10 Billionaires Who Started With Nothing

1. Oprah Winfrey-HARPO, OWN Network

Oprah Winfrey is 1 of nan first self-made female billionaires successful American history. Very difficult to do. Especially for a Black female raised successful nan segregated South during nan 1950s.
The celebrated talk show big and media mogul was calved into poorness successful agrarian Mississippi. She was raised by a azygous mom and grew up truthful mediocre that Oprah often wore dresses made of murphy sacks! After a bid of traumatic and tragic events, Oprah relocated to Nashville. From there, she went connected to go an honors student and won a danasiwa to be Tennessee State University.

Winfrey became nan first Black female news anchor astatine Nashville’s WLAC-TV. She would later move to Chicago successful 1984 to big a low-rated half-hour greeting talk show. Within months nan show’s fame grew and overtook Donahue arsenic nan highest-rated talk show successful Chicago. The show’s sanction was later changed to The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah has expanded her media empire to see movies, a TV Network, and magazines. Her nett worth, arsenic of 2022 is $2.5 billion. Oprah Winfrey is, without a doubt, 1 of nan astir influential women successful nan world coming and 1 of the top entrepreneurs of our time.

2. François Pinault

François Pinault is considered “the king of luxury retail”, but his emergence from poorness to prominence was thing but smooth. In precocious school, Pinault was teased for being mediocre truthful much, by his chap students, that he decided to driblet out. Even though he came from poverty, his determination and will to activity difficult was evident since young age, arsenic Pinault was utilized to helping retired his father, who was employed successful nan timber/wood industry. He moved from timber business to manner and manner and his holding company, Artemis S.A. now owns Converse shoes and Samsonite luggage, among different things. Pinault owns 1 of nan largest collections of modern creation successful nan world and is considered 1 of nan richest men successful France.

3.  John Paul DeJoria-  Paul Mitchell, Patrón

John Paul DeJoria, nan co-founder of nan Paul Mitchell statement of hairsbreadth products, The Patrón Spirits Company and a billionaire, grew up successful a foster home, utilized to beryllium a pack personnel and astatine nan tender property of 9 began trading Christmas cards and newspapers to support himself and his family. His mathematics coach erstwhile told him that he will “never beryllium successful pinch thing successful his life”, but nary of this stopped John from achieving his goals.

On nan contrary, each nan symptom and poorness further motivated him to go what he is now. After moving arsenic a janitor and trading shampoo door-to-door, while surviving retired of his car, John went connected to co-found and turn cardinal dollar businesses. His nett worthy is now $4 cardinal and is besides seen arsenic 1 of nan greatest entrepreneurs of our time.

4. Steve Bisciotti

Steve Bisciotti was calved into a moving people Italian-American family. He played connected nan precocious schoolhouse shot squad and was a instrumentality of sports, but not overmuch of an athlete. However, aft graduating assemblage pinch a grade successful wide arts, Steve on pinch his cousin, co-founded what would later go 1 of nan largest companies successful nan world, wrong its marketplace (technical staffing) – nan Allegis Group. He started moving nan institution retired of a basement agency and managed to nutrient 1.5 cardinal successful sales, successful nan first twelvemonth alone! Ever since then, nan institution has been steadily increasing and Bisciotti is now nan mostly proprietor of nan Baltimore Ravens.

5. Larry Ellison-Oracle 

Larry Ellison, nan co-founder of Oracle Corporation, was raised by his aunt and uncle successful Chicago. After his aunt died, Larry dropped retired of University and moved to California. He worked a number of overseas jobs for nan adjacent 8 years, until founding Oracle, successful 1977. Oracle is now 1 of nan largest companies successful nan world and Ellison is considered to beryllium nan 3rd wealthiest personification successful nan United States, pinch his nett worthy being astir $103 billion.

6. Howard Schultz- Starbucks 

Howard Schultz, nan president and CEO of Starbucks and erstwhile proprietor of nan Seattle Supersonics, grew up successful a lodging analyzable for nan poor. Ever since young property his extremity was, successful his ain words “to climb complete nan fence”. Schultz desperately wanted to flight poorness and he would, eventually, negociate to do so. He ended up winning a shot danasiwa and started moving for Xerox, soon aft graduating from university. Not excessively agelong aft that, he took complete an obscure java shop sanction Starbucks and went connected to move it into a worldwide franchise and a multi-billion dollar empire. Schultz’s nett worthy is $4 billion.

7. Ken Langone- Home Depot

The celebrated investor tin Ken Langone was calved into a bluish collar, moving people family. His begetter was a plumber and his mother a cafeteria worker. His parents moreover had to owe their location truthful nan young Ken could be university. While completing his studies, Ken worked a bid of overseas jobs and supported himself. Only 2 years aft getting his first “real” job, he collaborated pinch Bernard Marcus and started Home Depot. His nett worthy is now $2.7 billion.

8. Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang- Forever 21

Do Won Chang was calved and grew up successful South Korea. He moved to nan United States successful 1981 pinch his wife, Jin Sook Chang. Their communicative is simply a emblematic illustration of nan American dream, a Hollywood-like, epic rags-to-riches tale. Do Won Chang worked arsenic a state position attendant and janitor earlier opening up his first apparel unit shop successful 1984 utilizing their $11,000 life savings. The sanction of nan shop was Fashion 21.

By 2013, Forever 21 was an world endeavor pinch much than 480 stores and a gross of $3.7 billion. The family-owned business was later sold successful 2020 to a consortium of promenade operators including Simon Property Group and Brookfield Properties.

9. Ralph Lauren-Founder Ralph Lauren 

Originally born, Ralph Lifshitz, Ralph Lauren was calved successful nan Bronx to migrant parents. Now, he is known arsenic 1 of nan greatest manner entrepreneurs of each time. After completing precocious schoolhouse he enrolled Baruch College, only to driblet retired later on. After dropping retired Ralph joined nan army. Soon aft that he started moving arsenic a clerk astatine Brooks Brothers and past moved connected to go a salesman for a necktie company. It is past that Lauren designed his first tie, only to beryllium rejected by nan management. Shortly aft that, he started making his ain ties – he made them from rags and started trading them to mini shops successful New York. In 1967., he opened his first necktie shop and sold his neckties nether nan explanation Polo. Almost 50 years later, his apparel are world famous.  As of 2024, Ralph Lauren has an estimated nett activity of $6.6 billion.

10. Alec Gores -The Gores Group

Alec Gores was calved to a Greek begetter and a Lebanese mother successful 1953 successful Nazareth, Israel. In 1968, nan family moved to Michigan pinch conscionable $40 and 2 suitcases to their name. The very adjacent day, he began moving astatine his uncle’s shop bagging groceries for 25 cents an hour.

Soon aft finishing college, Gores landed a occupation astatine General Motors . Within six months he discontinue aft realizing that moving for a ample corp was not for him. He went connected to commencement his ain business of buying and distributing computers. By 1986 nan institution employed complete 200 group and was acquired by CONTEL for astir $2 million. He yet founded The Gores Group, a backstage equity patient successful 1987 and since past has acquired aliases invested successful complete 130 companies.

He has a networth of $2.5 billion.

Image Credit: aphrodite-in-nyc, Richard Eriksson, Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

This article was first published successful 2018 but has been updated and expanded

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