Very few businesses, no matter their quality, will emerge from their first year, let alone make it to the grand old age of 20. To reach beyond that platinum anniversary is a sign of exemplary leadership, tenacious planning, superlative accounting, pitch perfect products and the kind of luck that would make even a serial lottery winner green with envy.
Yet the companies discussed below have managed exactly that, excelling in their respective fields for two decades or longer (in some cases, a lot longer). Check them out and see what they did to achieve their enduring success.
Positive ID Labels
Beginning its journey with a single flexographic printing press in 2005, PID Labelling has ballooned in size thanks to its reliable customer service and hardy product, expanding to six flexographic printing presses over its 20-year existence.
It’s a lesson in how expansion is only positive if you understand your product inside-out. The staff at PID Labelling have refined their knowledge about labels and transport links to ensure a great customer experience, dominating a niche like no other company.
Nintendo
Established in 1889, the games company affectionately known as Ninty flourished from a playing card designer in the 19th century to one of the largest gaming empires on the planet.
Its library of cutesy controllable characters has become a Disney beater in the family friendly stakes, typified by the wahooing Italian plumber Mario. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch 2 became one of the fastest selling home consoles in history when it was released in May 2025 and cemented the brand’s cross-generational appeal.
Its pivot from paper cards to constantly upgrading electronics is a pertinent lesson that big swings can reap huge rewards – especially if you’ve got a flair for ideas that’ll hook both children and adults.
Stoats Porridge Bars
It seems unimaginable that cereal bars were a novel creation in 2005, but that was indeed the case when Stoats Porridge Bars arrived on the scene.
The notion of a cereal bar that aimed to be nutritionally diverse and aimed at adults was a major gamble at the time, but one that has more than paid off for the Edinburgh-based food production company. From humble beginnings, these tasty snacks can now be found in supermarkets across the UK and beyond.
Dr Martens
While its strapline nowadays is ‘a history of self-expression’, Dr Martens was founded in 1901 to make sturdy, reliable work boots for the factory floor.
Its durability made it a reliable boot for regular use, until it was adopted by mods in the 1960s and ska-loving skinheads in the 1970s. Its alignment with antiauthoritarianism may not be quite so strong today, but its steady rise throughout the 20th century shows that success can come from the most unexpected quarters.
Horizon Discovery
Another member of the 2005 alumni, Horizon Discovery is a research company that specialises in gene editing for research and clinical application, with the ultimate aim of improving human health.
This is perhaps the most cutting-edge company on this list, operating on the Avant Garde of clinical research, expanding from a small team upon its inception to a global crew of researchers that exceeds 11,000 employees. Proof, if ever it were needed, that hiring the smartest people on the planet can create both profit and positive social change.
