How does a young man manage to earn a multi-million dollar fortune in a few years? This question worries many young men who are haunted by examples of their peers who have achieved financial success. What traits distinguish talented entrepreneurs from most entrepreneurs?

I remember five years ago, one topic was very actively discussed: what age is best. I was especially interested in whether a young man (or girl) would be able to succeed in business if they opened it at the age of 14-20.

As usual, the disputants were divided into two camps. Some argued that young businessmen would not be taken seriously by the "big uncles" and they simply would not succeed. The second argued that you can start a business at any age, and if a person is smart, has a so-called entrepreneurial streak, then he will succeed at any age, even if he is 10 years old, even 60.

Apparently, the first camp prevailed in terms of numbers, since almost 8 out of 10 people did not believe in the success of young entrepreneurs. I belonged to the minority and believed that age is not the main thing in business. Today, I am not particularly interested in this topic, since I have already grown up, and I am doing business quite successfully, so I don’t know if this confrontation is still relevant to this day or not. But something tells me that the number of pessimists, namely those who do not believe in the possibility of building a business at a young age, is becoming less and less.

This happens because the number of millionaires is growing, but their age, on the contrary, is getting smaller. Now you will not surprise anyone with such words that someone at the age of 24 leaves the business for a well-deserved rest and “takes away” tens and hundreds of millions of dollars with them.

Most of these millionaires have built companies related to IT, the Internet. Below I will give examples of such guys, as well as other rather inspiring stories. I'll start with the youngest businessman the press wrote about.

The youngest businessman

It's about a nine-year-old boy living in Canada. Age, naturally at the time of publication of the article in the media. He must be eleven or twelve now.

In fact, an ordinary child who, like all children, goes to school, plays football. But, unlike them, he is already almost a millionaire. Although now, two years later, perhaps his capital is already well over a million dollars. He made his fortune in business. Despite his young age, Ryan Ross, and that is the name of our hero, has a decent experience as a businessman. Just think about it, his experience is 6 years. Not much, some would say. But do not forget that he is only 9 years old! Nine!

He started his first business at the age of three. He sold chicken eggs, which were laid daily by 60 hens. Thus, he earned $15 a day. Moreover, he was engaged in the sale of products independently. He chose crowded places, such as churches or farmers' fairs, and did the selling. Later, as if having read, Ryan began to delegate authority and hired several guys older than himself. To mow lawns. So he started a second business, bringing him $20 a day, of which $5 was a net profit.

I liked the rule he follows. As he assures, this rule was suggested to him by his mother. The formula is simple and looks like this: 80-10-10. He invests 80% of the profit in the development of an existing business or in the creation of a new one. 10% goes to charity and 10% goes to yourself. His success lies in the fact that he believes in himself, but I entrust the work that I cannot do to others, says the young entrepreneur.

Older generation

And now about businessmen-millionaires (and billionaires) a little older. The CEO magazine published an interesting rating of modern businessmen who created their own business and made a fortune before the age of 30.

Matt Mullenweg

In first place in the ranking is Matt Mullenweg (Matt Mullenweg) from the United States. Matt is 24 years old. He is the creator of the world famous blogging platform and blogging engine WordPress, as well as a software company. He started his business, more precisely at that time a hobby, at the age of 19, while simultaneously working at CNET. At the age of 24, he quits and works closely with WordPress, and soon becomes popular and rich.

Mark Zuckerberg

On the second line is no less famous. Mark is also from the USA, he is 23 years old. As you know, he is the creator of the largest and most popular social network in the world, which is coming soon and will be able to raise an additional 100 billion dollars. The personal fortune of the founder is estimated at one and a half billion dollars.

Ashley Calls

On the third line is 18-year-old American Ashley Calls (Ashley Qualls). At the age of 15, she opened the Whateverlife.com website for girls. At the moment, the number of visitors to the site is several times higher than the largest thematic portals in the world, including major magazines like CosmoGirl. Ashley's main income comes from advertising sales. You can find out exactly how much by going to the site in the advertising section, or by looking at approximate prices on other portals. In any case, she earned her millions.

Chad Hurley

There are other interesting people on the list as well. For example, Chad Hurley. Also American, 31 years old. Chad is the developer of the popular video service, which he sold to the internet giant for $1.65 billion.

Tom Thurlow

There are a couple of English people on the list. The first is Tom Thurlow, 19 years old. Became a millionaire by opening a company selling children's literature. The company specializes in the sale of books by subscription.

Andrew Gover

The second Englishman is Andrew Gover, 30 years old. He is the creator of the popular game RuneScape, which has millions of players around the world and is still being updated. To be honest, I've never heard of this game before. Although, if it is popular, then there is no doubt that it brings millions of dollars to the creator. But in that case, it's surprising that the list does not include the creators of such popular games as World of Craft and World of Tanks, which, in my opinion, are played by much more people. Although, maybe I'm wrong.

