Born into poverty, Oprah Winfrey became the first African American TV correspondent in Nashville.
The daughter of an unwed teenage mother from rural Mississippi, Oprah Winfrey conquered poverty, sexual abuse and her own teenage pregnancy to become a media mogul. Where she was discovered by a radio station and the rest is history. The Oprah name became an empire, and according to Forbes she is worth $2.7 billion.
Oprah spent the first six years of her life living with her grandmother wearing dresses made out of potato sacks. After being molested by two members of her family and a family friend, she ran away from home at age 13. At 14, her newborn child died shortly after he was born. She went back to live with her mother, but it wasn’t until her mother sent her to live with her father that she turned her life around.
While still in high she got a full scholarship to college, and won a beauty pageant. Winfrey’s popularity only increased through syndication, making her show a welcome addition in millions of American households. Her sustained high ratings and ability to launch other people and products into guaranteed success stories by merely mentioning their name led some to call her the most influential woman in the world. Her empire goes beyond television and includes publishing, producing, and just recently, creating a new television network, OWN.
Hailing from the Marcy Housing Projects in Brooklyn, Shawn Carter (popularly known as Jay-Z) went from dealing crack to becoming a world-famous rapper and entrepreneur. As a young boy, he started rapping on the streets of New York, under the name “Jazzy.”
Today, he is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, holding 11 platinum albums and 13 Grammy awards. He has sold an astonishing 50 million albums worldwide.
His success in music propelled him into other ventures including his own clothing line, Rocawear; a record label, Roc-A-Fella records; a management, publishing and entertainment company, Roc Nation and even NBA ownership with a share of the New Jersey Nets.
At one time, businessman Shahid Khan washed dishes for $1.20 an hour.
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Net worth: $3.8 billion (as of Sept. 2013)
He’s now one of the richest people in the world, but when Khan came to the U.S. from Pakistan, he worked as a dishwasher while attending the University of Illinois. Khan now owns Flex-N-Gate, one of the largest private companies in the U.S., the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, and Premier League soccer club Fulham.
John Paul DeJoria, the man behind a hair-care empire and Patron Tequila, once lived in a foster home and his car.
Net worth: $4 billion (as of Sept. 2013)
Before the age of 10, DeJoria, a first generation American, sold Christmas cards and newspapers to help support his family. He was eventually sent to live in a foster home and even spent some time in a gang before joining the military.
With a $700 dollar loan, DeJoria created John Paul Mitchell Systems and sold the shampoo door-to-door while living in his car. He later started Patron Tequila, and now invests in other industries.
Forever 21 founder Do Won Chang worked as a janitor, gas station attendant, and in a coffee shop when he first moved to America.
Net worth: $5 billion (as of Sept. 2013)
The husband-and-wife team — Do Won Chang and Jin Sook — behind Forever 21 didn’t always have it so easy. After moving to America from Korea in 1981, Do Won had to work three jobs at the same time to make ends meet. They opened their first clothing store in 1984.
Forever 21 is now an international, 480-store empire that rakes in around $3 billion in sales a year.
Luxury goods mogul Francois Pinault quit high school in 1974 after being bullied for being poor.
Net worth: $15 billion (as of March 2013)
Pinault is now the face of fashion conglomerate Kering (formerly PPR), but at one time, he had to quit high school because he was teased so harshly for being poor. As a businessman, Pinault is known for his “predator” tactic, which includes buying smaller firms for a fraction of the cost when the market crashed. He eventually started PPR, which owns high-end fashion houses including Gucci, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent.
Inspiring stories I like them.
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