Bootstrapped Founders Spotlight - Steve Ells (Chipotle)
Nothing says Americana like Mexican food. And nobody embodies that phrase better than Chipotle. Chipotle was never meant to blow up… in fact, it was only ever a means to an end, a temporary side business until founder Steve Ells could achieve his bigger dream.
Nothing says Americana like Mexican food. And nobody embodies that phrase better than Chipotle.
Chipotle was never meant to blow up… in fact, it was only ever a means to an end, a temporary side business until founder Steve Ells could achieve his bigger dream.
But with a highly profitable and watertight economic model that would make any Harvard Business School graduate lick their lips, Ells managed to grow this side hustle into a booming business with 2,800 locations across the US, quickly growing Chipotle into a fast-food behemoth with over 6 billion dollars in annual revenue.
Although many might classify Chipotle as an instant success, the road to turning it into one of America's favourite fast-food restaurants was a bumpy one. It would test Steve Ells grit and determination and put him through the wringer, even when he thought that the future was all but guaranteed.
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