Company History (2024)

FAQs

Company History? ›

A company history is usually pretty straightforward: some information about the founding of a company with notable events or achievements up to the time it was written, or the time a company dissolved.

Maintain a file of significant events so that as your company grows, you can update its story. Don't give too much detail when writing company history. Focus on major achievements and interesting anecdotes from employees or customers and try to incorporate a sense of company culture.

Records of defunct businesses are scattered in various repositories, so it can be hard to know where to look. The best place to start is with a library or historical society in the area where the business operated. Most libraries with archival collections and historical societies hold at least some business records.

Retailers have Coca-Cola to thank for the coupon's invention. In 1887, Asa Candler devised an innovative marketing strategy: offer hand-written vouchers to the public entitling them to a free glass of Coca-Cola, then retailing at 5 cents. The goal was to get people to try the product — and it worked like a dream.

Business history is a historiographical field which examines the history of firms, business methods, government regulation and the effects of business on society. It also includes biographies of individual firms, executives, and entrepreneurs. It is related to economic history.

Visit the IRS website and download Form 4506. This form allows you to request copies of your previous tax returns, which will include the name and address of your past employers, along with when you were employed with each company. Form 4506 can be downloaded and filled out digitally, or printed and filled out by hand.

Why write a company history? ›

Your corporate history is an important component of your corporate brand, which is the cornerstone of your company's story about itself. As your business continues to innovate and grow, your corporate brand will serve as a living document that testifies to your company's past and gives shape to its future.

We suggest using Mergent Online and Nexis Uni to search for a company by name or ticker symbol and then access their history/mergers or acquisitions. Additionally, Statista provides information on mergers and acquisitions within certain industries.

In addition, check to see via a web search engine if the company has an official website. Once found, look on the company website for links referring labeled 'About' or 'History' (also check for the company's latest annual report, which also provides a concise history of the company).

History is the study of change over time, and it covers all aspects of human society. Political, social, economic, scientific, technological, medical, cultural, intellectual, religious and military developments are all part of history.

We suggest using Mergent Online and Nexis Uni to search for a company by name or ticker symbol and then access their history/mergers or acquisitions. Additionally, Statista provides information on mergers and acquisitions within certain industries.

Financial information can be found on the company's web page in Investor Relations where Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other company reports are often kept. The SEC has financial filings electronically available beginning in 1993/1994 free on their website. See EDGAR: Company Filings.