
The oldest, continuously running, independent business in the world? - erikpukinskis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi
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edw519
I can hear the naysayers now: "100% of all start-ups fail in the first 1500
years."

~~~
icey
First we should see what happens with these fellows:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoshi_Ryokan>

This whole list is actually quite interesting:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_corporations>

~~~
mbenjaminsmith
"At nearly 400 years old, Zildjian is the oldest family-run business in
America."

I never would have guessed that.

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celoyd
For a comparable curiosity, see the VOC. From
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company> –

“It was the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company
to issue stock. It was also arguably the world's first megacorporation,
possessing quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war,
negotiate treaties, coin money, and establish colonies.”

“The Dutch East India Company remained an important trading concern for almost
two centuries, paying an 18% annual dividend for almost 200 years. In its
declining years in the late 18th century it was referred to as Vergaan Onder
Corruptie (referring to the acronym VOC) which translates as 'Perished By
Corruption'.”

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jlangenauer
I love that somebody created a Wikipedia category page for "Companies founded
in 578". You can guess how many entires it has.

~~~
yread
Aren't these pages made by bots? Still funny though :)

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kiba
I wonder what is the secret to keeping these corporations alive.

Some people say that the grandpa build the business, dad grow the business,
and the son wreck the business. So these families might have ways or tradition
to transmit knowledge and wisdom to their offsprings, or maybe they're just
incredibly lucky.

~~~
jakarta
Peter Lynch, the investor who used to run Fidelity's Magellan fund used to
have a saying that he wanted to invest in businesses that even his dumb nephew
could run.

The idea being, businesses that have great fundamental economics and
competitive advantages are going to be much more sustainable and thus more
likely to compound wealth over time.

If you look at the lists, a lot of these are businesses that are fundamental
and cater towards basic human needs/wants. For example, note all the hotels on
the list. Maybe they have a fantastic really critical location in a country
that has good property laws. That means you can keep transferring it through
your bloodline and as long as nobody does anything too stupid (e.g.: take on
crazy amounts of debt, go wild and de-worsify) the hotel should continue to
exist.

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JacobAldridge
I did a newsletter on family business about eighteen months ago, and came
across this article - the 100 oldest companies in the world
[http://www.bizaims.com/articles/business+economy/the+100+old...](http://www.bizaims.com/articles/business+economy/the+100+oldest+companies+world)

There's actually a range of industries in the top 10 - construction, inn
keeping, viticulture, goldsmithing and others.

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dotcoma
no way - the Catholic Church has been around for over 2,000 years.

~~~
aymeric
I have a question, and I am not trying to be cynical.

What differentiate a profitable church from a company, other than a different
legal structure?

~~~
ck2
The "Church" is a government/country, not a corporation.

They've executed (lots of) people with their power via sovereignty.

If you mean the church on the corner, well there is no difference, they are
simply a profitable business that pays no taxes (the clergy are often owning
nicer homes and driving nicer cars than their patrons).

~~~
dotcoma
some corporations probably exerted country-like powers, too. Think, for
example, the banana companies in Central America.

~~~
varjag
Look no further than U.S. based United Fruit Company:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Fruit_Company>

The company responsible for much of the misery throughout Americas.

Today they go by as Chiquita.

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InclinedPlane
See also: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_companies>

~~~
jcl
Heh... I was rather hoping to see "Nokia -- cellphones" in the list, but it
cuts off just a few years before Nokia's 1865 founding date. Same for Nintendo
(1889).

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sliverstorm
Just goes to show, construction will probably not be going away any time soon.
Safe bet for a company, same as how land generally holds value (in the extreme
long term). People need places to live.

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ck2
What's most interesting is in the end, their culture did them in, not their
own work/management ethic.

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alexro
Church

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thecoffeeman
yeah 2006 was a tough year.

~~~
jplewicke
For those who are wondering, this seems to be a reference to the 2006
bankruptcy of Kongō Gumi, the previous record-holder for the oldest
continuously-running independent business. (
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi> )

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robnicmac
sticktoitiveness

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mkramlich
I pictured something like "Eve's Escorts"

~~~
alxp
"It's the world's newest profession"