Suhas Gopinath

Several Indians appear in the rating, one of which even got into the Guinness Book of Records. Suhas Gopinath founded Globals Inc. at the age of 14 and now manages over 600 people in 11 countries. Why exactly he got into the Guinness Book needs to be clarified, as far as I know, there are companies with a large, much larger number of employees.

Gurbash Chenel

Gurbash Chanel, Indian American. He is 26 years old. He became a millionaire thanks to the fact that at one time he sold his advertising agency for $ 300 million.

Noah Glass

And finally, one more hero - Noah Glass. Like most people from the rating - from the USA. 27 years. He is the creator of the Mobo service, which allows you to place orders in restaurants, and later other establishments, saving people from standing in lines.

Here are the stories. And it’s probably worth ending the article with some motivating words so that you, the reader, are not afraid to start your own business, no matter how old you are. Perhaps I will retell in my own words a couple of sentences from the book "", which I read the other day. To start a business, your age and education are not important. It is important whether you yourself believe that you will succeed or not.

In this section, we have collected biographies of the richest and most successful people in the world. The goal is to understand what helped them earn millions and billions of dollars, what skills and abilities they have, what qualities they develop in themselves and what values ​​they are guided by.

As one of them said, in order to become a millionaire, you must first become a person in a million. And we will add from ourselves, in order to become a person in a million, you need to study the stories of successful personalities, try to get into their heads and learn to think like them. We hope our materials will help you with this. We wrote them primarily for ourselves.

The section is constantly updated, so bookmark the page or subscribe to the site news to learn about the release of new biographies.

Bill Gates is the legendary founder of Windows, the world's most popular operating system. He is the richest man on the planet for more than a decade, he is also a charismatic business leader, innovator, knight of Great Britain and the father of three children. What events from the biography of Gates and the qualities of his character helped him become what he is?

Warren Buffett is the genius of the financial world, the most successful and unsurpassed investor in the world, who is also one of the richest people on the planet. Do you want to know the secrets of his success?

Steve Jobs, co-founder of the company "", as well as several other companies, including the animation studio Pixar, an innovative businessman who gave the world a lot of interesting, intelligent toys, such as iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.

Henry Ford

Ray Kroc is an American entrepreneur and founder of McDonald's, a chain of fast food restaurants. For the businessman's contribution to the formation and development of the catering industry, Time magazine in 1998 included him in the TOP 100 most significant people of the 20th century.

Thomas Edison is a famous American inventor and businessman, co-founder of General Electric Corporation. During his professional career, Thomas received 1,093 patents in his homeland and about 3,000 outside the United States. He improved the telegraph and telephone, designed the phonograph. Thanks to his perseverance, millions of incandescent bulbs lit up in the world.

Coco Chanel is an outstanding fashion designer, the founder of a Fashion House, who proved that elegance is impossible without convenience. Her design fantasy includes a little black dress, pantsuit, chain bag and other branded items that create a sophisticated style.

Walt Disney is a legendary American artist, producer and director. The creator of the first musical and feature-length cartoons in the history of cinema, released about 700 cartoons, won 29 Oscars and 4 Emmys, received honorary degrees from Yale and Harvard Universities, and was awarded the highest civilian government award in the United States - the Medal of Freedom. On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, two stars are dedicated to Disney, one for the development of television, the other for his contribution to the cinema.

Richard Branson is one of the most brilliant and talented businessmen in the world, a billionaire, the founder of the international corporation Virgin, a champion in aeronautics, and the owner of his own island.

Donald Trump is an American construction magnate, owner of the Trump Organization, who later became President of the United States. Also known as the owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, host and executive producer of the reality show The Candidate. Time magazine named him Person of the Year in 2016.

Madonna is one of the most successful women in the world who was able to break through to the top from poverty itself. There was a period in Madonna's life when she spent the night in attics, and sometimes even checked the contents of trash cans in search of food. But it didn't break her. What helped our heroine to break through to the very top and become one of the most influential women on the planet?

Elon Musk is an American entrepreneur, inventor, co-founder of PayPal, founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, member of the Board of Directors of SolarCity. The Model S electric car released by Tesla accelerates to 96 km / h in 2.28 seconds. For his contribution to the commercialization of space, Elon Musk was awarded the Heinlein Prize and received $ 0.5 million (2011). He was named "Businessman of the Year" by Fortune (2013) and "CEO of the Year" by The Wall Street Journal (2013).

Mark Zuckerberg

Pavel Durov is a Russian businessman, programmer, developer and co-founder of the VKontakte social network, led VKontakte as CEO from 2006 to 2014, and is currently the founder and CEO of the Telegram messenger.

