Charles Ranlett Flint is probably not a name that comes to mind right away. We remember names like Rockefeller and Ford, but Flint was maybe just as influential and powerful. If you’ve ever used a computer or ATM (which, of course, you have), you’ve experienced Flint’s technology. 
Today he’s known as a titan of mid-19th Century and early 20th Century business.
Here’s his story.
Flint was born in 1850. His father managed a business firm, which issued loans and financial help to businesses. This would foreshadow Flint’s future career. At 18, Flint entered the world of shipping. Over the next years, he worked for several businesses, including a stint as a business partner. During this time he facilitated the consolidations of multiple businesses and eventually helped form companies like U.S. Rubber, Adams Chewing Gum and Dentyne.
However, it wasn’t until 1911, at the age of 61 that Flint came up with his best business idea yet.
Via a stock acquisition of four separate companies, he formed the Computer-Tabulating-Recording Company, which would later go on to be dubbed International Business Machines or IBM.
The company grew from humble beginnings. It first made machinery like time records and tabulators. But over years, it continued to grow. The company expanded to Europe a second after its creation. By 1937, the company was helping to manage large amounts of essential data, including helping the US record names of Nazi sympathizers during WWII.
By the 1960s, the company partnered with NASA and assisted with the Gemini and Saturn flights. In 1964, the company came out with the first PC computer.
The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011 after decades of revolutionary products and technology.
Today, IBM is known for manufacturing and selling a wide array of computer-related products including software, hardware and middleware. The company also has built world-record-breaking, Jeopardy-playing computers and continues to make strides in research regarding the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. It’s not an overestimation to say that the company revolutionized technology and gave birth to essential products we use every day.
That’s a far cry from when the company was merely offering to assist the U.S. census bureau in its population-monitoring efforts. It’s also a testament to Charles Ranlett Flint’s go-get-em attitude and willingness to continue pursuing his passions long after middle age.
Whether you’re 25, 40 or 65, if you have a passion for hard work and learning something new, a career as a franchise or small business owner may be right for you.
