Not everyone was born with a silver spoon, but several great people in life have shown us that being born with a silver spoon isn’t a requirement for success. Although the ‘rags to riches’ trope may sound cliché, some people have risen to greater heights despite starting from having nothing. The stories of these billionaire celebrities and business owners will push you to keep pursuing success.
Alan Gerry
During the Great Depression, Alan Gerry grew up in Liberty, New York. His father was a frozen food distributor who strived to cater to the family with his salary. Alan dropped out of high school to serve in the Marines during WWII.
He became trained in TV repair using his GI Bill benefits; he invested $1,500 to start a cable company in his hometown in 1956. His company expanded into 64 cable systems. He sold the business to Time Warner in 1996 for $2.7 million. His net worth is about $1.5 billion. Talk about starting at the bottom of the totem pole!
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s fame today didn’t come from a moneyed background; the renowned fashion designer also came from a poor family. However, he had always had the strong will to make his own statement.
From being a kid who wore his brother’s hand-me-downs to being a world-class designer, Ralph’s journey has been one of unflinching determination. Ralph Lauren’s net worth is $7.4 billion.
Do Won Chang
The founder of the famous clothing company Forever 21 has also had his fair share of struggles before becoming a billionaire. Before establishing the company, Do Won Chang had done different odd jobs.
He worked in a coffee shop and a gas station; he also worked as a janitor. Eventually, he founded his retail clothing company- and it gradually grew into an empire. Do Won Chang’s estimated net worth is $3 billion.
Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich’s story motivates people to never stop until they achieve their aims. The self-made billionaire was born in Southern Russia, where he was orphaned as a two-year-old.
He first founded a small plastic company before diving into the oil industry. He sold a 73% stake in a Russian oil firm to a gas giant for $13 billion. Roman Abramovich’s net worth is valued at $9 billion.
Francois Pinault
Although bullying has always been common in high schools, Francis Pinault experienced it on another level- he had to drop out in 1974. He founded the popular Kering company- but it wasn’t a luxury group then.
Kering was a building materials company before it became the group that owns Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Gucci. The company is worth over $22 billion; Francois Pinault’s net worth is $34.8 billion.