Phil Knight is an American businessman, co-founder of Nike, which has an annual income of $20 billion. He is the richest resident of his native state of Oregon, and in 2015 he was in the TOP-20 richest people on the planet.

Mary Kay is an American entrepreneur and founder of Mary Kay Inc., a company specializing in the production and sale of cosmetics and skin care products.

George Soros is an influential investor, financial guru, founder of charitable foundations in 25 countries, father of five children, and also the man “who collapsed the Bank of England”, a supporter of marijuana legalization, a master of market speculation.

Robert Kiyosaki is an investor, entrepreneur, financial advisor, and author of the best-selling Rich Dad vs. Poor Dad series. He is not one of the richest people on the planet, but at the same time, his fortune will seem fabulous to many. We are primarily interested not in his condition, but in what helped him become financially free and independent.

Carlos Slim Elu - what is the secret to the success of the richest man in the world? What needs to be done to achieve such heights? What skills and qualities do you need to develop in yourself in order to climb the podium of wealth and fame?

Zhou Qunfei is the richest woman in China and the richest woman in the world to make a fortune from scratch, as well as the youngest self-made woman billionaire. Founder and CEO of Lens Technology. The company is included in the Global 2000 lists, among its customers are Apple and Samsung corporations.

The success story of people who were able to find their place in life

The success story of people who were able to find their place in life

Today I decided to tell you the stories of billionaires who did not give up and found their place in life: billionaires without education, the youngest billionaires, billionaires after 40

We all want to succeed, but many of us need those who, with their experience and example, can infect with the desire to reach the same heights. Sometimes, at moments when hands give up, when it seems that nothing will work out and everything is lost, when patience and determination run out, it is enough to look at those who were in the same situation, but did not give up and still managed to realize their dream and find your place in life. In this review, you will learn about the lives of billionaires who were able to reach their goal without getting an education, who were able to earn capital only after 40 years, about the youngest billionaires and philanthropists.

Everyone dreams of becoming successful and finding their place in life, but not everyone succeeds. Someone underestimates the risks and loses money, someone lacks patience, someone chooses the wrong path. There are many reasons for failure, but there is one interesting fact: many people tend to blame circumstances and others for their failures, but not themselves. But it is precisely the analysis of one's own mistakes that is the key to success. Examples of those who were able to achieve success are clear proof of this.

ten billionaires without higher education;

the ten youngest entrepreneurial investors who made a billion on their own;

"It's never too late to start" - investors who became billionaires after 40 years;

the most generous philanthropist investors.

Each of them deserves special attention and each of them is unique in its own way.

Part I - Ten Non-Collegiate Billionaires

Each of the participants in this rating has its own special unique destiny. Someone thought that studying is boring and dreamed of creating their own business. Someone had a difficult moneyless childhood and had to forget about education in principle. Someone left the university in the middle of the way, and someone did not even finish school (not to mention higher education). According to statistics, about 37% of billionaires did not graduate from a university, about 24% do not have any educational documents at all. However, this did not prevent them from realizing their dream and breaking into the TOP of the richest people in the world. Agree, a good example to follow.

1. Joe Lewis (born 1937) ($5 billion)

Can you call Lewis lazy? Interest Ask. After all, at the age of 15 he left school, preferring the family business. At that time, his father was engaged in catering and Lewis began to help him. When the business completely passed into his hands, it no longer made sense to get an education - he already had a very good practical entrepreneurial experience. He would later sell the business and move into foreign exchange and investing. And he will even be forced to flee from tax prosecution in the Bahamas. Today he owns more than 120 restaurants and the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The billionaire is also known for being a partner with George Soros in an attack on the Bank of England.

2. Richard Branson (born 1950) ($5.1 billion)

Until the age of 8, the most famous billionaire in the UK could neither read nor write, suffering from dyslexia. Already in childhood, Branson showed with all his actions that he was not eager to learn. Almost finished his studies, at the age of 16 he leaves school. The director of the school then looked into the water: "You will either become a rich man, or you will go to prison." After dropping out of school, he founds his first business, Student magazine. To interest readers, he began publishing free articles by John Lennon, Mick Jagger and other stars. He then opened a record company, calling it Virgin. Today, Virgin is a brand that brings together about 400 companies of various profiles, ranging from air travel and telecommunications to space tourism and the creation of video games.

By the way, here it would be worth mentioning another rich resident of the UK, Roman Abramovich, with a fortune of about 9 billion pounds. He also does not have a higher education due to a lack of desire to study. But he owes his fortune more to connections with Russian oligarchs and politicians, as well as gray business schemes.

