The Secret Is Out! World¡¯s Six Oldest Businesses Share Their Words Of Wisdom

What comes to your mind when you think about how long a business can survive? 10 years, 100 years or perhaps 500 years? Well, looking at the age of the world's oldest companies is set to surprise you.

World¡¯s oldest businesses are running from as early as 578 A.D. But how did they survive across centuries? To unfold this secret, let us bring to you the lessons and words of wisdom that the world¡¯s oldest businesses had recently shared.

World¡¯s Oldest Businesses Share Their Survival Secrets

The Secret Is Out! World¡¯s Six Oldest Businesses Share Their Words Of Wisdom/istock

1.Kongo Gumi Co. 578

Survival Secret: Find a niche and don¡¯t let go

world's oldest business Kong¨­ Gumi/wikipedia

Prior to its 2006 acquisition by Takamatsu Construction Group, Kongo Gumi held the distinction of being the oldest continuously running business in the world. Even as a subsidiary, it continues to operate in an extremely antiquated manner. Restoration of Buddhist temples and other historic structures is its area of expertise, as per Bloomberg report.

Workers might train for up to ten years, and during that time, they might compete against one another to determine which craftsman could work with the clay and wood that were traditionally used to build temples the most skillfully.

Also Read; Inside The World's Oldest Surviving Bank That Has Been Running Since 1472

2.St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, 803

Survival Secret: Don't be afraid to mix it up

St. Peter Stiftskulinarium/St. Peter

Serving up delights to diners in Salzburg, Austria, for over 1,200 years, St. Peter Stiftskulinarium was praised by one of Charlemagne's courtiers as possessing one of Europe's finest wine collections. It's one of, if not the oldest, restaurant in the world.

According to Nora Wunderwald, a St. Peter public relations representative, the restaurant's origins can reportedly be traced back to the wine cellar, which was constructed to house the monks' valuables in the attached monastery. After all, she claims, the restaurant's aficionados¡ªamong them over the ages Mozart, Faust, and Karl Lagerfeld, who Chanel honored there¡ªneeded something to eat in addition to their wine.

3.The Olde Bell, 1135

Survival Secret: Furniture can change, but service shouldn't

the Olde Bell/tripadvisor

A long time ago, possibly in the reign of King Stephen (who fought against his cousin Matilda, the Holy Roman Empress), you could arrive at the Olde Bell Hotel, which is located approximately 35 miles outside of London, expecting to be served a pint of ale and some bread to dip into your stew. After that, you could crash on a mattress filled with horsehair and resume your journey through medieval England the following morning, as per Bloomberg report.

The concept that every tired and thirsty traveler deserves a place to rest and a pint of ale hasn't changed over the years, despite the Olde Bell's expansion to include additional guest rooms and a nuclear fallout shelter converted into a wine cellar.

Naturally, history breeds more history. former guests of the hotel include Elizabeth Taylor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Boris Karloff. The hotel's comfortable rooms and cozier bar feature original walls that have been stabilized with glass.

4.Santa Maria Novella, 1612

Survival Secret: Signature products are signature products for a reason

Santa Maria Novella/welcometoitalia

The most iconic scent of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, according to CEO and "nose" Gian Luca Perris, is closely associated with its most well-known patron, Catherine de' Medici.

With its base of musk and top notes of petitgrain, Acqua della Regina remains one of Santa Maria Novella's best-selling items, giving modern consumers a chance to relive a little bit of the glitz and romance of bygone eras. According to Perris, the princess brought a perfume maker who was said to have been raised by the friars of Santa Maria Novella in 1533 as a part of her wedding entourage.

The friars, who lived in the Church of Santa Maria Novella monastery, had long experimented with aromatic waters, which were believed to ward off the plague. As a patron and a kind of muse to the pharmacy, Catherine was arguably the most well-known "it" girl of the sixteenth century. Her perfumier was eager to create his best-ever perfume for her wedding scent.

"For their upcoming marriage," Perris claims, "he created a bridal gift for Catherine's future husband: a perfume that enchanted the courts of France by embodying Florence's elegance and grace."

5.Brooks Brothers, 1818

Survival Secret: Focus on your core customer

brooks brothers/ap

Established as a modest apparel producer and retailer in Lower Manhattan, Brooks Brothers has been providing prep school kids and Wall Street bankers with crisp shirts and navy blazers for two centuries, as per Bloomberg report. The company also introduced the ready-to-wear suit and covered downtown office towers with stores stocked with emergency neckties and pocket squares.

Ken Ohashi took over the company in late 2020, which was an odd time for a company that relied on consumers feeling the need to dress up. Ohashi believed that identifying what his devoted fans would want to see more of was the secret to surviving Covid quarantines.

He claims that casual attire was the solution. Before the pandemic, the company's business only accounted for 20% of sales; now, items like oversized striped rugby shirts and corduroy pants embroidered with daunty hunting dogs account for 40% of sales. But Ohasi emphasizes that Brooks Brothers sportswear is made in the brand's unique style. "Our core customer loves our sweatpants," according to him, "because you can get them monogrammed."

6.Consolidated Edison, 1823

Survival Secret: Location, location, location

Consolidated Edison/sterneic

Listed on the New York Stock Exchange for over a century, ConEd is an energy provider serving New York City and several surrounding counties. It even predates Thomas Edison, who was born in 1847, and the New York Gas Light Co., the company that would eventually bear his name.

After taking over the gas light market in Manhattan (with a little assistance from Tammany Hall's bosses), the company renamed New York Steam Co. in the early 1880s was well-positioned to play a significant role in the late 19th-century electrified New York City. However, it wasn't the only company aiming for (actual) dominance.

30 companies tried to supply electricity to Westchester County and New York's homes and businesses by the 1890s. The competition was largely eliminated by the mid-1920s, making ConEd¡ªthe name officially adopted in 1936¡ªthe only supplier of electricity in a heavily dependent city.

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