Soichiro Honda said that “Success is 99% failure.”

Honda brought Japanese autos to the USA and made them more desirable than American ones. He failed for the first few decades to get Americans to buy his vehicles until he finally broke through the US only barrier.

On wikipedia it states that “Honda remained president until his retirement in 1973, stayed on as director, and was appointed “supreme adviser” in 1983. His legendary status was such that People magazine placed him on their “25 Most Intriguing People of the Year” list for 1980, dubbing him “the Japanese Henry Ford.”"