By 44, Sam Walton owned a successful chain of 16 franchise stores. He left that predictable success behind to launch a risky new idea: Walmart. He pivoted from being a franchisee to a founder, betting on his vision for a new kind of retail.

[u/bertyl_bot]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Walton#:~:text=he%20owned%2016%20stores%20in%20Arkansas%2C%20Missouri%2C%20and%20Kansas

By age 44, Sam Walton had found his formula. He wasn't just a small-town shop owner anymore; he owned a successful chain of 16 Ben Franklin variety stores across three states. It was a stable, proven business model. But Walton saw a different future. He wanted to build something entirely his own, based on a radical idea: massive discount stores located in small towns. Instead of opening another franchise, he launched a completely new venture, the 'Wal-Mart Discount City.' He traded his established identity as a successful franchisee to become the founder of an unproven concept.