Hi Friends,
Do you feel dejected or left behind
by your peers because you don't have a college degree? Do you see your supposed
illiteracy as a limitation to achieving your dreams? Or are you in the group
that thinks education is the ultimate yardstick for success? If any of these
questions best describes you, then please read on.
How does it sound to your ears that most
of the world's richest men and women were school drop outs? Well don’t be
surprised; it’s the truth.
"I have nothing against
education. But at times, education gives people false confidence. It makes
people relax, trusting in the power of their certificates rather than in
working hard." – Rasaq Okoya
Today, I will be sharing with you a
brief compilation of the entrepreneurial success stories of self made men
and women; who took the bull by the horn by building a business, without
being held back by the lack of a college degree. These men and women
found their entrepreneurial spirit, surmounted business
challenges, completed the entrepreneurial
process and became successful
entrepreneurs.
"I have been within the four
walls of school and I have been on the street. I can confidently tell you that
the street is tougher, challenging, daring, exciting and more rewarding. In
school; you play alone. But on the street, you play with the big boys." – Ajaero
Tony Martins
Warren
Buffett, Mo Ibrahim, Mike Adenuga, Oprah Winfrey,
George Soros, John D. Rockefeller, Sam Walton, Jerry Yang and David Filo, Anita
Roddick, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, Pierre Omidyar, Martha
Stewart, Henry Ross Perot and Aliko
Dangote; the richest black man in the world did not make the
list because they possessed college degrees. Without wasting much of your time,
below is acomprehensive list of some of the world's richest school drop out
billionaires.
"Behind every adversity is an
opportunity. If you lament over the adversity, you will miss the opportunity."
– Ajaero Tony Martins
Successful Entrepreneurs: The
World's Richest School Drop Out Billionaires
1. Bill Gates: 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 yearsand 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; laterrenamed Dell Computers Inc. Dell
became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world makingMichael 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, hedropped 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 topromote 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
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 scratchand 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.