3. Paul Allen (b. 1953) (net worth $20.1 billion)

Allen was born into a family of a teacher and a military man, and from elementary school he became interested in technology and electronics. He began to study programming from the 6th grade and later this will become a decisive factor - after studying for 2 years at the University of Washington, he leaves the university and becomes one of the co-founders of Microsoft.

He began to show his first entrepreneurial abilities at the age of 12. Working during the holidays at the post office, he realized that new residents of the area were more willing to subscribe to newspapers, after which he created a kind of network of informants - friends who informed him about new arrivals. After entering the University of Texas, he planned to become a doctor, but left it and founded a small computer assembly company. Today, the Dell corporation he created is one of the largest in the world in this segment.

5. Li Ka-shing (born 1928) ($33 billion)

In March 2018, the 89-year-old billionaire, one of the richest people in Asia, announced that he was leaving the business, sort of ending his career. And he has much to be proud of. Born into a poor teacher's family, he lost his father at the age of 14 due to tuberculosis and was forced to drop out of school. Working at a factory for the production of plastic flowers, in 7 years he was able to save money, which was enough to open a similar small production. Success was brought to him by transactions with real estate that fell in price against the backdrop of political instability in Hong Kong. Today, the billionaire's two main companies account for about 15% of Hong Kong's stock market capitalization. Kashin also invests in logistics, retail, biotechnology, engineering, and telecommunications.

6. Francois Pinault (born 1936) ($33.8 billion)

All that the French billionaire has from his education documents is a driver's license. He did not like studying since childhood, besides, he was forced to endure the bullying of classmates because of his low birth. His father was a timber merchant, an idea that Pino took over. At the age of 27, successfully married, he founds his first company (although the marriage did not last long). Then he met Jacques Chirac, who would later help him. In addition to wood and paper production, Pino was involved in the supply of cars and medicines to Africa. Today, he also owns the Christie's auction house and the Rennes football club.

7. Larry Ellison (born 1944) ($57.4 billion)

Ellison tried twice to graduate and failed both times. First, he was forced to drop out of the University of Illinois after 2 years of study. Then he studied for a semester at the University of Chicago. Both times he was forced to leave the university by circumstances. However, this did not stop him from founding a software and database development company, which today we know as Oracle.

8. Mark Zuckerberg (born 1984) ($77.6 billion)

After the advent of the Internet era in the early 2000s, hundreds of technology startups began to appear. True, apart from a beautiful cover, they could not offer anything, and in 2000 most of them ceased to exist after the collapse of dot-com. Zuckerberg didn't stop. The idea of ​​creating a social network has become a kind of dream of a future billionaire. And even if for the sake of its implementation I had to quit Harvard University, after 2 years the network became available to every Internet user.

9. Amancio Ortega (born 1936) ($96.4 billion)

The childhood of the future billionaire was not easy. His father worked on the railroad, his mother was a servant and the family was sorely lacking money. At the age of 13, Ortega was forced to say goodbye to school and look for work. Having settled down as a messenger in a shirt shop, he gradually began to adopt the experience of tailoring and selling clothes. Later, he opens a factory for sewing bathrobes and lingerie, but almost goes bankrupt after a large customer refuses a batch of goods. Then Ortega decided to sell clothes in his own chain of stores, creating what we know today as the Zara brand. Today, Amancio also invests in real estate.

10. Bill Gates (born 1955) ($93.3 billion)

Like Paul Allen, Bill chose to forego his studies at Harvard University in order to devote himself full-time to Microsoft. Some subjects were definitely not given to him, and after 2 years he was expelled from the university. And as it turned out, it was only for the best.

Also, the billionaire from the United States of Armenian origin Kirk Kerkonian (1917-2015) should be added to this list. Born into an immigrant family, after the 8th grade he was forced to drop out of school and become an auto mechanic. During the war, he ferried bombers from Canada to the British Isles, earning start-up capital. The first big business was the sale of aircraft and the opening of charter flights, which at that time were rare.

Part II - It's Never Too Late to Start - Billionaire Investors After 40

We continue our motivational rating with a list of people who have earned their first billion after 40 years. Not everything is given at once, often it is patience, perseverance and determination that bring the very result, which turns out to be almost the meaning of life. Someone from today's rating only by the age of 40 found his place in life, catching a wave of success. And someone persistently built a business empire for more than half of his life, systematically bringing ideas to life. The example of these people shows that it is never too late to find yourself and start doing what you love.

1. Ray Kroc (1902-1984).

The father of the future billionaire died early enough, according to one version, without experiencing a nervous shock after bankruptcy during the Great Depression. And Ray himself hardly thought that he would become famous. By the age of 50, he had diabetes and arthritis, partially removed the thyroid gland and gallbladder, and the work of a traveling salesman (selling paper cups and mixers) did not bode well. In 1952, he met two brothers who ran a fast food restaurant and got the idea to develop this direction. In 1955, he opens the first McDonald's restaurant, in 1961 he fully buys the rights to it and creates a whole network.

