurt available in the U.S. When he received a mail advertisement in 2005 about a Kraft factory for sale, he saw an opportunity to address this issue. Ulukaya secured a loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and started Chobani in August of that year with just five employees.
By 2011, Chobani’s annual revenue had soared to over $600 million, growing at a rate of 2,662 percent. By the following year, the company had surpassed $1 billion in total revenue. Today, Chobani, which recently acquired fellow Inc. 5000 alum La Colombe, is valued at an estimated $10 billion and remains a private company.
In an interview with Inc. last September, Ulukaya reflected on his journey. He attributed Chobani’s success to several factors: his willingness to embrace the unknown, a common trait among immigrants; his hard work and personal investment in the business; and his trust in his own ideas. This combination, he believes, is key to success.
“There’s an excitement, a can-do attitude, a magic, to thinking like an immigrant,” Ulukaya said. “It allowed me to concentrate, to stay in the moment.”
