Today, Chobani is a global player and holds more than 20% of the U.S. yogurt market. But it was a long, difficult journey (which began in an outdated, abandoned yogurt factory in upstate New York) to get there. CEO and Founder Hamdi Ulukaya shares his thoughts on becoming a successful entrepreneur. He always did things his way. He wrote an article for HBR nine years ago in which he said he was proud of the fact that Chobani had no outside investors and therefore could run the company however he saw fit. Chobani is now on track for an IPO, which means it will have plenty of new investors and outside scrutiny. Why this change? “At the beginning, I wanted to have the freedom and flexibility to be able to make decisions quickly and move forward,” he says. “Now we’re in a place where the business is significant, we have a bigger market share. Our growth is really good. And there is still a long way to go. I celebrate the people who come and become partners and shareholders. This is the perfect time for us to be able to welcome others.
Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya on the journey from abandoned factory to yogurt powerhouse
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