2. Henry Ford (1863-1947).

The company of the same name founded by him at the dawn of the automotive industry produced the cheapest cars. Ford was one of the first to launch an assembly line at his plant in 1913, becoming an innovator in this industry. But it all started hard. In 1879, Ford proposed a design for a car that was never built. In 1903, a copyright infringement lawsuit was initiated against Ford, which lasted 8 years, but ended in Ford's victory. Only in 1908 with the release of the Ford T model did success come to the company.

3. Michael Bloomberg (b. 1942).

At 24, the future billionaire and mayor of New York gets a job at Solomon Brothers, where he worked as a trader for 15 years. After the company acquired a new owner, it was reduced, but did not give up. In 1981, he created the Bloomberg news agency, which analyzed the state of financial markets online. The "chip" of the agency was in the use of computer technology, which few people heard about at that time, which made it possible to occupy a niche in this sector.

4. Sam Walton (1918-1982).

It is unlikely that Walton suspected that he would be engaged in entrepreneurship. Until 1942, he worked in small positions: selling magazine mailings, raising rabbits for sale, working as a manager. In 1942, he enters the US Army and after the end of the war he realizes that he needs to live somehow, and the system of the world has already fundamentally changed. He tries his hand at retail, renting a shop in a small town. Here he begins to apply his own sales technologies: wholesale direct (without intermediaries) purchase of goods, promotional discounts, work on weekends. Walton opened his first store in 1962 at the age of 44. In 1979, there were already more than 220 stores, and today this network is known to us as Wal-Mart.

5. Reid Hoffman (b. 1967).

He dreamed of the Internet for a long time and even at its first appearance he created SicialNet.com at the age of 30 - an analogue, a prototype of social networks, a dating site. The project turned out to be unprofitable and in 1999 Hoffman left it. But he didn't stop. Until 2002, he worked at PayPal, being a director before the takeover of eBay. Only in 2002, he was able to realize his idea of ​​​​a social network, literally 2 years ahead of Mark Zuckerberg, but later becoming one of Facebook's investors in its early stages of development. Today we know this project as one of the first business social networks LinkedIn.

6. George Soros (b. 1930).

You can criticize this person for as long as you like, but this does not detract from the fact that he was able to achieve a lot. And in what way (remember the same attack on the Bank of England) is the second question. George got into the sphere of investment relatively late - at the age of 26, but even then he was able to offer an interesting idea of ​​making money on international arbitration. Only at the age of 39 did Soros become a fund manager, and only in 1973 did he create his own Quantum Fund. Today he is one of the richest people in the world.

7. "Colonel" Garland Sanders (1890-1980).

As a child, this man had everything, but he chose to become a volunteer in the army. Until the age of 40, Sanders worked in many areas: a fireman on the railroad, a farmer, a miner. It wasn't until he was 40 that he started making chicken dishes, which he sold to those who stopped at his local gas station. A unique recipe that allows you to cook chicken faster than in a frying pan becomes Sanders' passport to the big financial world. In 1950, he begins to form the famous image: Aristocratic white suit, signature mustache and goatee. This image will become the face of his company KFC, which was waiting for serious tests and which it passed with honor.

8. Momofuku Ando (1910-2007).

According to one version, a survey was conducted in Japan in 2000: respondents were asked to name the main Japanese invention of the 20th century. Strange as it may seem, but the 1st place in the poll was taken by... Instant noodles! And it was Ando, ​​at the age of 48, who was able to offer the technology for its production.

9. Amancio Ortega (b. 1936).

The billionaire already participating in the previous rating earned the first big capital only after 40 years. His childhood was difficult, because it was not easy to find start-up capital. Being engaged in the production of knitwear, Amancio had no competitive advantages and therefore could not increase production. His first factory appeared when he was 37 years old (in 1972). And only in 1975 did he succeed with the creation of his own sales network, which at that time was an innovation.

10. Mary Katherine Wagner (Ash) (1918-2001).

One of the few female entrepreneurs who was able to build an entire business empire. In 1939, she became a sales manager (sales representative), seeking to increase sales of household goods through presentations. At the age of 45, tired of wage labor, she starts her own business by buying a recipe for skin care lotions. Her customer-centric business philosophy, sampler idea, and interesting marketing gimmicks allow the business to grow into an entire corporation. Today Mary Kay has more than 200 cosmetic products and more than 1,200 people at the company's headquarters alone.

