He is the billionaire co-founder of
Microsoft Corporation, the world largest software
company. Dropped out of Harvard to focus on building
Microsoft. According to Forbes magazine, Bill Gates has
held the position of the world richest man for thirteen
consecutive years and he not showing a sign of letting
go that position.
“To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks.” –
Bill Gates
“We were young, but we had good advice good ideas
and lots of enthusiasm.” – Bill Gates
2. Thomas Edison :
Thomas Edison was labeled
dumb and scatterbrain by his school teachers but he
went on to become one of the world’s greatest
inventors and founded General Electric; one of the most
powerful companies in the world.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up.” –
Thomas Edison
3. Orji Uzor Kalu :
He is one of the richest men
on the soil of Africa. This young billionaire was
rusticated from college for his participation in a
student’s protest. Instead of lamenting over his
predicament; he started trading on palm oil and from
that humble beginning, he grew his business into a
conglomerate “ Slok Group.” Though he was later
pardoned by the school authorities, he rejected the
amnesty offer thereby refusing to return to school.
“A good businessman must have nose for business the
same way a journalist has nose for news. Once your
eyes, ears, nose, heart and brain are trained on
business, you sniff business opportunities everywhere.”
– Orji Uzor Kalu
4. Li Ka Shing :
Billionaire owner of Hutchinson
Whampoa; one of the largest conglomerates in Hong
Kong, with operations that span over fifty countries and
more than 220,000 staff worldwide. Dropped out of
school at the age of 15 and started out by selling watch
bands.
“The first year, I didn’t have much capital so I did
everything myself. I had to keep my overhead low by
learning everything about running a business, from
accounting to fixing the gears of my equipment. I really
started from scratch.” – Li Ka Shing
5. Richard Branson :
Best known for his
adventurous spirit and outrageous business tactics. He
dropped out of school at the age of 16 to start his first
successful business venture; Student Magazine, bought
his own 79-acre Caribbean island when he was just 24
and he was knighted in 1999. He is the billionaire
founder of the Virgin brand and its 360 companies. His
companies include the famous Virgin Atlantic Airways.
“I wanted to be an editor or journalist. I wasn’t really
interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but I soon
found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep
my magazine going.” – Richard Branson
6. Lawrence J. Ellison :
Larry Ellison dropped
out of college twice and was told by his adoptive father
that he would never amount to anything but he went
on to become a billionaire by building Oracle, the
world’s second largest software company.
“I have had all the disadvantages required for success . ”
– Larry Ellison
7. Michael Dell :
He dropped out of college at the
age of 19 to start PC’s Limited; later renamed Dell
Computers Inc. Dell became the most profitable PC
manufacturer in the world making Michael Dell a
billionaire.
“I had to give it a full go and see what happened.” –
Michael Dell
8. Steve Jobs :
Billionaire co-founder of Apple Inc
and Pixar; dropped out of Reed College to start Apple.
9. Henry Ford :
This automobile billionaire was
born in abject poverty. He never saw the four walls of
school but he went on to build Ford Motor Company
and become one of the richest men that ever lived.
“Thinking is the hardest work to do, that’s why so few
people are engaged in it.” – Henry Ford
10. Walt Disney:
Walt, regarded as the most
influential animator because of his creativity with
cartoons. He dropped out of high school at 16 and
founded Walt Disney; a company which now has an
annual revenue of about $30billion.
“ If you can dream it, you can do it. ” – Walt Disney
11:Ray Kroc :
Billionaire Ray Kroc never saw the
four walls of school and spent most of his life working
as a salesman. He bought McDonald’s in 1961 for
$2.7m and grew it into a multi billion dollar company.
“Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of
persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common
than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; the
world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent.” – Ray Kroc
12. Debbi Fields :
A 20 year old housewife with no
education and business experience started Mrs. Fields
Chocolate Chippery and became the most successful
cookie company owner. She later renamed, franchised,
and then sold Mrs. Field’s Cookies.
