Facebook, earlier known as thefacebook.com, was founded in the year 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with his Harvard university friends with the idea of creating a platform of social interaction where his fellow university students could view each other’s photos and could contact people around the university. Facebook was not the first social networking platform. At the time when Facebook was launched, social media giant ‘MySpace’ ruled the American social media circuit and it also had a significant standing in the rest of the world. The other websites like Friendster and AOL that came before MySpace were not successful. Now the question arises that what is so different about Facebook? And how Mark Zuckerberg at the age of 23 became a successful entrepreneur?
Every business starts with an idea but very few of them survive the travails of the market. Facebook was also one of those ideas but it was Mark’s inborn quality as a leader which led his idea to not only survive the market but also quickly become the market leader. He truly believed in what he was doing and he never shied away from working hard to achieve his dreams. Not many people would dare to believe that the project they started in their dorm room would one day become a worldwide phenomenon. But Mark believed in his dreams and had big aspirations for his company. Also, he was never afraid to take risks when it came to promoting his business. Though Mark did not have a business education, like any other Jew businessman, business knowledge was something which was inherent in him. Thus, when it came to running his company, he took several smart decisions which proved to set a milestone for the others. Over the years, continuous innovation and regular upgradation of the Facebook interface has made users stay loyal to Facebook. Facebook has also managed to attract other non-users at an exponential rate to become the largest community on a social media. It is considered to be very user friendly that’s the reason why it is been appreciated by many people.
Mark’s vision and passion for his work led him to achieve so much in such a short timeframe. For him it was important to create an open 
information forum for the people. In the year 2010, in an interview to the ‘Wired’ magazine, he reiterated his passion for his goals by saying that, “The thing I really care about is the mission, making the world open”. Mark has become an inspiration for many startups and budding entrepreneurs. He, as an idol for many, inspires them to chase their dreams and make them a reality.
Hence, we can infer that there is no singular thing behind a successful business or a successful entrepreneur. Success is the result of a heady mix of passion, hard work and the courage to dream big. By not being averse to taking risks and moving forward come what may, it is possible for any entrepreneur to be just as successful.
Saurabh K.
Written By:
Saurabh Khadse (PGDM 2013-15)
Edited By:
Anindita Sarkar (MMS 2013-15)
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