Part III - The 10 youngest self-made billionaire entrepreneurs

Many billionaires have become so thanks to their parents, who left them money by will or gave them a share in the business. These people basically continue the business started by their parents with rare exceptions (for example, Tom Persson, who chose the career of an actor, or DJ Julio Mario Santo Domingo III). But there are also those who managed to earn their first billion on their own before the age of 40. And their experience deserves respect.

Back in 2015, Theranos was valued at $4.5 billion. USA. Elizabeth Holmes was 31 at the time. The ideological inspirer, she was engaged in the development of drugs. It is not known how long her company would have continued to exist if it were not for an unfortunate incident, as a result of which it turned out that most of the test results were lies. The SEC immediately removed Holmes from management, and Theranos is now virtually on the verge of bankruptcy. The rest of the participants in our rating are more successful.

1. John Collison (age 28, $1.1 billion)

"Irish genius" - this is the name of Collison, who at the age of 17 earned $ 5 million. USA on the sale of Auctomatic, which develops tools for eBay. In 2010, with the support of Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, he founded Stripe, a company developing solutions for receiving and processing electronic transactions. In 2016, Collison was recognized as the youngest billionaire in the world to earn a billion dollars. USA myself.

2. Bobby Murphy (age 30, $3 billion)

Another young billionaire who has taken the path of a technological breakthrough. After gaining experience while studying at the university in relation to the creation of small projects, he, together with Evan Spiegel (net worth about 2.1 billion US dollars), creates the Snapchat messenger. It is intended for the exchange of photo and video information, but its trick is that the information is available to the recipient for a short time, after which it is deleted automatically. The idea quickly caught on.

3. Drew Houston (age 35, $3.2 billion)

And again, a person becomes a billionaire who, at the peak of the popularity of platforms, services and applications, creates a unique product that instantly becomes in demand. In 2007, Houston developed Dropbox, a workspace for storing and processing data that allows you to organize your work and quickly find the files you need.

4. Nathan Blecharczyk (33), Joe Gebbia (36) and Brian Chesky (36) - $3.8 billion USA for everyone.

But these guys can be safely called the exception of this rating. In 2008, they offered the world a platform to connect tenants and landlords around the world with Airbnb. The idea was immediately appreciated by travelers and those who are forced to urgently look for housing in other cities and countries. For 10 years, billionaires have attracted about 3.4 billion dollars. USA investments, during the same time the site was visited by about 150 million people, about 30 million used its services, the database contains about 1.5 million offers of houses, apartments for both long-term and short-term rent.

5. Jack Dorsey (41, $4.8 billion).

The idea of ​​creating Twitter came to him while studying at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Working as a programmer in the dispatch service, he realized the need for instant messaging. In 2000, Dorsey created a platform for sending couriers and taxis over the Internet. And in 2008, his main service, Twitter, was launched. It is noteworthy that initially Dorsey dreamed of launching his line of jeans and in his youth was considered an irresponsible and frivolous person.

6. Robert Pera (age 40, $5.1 billion).

Comparing Apple to his ambitions, Pera said that Apple is an outstanding company, but he would like to do better faster. His corporate experience allowed him to quickly grasp the promise of wireless technology. In 2009, the sale of his model of autonomous systems for organizing wireless communications begins. Today, his company Ubiquiti is one of the leaders in the production of wireless equipment, which is distinguished by its approach to organizing the process of selling goods. Robert's goal is to be as successful as Cisco and Huawei.

7. Travis Kalanick (41, $6.3 billion).

Having sacrificed his studies, in 1998 Kalanick created the Scour file hosting service. In 2000, under pressure from lawsuits regarding copyright infringement, he declares the project bankrupt. In 2001, he makes a second attempt to create a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, which he successfully sells in 2007. In 2009, he creates the third serious project - Uber, which brings him fame. True, due to a series of internal conflicts in 2017, Kalanick is forced to leave the post of head, but the task has already been completed: he is a billionaire.

8. Jan Koum (42, $7.5 billion).

The future billionaire was born in Kyiv and emigrated with his parents to the United States in 1992. He never graduated from university, preferring to work at Yahoo, where he worked from 2000 to 2007. In 2009, he creates one of the most popular instant messengers WhatsApp, which for $ 19 billion. US buys Facebook in 2014. Until April 2018, Jan Kum continued to develop the messenger, but after that he was forced to leave due to disagreements with the management.

9. Dustin Moskowitz (age 34, $15.6 billion).

His fortune brought him participation in the development of the social network Facebook, where until 2008 he played the role of a second person. The desire to create his own working project prompted him to leave Facebook (though retaining a small share of the shares) and create Asana, a company operating in the technology and innovation market (creating applications for project management in small companies).

