the intriguing stories and hidden in corporate histories

1. The Intriguing Stories and Hidden in Corporate HistoriesThink about one of last year’s most dramatic, engaging, and eye-opening movies, The Social Network. The movie won 3 Oscars and was one of the hottest movies of the year. In reality this movie was simply the dramatized corporate histories and personal stories of the founders of Facebook. Amazingly, the corporate history of many of the world’s major corporations are just as colorful, powerful, and full of intrigue as The Social Network, but no one seems to notice. Uncovering the Powerful Knowledge Hidden in Your Company’s HistoryWhat is intriguing about the Social Network and many other corporate histories is how they make a major impact on the current value and practices of a company. There may be hidden marketing power hidden deep within your company’s history which no one remembers today. A great starting point to uncovering the real story of your company is to commission historical research to create a corporate history book. This history book can be used as the centerpiece of anniversary events, like the companies 25, 50, or 100th year in business. It can be used as a touching gift to lifelong employees of the company as they retire. More importantly it can be used to uncover powerful ways to bring interest to your company and help develop understanding of the path your corporation has taken.

3. Historical Research is not as easy as Most of Us BelieveIf you have ever tried to do research on your corporation you probably quickly realized digging up the past is hard work. You need to know where to look. You need access to treasure troves of historical documents which cannot be found online. You need the skills to sift through and organize all of the data.This is why in many cases it makes sense to commission a research group who specializes in and understands the intricacies of uncovering corporate histories. They can dig through past business reports, history in newspapers and magazines, patent requests, copyrights, trademarks, and other document archives which may be hiding pieces of history no one remembers.Imagine the shock you might have to discover your company holds a patent, trademark, or copyright on an item no one remember which could be highly valuable today. Historical research is not always about creating a fun story, but sometimes is about uncovering pieces of corporate history which will impact the bottom line.Do You Need a Corporate History Book or Research to Save the Company?Historical research can be the difference between winning and losing lawsuits. Imagine being sued for a business process your company has been using for decades. Suddenly a company has patented or copyrighted the process and your company stands to take a major loss. Historians and archivists are specialists in digging into the past and uncovering the truth. They can help document the company’s history of using the process. They may unearth documents showing pieces of the process were already under patent protection. Historical research and corporate histories are not always about creating the next Social Network movie, but sometimes it is about changing the future by digging deeply into the past.