If you believe the headlines, the financial world is disintegrating, business as we know it is a thing of the past, and we’re all headed for pre-industrial poverty.

Now we’re not saying it’s not a bit stressful at the moment. Funding is drying up, banks are closing their doors and the corporates are extending their payment terms to roughly eight million years after you invoice them.

BUT, and it’s a rather larger BUT, there is a silver lining to be seen in all this talk of downturn and financial meltdowns. And to prove it we’ve come up with what we’re sure you’ll agree is a pretty damn impressive list of companies born out of recession.

So before you file away your business plan, check out this list for some inspiration. Just look at what can come of leaner times:

Microsoft
Not many people describe 1975 as a prosperous time. Soaring oil prices and the ongoing financial fallout from the Vietnam War meant tough times. Meanwhile a lowly student named William Henry Gates III handed in the keys to his Harvard dorm room and headed to New Mexico where, alongside co-founder Paul Allen, he created what’s arguably the most successful company of all time.

Tesco
Today it’s the world’s fourth largest retailer, but back in 1919, when Jack Cohen started selling groceries from a stall in East London, the UK was in a state of depression after the First World War. By the time the first store opened in 1929 the world was on the cusp of the Great Depression. With current revenues tipping the £50bn mark we’re sure Mr Cohen would have a few words of encouragement for those starting during a downturn (if he were still alive of course).

General Electric (GE)
Slap bang in the middle of a six year recession that began in 1873, light bulb extraordinaire Thomas Edison opened a lab which would later become the catalyst for the world’s third largest company. In 1890, when Edison grouped all his ventures into the Edison General Electric Company, the US was in a state of depression. Bit of a bright spark that Thomas was.

Burger King
It’s 1954. Recovering from the Korean War, the US Federal Reserve has turned to a more restrictive monetary policy and inflation is high. Cut to Miami, Florida, where James McLamore and David Edgerton are putting the finish touches to their first burger joint. Half a century later, having implemented a successful franchise model, there are approximately 11,000 outlets in nearly 70 countries across the globe.

Dyson
Back in the early 90s the global economy was still clawing its way back from Black Monday, the unemployment rate was heading into double figures and oil prices were shooting up as a result of Daddy Bush’s original spat with Saddam. Meanwhile, British inventor James Dyson was launching his vacuum company more than a decade after developing the first prototype for his bagless suction cleaner. Sales of the product have now topped £3bn worldwide and the company is currently the market leader.

So there you have it – proof that great businesses can and do emerge from economic turmoil. Recession simply doesn’t cut it as an excuse.