10. Mark Zuckerberg (age 34, $77.6 billion).

This person has already been briefly discussed in a previous article. By betting on the development of social networks and sacrificing his studies for this, Zuckerberg did not lose. Although Facebook is in a fever in 2018 and competitors are on the heels, Mark remains a billionaire.

Part IV - The Most Generous Philanthropist Investors

What does a person who has everything he wants need? What does a person who already has billions, real estate, yachts, islands and even free time need? For people managing their billion-dollar fortune, it makes no fundamental difference whether they have 5 billion more or less, they need fame, recognition and respect. Every person wants people to remember his good deeds, every person wants to be useful to society.

1. Gordon and Betty Moore(289 million US dollars).

The co-founder of Intel and his wife have been supporting various areas of science for several years, investing approximately the same amount annually (adjusted for inflation) for more than 15 years. According to the total amount of donations, the Moore couple is in the TOP-10 of the most generous investors in the world. Most of the money is allocated to science, environmental protection, and staff training. Also, at their expense, the largest telescope in the world is being built.

2. James Simons(293 million US dollars).

A mathematician, academic, trader who made his money managing hedge funds, in his 80s he continues to invest in educational and medical projects around the world. He rarely gets into the TOP, giving preference to individual interesting projects.

3. Paul Allen(341 million US dollars).

The co-founder of Microsoft has been a top philanthropist in the world since 2011. The priority direction of financing is scientific research and, first of all, neurology. He created an institute for the study of the brain, where he invested about 500 million dollars. USA only at the time of creation.

4. Walton family(454 million US dollars).

The Wal-Mart founder family opted for a narrow funding profile. In 2011, thanks to them, the Museum of American Art appeared, where about 1.3 billion dollars were invested at the start alone. USA.

5. Charles (Chuck) Feeney(482 million US dollars).

“A billionaire without a billion” is the name of the founder of Duty Free Shoppers, one of the few who gave money to charity during his lifetime. He continues to receive passive income, but immediately gives it away. According to him, he only needs as much money as he can spend. He travels all over the world to select charitable objects, getting personally acquainted with each project that requires a grant.

6. George Soros(531 million US dollars).

His Open Society Foundation, for the most part, is engaged in supporting education, issuing grants to scientists, students, and researchers. Another direction of the fund is the financing of organizations that defend the rights of people. Soros is often criticized for supporting the media under the guise of protecting free speech and transparency, but in fact buying them.

7. Michael Bloomberg(600 million US dollars).

The former mayor of New York and owner of a news agency has donated money to more than 850 organizations, with priority given to health and environmental projects.

8. Bill and Melinda Gates(2.142 billion US dollars).

In 1999, thanks to Gates, a charitable foundation appeared, which at an early stage supported various kinds of technological developments (platforms, startups). Later, the fund will finance medical developments, help third world countries cope with hunger (humanitarian aid), etc. In 2010, together with Buffett, he created a kind of “Giving Pledge” club, whose members undertake to give at least 50% of their money to charity.

9. Warren Buffett(2.861 billion US dollars).

Has friendships and partnerships with the Gates family, supporting their foundation. Already transferred in the amount of more than 30 billion dollars. United States and wrote a will in which he promised to give 99% of his fortune to charitable foundations.

Interesting fact. Not all billionaires and millionaires are eager to join the “Giving Oath”, not everyone wants to part with their money. Mark Zuckerberg, Carlos Slim also periodically got into the rating of the most generous philanthropists, but almost every year the list of the most generous billionaires does not change.

In conclusion, I want to say a well-known truth: Millionaires and billionaires are not born - they are made. So keep it up :)

Although it will not be easy to break through to the top of Olympus without an entrepreneurial streak, determination, flexibility and the ability to establish contacts remain decisive factors. It happens that it takes more than a dozen years to find your place in life. But what one person started, his children can continue. A family business eventually grows into huge corporations, but there is another way. It is enough to be a few steps ahead: to see promising directions, not to be afraid to take risks within reasonable limits and be able to find something that will be interesting to people. I sincerely wish you to find your place in life, find your favorite occupation that would bring you profit. And if you've already achieved some success, share your experience in the comments!

4.5 2

On Tuesday, September 19, the results of their special study, which highlights the world's 100 greatest business minds.

When creating the list, Forbes experts selected people who had a strong influence on the processes taking place in the business world, or who inspired the development of entrepreneurship.

Here is what the top 10 most prominent businessmen of our time according to Forbes looks like. All of them are listed alphabetically, not in order of "highest to lowest".

The man who founded Salesforce started his business at the age of 15. It was at this age that he created the company Liberty Software, which creates games for the Atari 800 computer. By the age of 16, the young man was earning $ 1,500 a month, enough to pay for his studies at the University of Southern California.

Benioff spent a summer at Apple, working as a programmer in the Macintosh division under Steve Jobs. This experience was useful to him later, as he realized that revolutionary ideas could be encouraged by entrepreneurs.

