The origins of business, any business, are usually remarkably humble. One person, in one room or garage, usually starts with one product or service which (at least) one customer wants. And then he or she tries to grow - to find more customers and to distribute more widely.

Seeing photographs of where and how today's global companies started is to appreciate the original simplicity with which they began.

Look where Henry Ford assembled his first automobile (500-pound, two-cylinder Quadricycle) in June 1896 in Detroit:

(http://www.hfha.org/birth_of_the_ford_motor_company_files/bagley.jpg)

He had to widen the door to get it out of the building for a June 4, 1896 pre-dawn test drive.

The longevity and size of many industry leaders, considering their origins, makes one admire their ability to adapt over time to changes in customers' preferences and competitors' tactics. 

Here are more than 700 photographs (and growing) of the 'origins' of many companies (and some products) which have become familiar to consumers and businesses over the past 150 years.
www.flickr.com/photos/businesshistory/