What connects Sir Ken Morrison, Apple and David Potts · Growth Syndicate

What connects Sir Ken Morrison, Apple and David Potts

Today: 20 October. A reminder that success is built, not inherited.

On 20 October 1931, Sir Ken Morrison was born in Bradford.

He took a small family market stall and built Morrisons into one of the UK’s biggest supermarket chains. No privilege. No shortcuts. Just relentless standards and a commitment to serving customers better than anyone else.

But Ken Morrison was not the only one who built from the ground up.

David Potts left school on a Friday and started as a shelf–filler at Tesco on the Monday.

By 21 he was the youngest store manager in the company.

He rose through the ranks to Tesco’s main board, leading Ireland and later international operations in Asia, before becoming CEO of Morrisons in 2015, where he led one of the most significant retail turnarounds of the last decade.

I know Dave personally and he shared this journey on my podcast. Proof that where you start has nothing to do with where you can go.

And on 20 October 2001, Apple launched the iPod.

It was not the most advanced technology in the world. It was not even first to market. But it was the moment Apple stopped surviving and started leading. One product transformed the company because it did one thing brilliantly and captured global imagination.

Three stories.

Three different worlds.

One truth.

Success does not belong to the lucky.

It belongs to the committed.

It is not about background.

It is not about money.

It is not about having the perfect plan.

It is about:

Clarity of direction

Consistency of effort

Courage to move when others hesitate