“You don’t have to be superhuman to do what you
believe in.” – Debbi Fields
13. Cosmos Maduka :
Nigerian Elementary school
drop out and billionaire founder of the Coscharis
Group.
14. Ingvar Kamprad:
Billionaire founder of
IKEA. He dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to
start IKEA; now the top home furniture retailer in the
world, with over 90,000 employees working in its 200-
plus stores, and annual revenues in excess of $10
billion.
“I’m not afraid of turning 80 and I have lots of things
to do. I don’t have time for dying.” – Ingvar Kamprad
15. Carl Lindner:
Billionaire investor and founder
of United Dairy Farmers. He dropped out of high school
at the age of 14 to deliver milk for his family diary.
16. Simon Cowell:
Famous for his involvement in
American Idols, he dropped out of school at age 16 and
started his own record label “Fanfare” at the age of 23.
“Good is not enough; you’ve got to be great.” – Simon
Cowell
17. Mary Kay Ash:
Founder of Mary Kay Inc and
best known as the most outstanding business woman in
the 20th century. Mary never saw the four walls of
school.
“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an
opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and
be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be
a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to
throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures
refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from
success than to be rested from failure.” – Mary Kay Ash
18. Coco Chanel :
Fashion magnate and founder of
the Coco Chanel brand, she never saw the four walls of
school.
19. Wayne Huizenga :
Wayne is the only person
in history to build three Fortune 1000 companies
practically from scratch: Waste Management Inc,
Blockbuster Entertainment and AutoNation. He is the
only person to have developed six NYSE-listed
companies. He also owns the Miami Dolphins and is
previous owner of the Florida Marlins baseball team
and the Panthers hockey team, making him the only
person ever to own three pro teams in a single market,
two of which won national championships. He dropped
out of college to join a friend in a garbage collection
business.
20. Barry Diller :
This billionaire media magnate
dropped out of college to start Fox Broadcasting
Company. He is chairman of Expedia, and was once the
CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp which includes Home
Shopping Network and Ticketmaster.
“There’s a world in which reasons are made up because
reality is too painful.” – Barry Diller
21:Andrew Carnegie:
Founder of Carnegie Steel
Company and one of the richest men that ever lived.
Born in abject poverty, Andrew never saw the four
walls of school.
“I shall argue that strong men conversely know when to
compromise and that all principles can be compromised
to serve a greater purpose.” – Andrew Carnegie
22. Sir Philip Green :
Billionaire retail mogul and
owner of the Arcadia brand, he dropped out of school
at the age of 16. After four business failures, Philip
Green made his first million at the age of 33.
“If you’ve got a natural talent, I think it’s fantastic. If I
wasn’t in retail, being a singer or a tennis player would
be a better idea.” – Sir Philip Green
23. Madame C. J. Walker :
She was born into
the family of ex-slaves and farmers. Despite being
widowed at the age of 20 and faced with extreme
hardship, she started a cosmetics business and went on
to become the first American self made female
millionaire.
“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity!
But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the
opportunities to come. Get up and make them” – Madam
C.J. Walker
24. Mark Zuckerberg: The youngest billionaire
in the world, dropped out of Harvard to promote his
social networking platform; Facebook. As at 2010, he
was 23 years and worth $4billion.
25. Ted Turner :
Billionaire drop out media mogul
and founder of CNN; pledged a billion dollars to the
United Nation.
“All my life, people have said that I wasn’t going to
make it.” – Ted Turner
“Over a three year period, I gave away half of what I
had. To be honest, my hands shook as I signed it away.
I knew I was taking myself out of the race to be the
richest man in the world.” – Ted Turner
26. Cornelius Vanderbilt : Dropped out of
school at the age of 11, began operating his own boat at
the age of 16 and became one of the richest men in
history.
“If I had learned education, I would not have had time
to learn anything else.” -Cornelius Vanderbilt
27. Mayer Amschel Rothschild : was born in
a ghetto; started business as a money lender and built
the largest private fortune in history. He never saw the
four walls of school.
“Give me control over a nation’s money supply and I
don’t care who make the laws . ” – Mayer Amschel
Rothschild
28. Ty Warner: Billionaire real estate investor, hotel
owner, sole owner, CEO, and Chairman of Ty, Inc. Ty
Warner is a savvy, yet private business man. Ty, Inc;
made $700 million in a single year with the Beanie
Babies craze without spending money on advertising.
He has since expanded to include Ty Girlz dolls,
directly competing with Bratz dolls.
29. Howard Hughes : Dropped out of California
Institute of Technology and Rice University; founded
Hughes Aircrafts and Co and went on to become a
billionaire.
“I intend to be, the richest man in the world.” Howard
Hughes
30. Giorgio Armani: Billionaire founder of the
fashion brand; Giorgio Armani S.P.A. Dropped out of
medical school at the University of Bologna because he
couldn’t stand the sight of blood.
“Remain true to yourself and your philosophy.” –
Giorgio Armani.
Successful Entrepreneurs and World’s
Richest School Drop Out Billionaires
31. Asa Candler : Founder of the Billionaire
company and world’s most popular brand; Coca Cola.
He dropped out of school at the age of 10.
32. Jenny Craig : With no college degree, this
woman started Jenny Craig Inc from scratch and grew
it to become one of the largest and most recognized
companies in the weight management industry.
“If I make a commitment to something, I will stick to it
no matter what.” – Jenny Craig
33. Rachael Ray : Despite having no formal training
in culinary arts, Rachel Ray made a name for herself in
the food industry. With numerous shows on the Food
Network, a talk show and cookbooks, high-energy
Rachael never slowed down. She has also appeared in
magazines as well has having her own magazine debut
in 2006.
34. Milton Hershey : With only a fourth grade
education, Milton Hershey started his own chocolate
company. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate became the first
nationally marketed chocolate.
35. Frank Lloyd Wright : surpassed all odds to
become the most influential architect of the twentieth
century. Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,100
projects with about half actually being built. He never
saw the four walls of high school.
36. David Geffen : billionaire founder of Geffen
Records and co-founder of DreamWorks.
“I never went to business school. I was just bumbling
through a lot of my life. I was like the guy behind the
curtain in the Wizard of Oz. ” – David Geffen
37. Billy Joe ( Red) McCombs : founder of
Clear Channel media, real estate investor.
38. Craig McCaw : billionaire founder of McCaw
Cellular.
39. Dave Thomas : billionaire founder of Wendy’s.
“There’s no one to stop you but yourself.” – Dave
Thomas
40. ay Van Andel : billionaire co-founder of
Amway.
41. Micky Jagtiani : billionaire retailer, Landmark
International
42. John Paul DeJoria : billionaire co-founder of
John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Spirits tequilla.
43. David Green : billionaire founder of Hobby
Lobby.
44. Frederick “ Freddy ” Laker : billionaire
airline entrepreneur.
45. Kirk Kerkorian: billionaire investor, owner
of Mandalay Bay and Mirage Resorts, and MGM movie
studio.
46. Leandro Rizzuto : billionaire founder of
Conair
47. Leslie Wexner , billionaire founder of Limited
Brands.
48. Marc Rich : billionaire commodities investor
and founder of Marc Rich & Co.
49. S. Daniel Abraham: billionaire founder of
Slim-Fast.
50. Theodore Waitt : billionaire founder of
Gateway Computers.
51. Y.C. Wang : billionaire founder of Formosa
Plastics.
52. Paul Allen : billionaire co-founder of Microsoft
Corporation; dropped out of Washington State
University.
53. Ralph Lauren : Billionaire fashion mogul.
Studied business at Baruch College for two years and
dropped out.
54. Dean Kamen: Billionaire Kamen holds more
than 80 US patents; famous for the Segwey PT, Auto
syringe and IBOT robotic wheelchair; dropped out of
Worcester Polytechnic.
55. Dhirubhai Ambani: Famous founder of
Reliance Group and father to two billionaires; Anil and
Mukesh Ambani. Started Reliance Industries from
scratch and never saw the four walls of school.
No comments:
Post a Comment