Currently, Benioff is the head of a company that develops a cloud-based CRM system of the same name. This longtime Oracle rival is valued at $40 billion. The specific idea behind Salesforce was to move away from selling software that companies had to install on their servers. Salesforce allowed people to access business applications from a web browser. And even if you don’t surprise anyone with this now, in the late nineties it was a revolutionary idea.

Owns Amazon, one of the world's largest online retailers.

It's hard to imagine now that such a successful company was headquartered in the future billionaire's garage, where, along with a few employees, he started developing software for an online bookstore. Subsequently, the office expanded into a two-room house. In 1995, the entrepreneur opened Amazon.com, named after a winding South American river.

The businessman, through large retail partnerships, constantly expanded the range of products that Amazon was ready to offer. Books were joined by CDs, and later clothing, electronics, toys, and more. Although many of the dot-coms went bankrupt in the early 90s, Amazon prospered, and its annual sales soared from $510,000 in 1995 to over $17 billion in 2011.

Bezos is currently worth $72.8 billion.

Like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett donates billions of dollars to charitable causes, refuting the stereotype of the greed and heartlessness of the "sharks of capitalism." He tops the list of billionaire philanthropists, having donated more than $46 billion to various causes since 2000. This makes up about 71% of his fortune. By comparison, Bill Gates has donated $18 billion since 2000, or 22% of his fortune.

This French businessman is one of the owners of luxury conglomerate LVMH and one of the richest people in the world. According to Forbes, Arno's fortune reaches 34 billion dollars.

Arnault earned the nickname "the wolf in cashmere" by acquiring numerous fashion and beauty brands including Givenchy, Guerlain, Sephora, Fendi and Loro Piana, as well as numerous jewelry brands including TAG Heuer, De Beers and Bulgari. . Many did not believe in the expediency of gathering "under one roof" a variety of brands, as this does not allow focusing on one direction, moreover, some of the companies acquired by Arno were direct competitors.

However, Arno, as a true brilliant entrepreneur, did not pay attention to critics. He changed the pricing policy of the conglomerate, making branded products affordable not only for very wealthy buyers, but also for people with average incomes. And those who are dissatisfied with such “averaging” can always buy things from expensive limited editions of clothes and accessories.

The founder of Armani is a visible proof of the theory that a beautiful person ages gracefully. During his life, he tried many jobs: from assistant photographer to window dresser, but Armani's fame and fortune came from creating fashion models. Initially, he did this for various Italian brands, and then in 1974 he introduced clothes under his own name. A year later, succumbing to the persuasion of a friend of the architect Sergio Galeotti, Armani created his own company.

This Italian fashion designer was hired to design costumes for iconic films such as The Matrix, American Gigolo and The Untouchables.

The American businessman, despite his multi-billion dollar fortune ($12.5 billion), leads a fairly modest lifestyle and is not too keen on publicity. He very rarely gives interviews to the press (he gave the last detailed interview already in 1974). However, it is known that Anschutz is the head of one of the largest oil companies in the United States, owns several football clubs and cinemas, a railway and a huge number of farms. Anschutz also owns the telecommunications company Qwest Communications, one of the industry leaders in America.

Paul Allen first made his mark on the business world when he co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates. This happened in 1975, and since then Allen has been one of the main innovators in the field of entrepreneurship and technology. He is the founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc., which oversees the businessman's philanthropic and business interests, from sports teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers to heritage preservation projects like the Seattle Cinerama and the Museum of Pop Culture.

Through his commercial and philanthropic investments, the Microsoft co-founder has spearheaded important developments and innovations in science, technology, space, education, and the arts. For example, since 2003 he has invested more than $500 million in basic brain research by opening the Allen Institute for Brain Science. He also created the Allen Institute for Cellular Science and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

For 21 years, Eisner was the permanent head of The Walt Disney Company. Under him, a division of Walt Disney Television Animation appeared, releasing cartoons for TV. Children love cartoons in the morning and the ratings from this decision were very good. In addition, Eisner allowed television companies to sell the rights to show old Disney cartoons and films. These steps significantly strengthened the financial position of the company. However, Disney veterans criticized Eisner's actions, reproaching him that he was only focused on making a profit and the studio's new products had lost the proverbial Disney spirit. In 2005, the boss of the Disney Company resigned from his post.

Aikan made his fortune as one of the notorious Wall Street Raiders in the 1980s. He owned large stakes in corporations such as RJR Nabisco, Texaco, Phillips Petroleum and Viacom. In addition to raiding, he was engaged in the so-called "greenmail": the repurchase of company shares at an inflated price. Aikan's success was such that he inspired the scriptwriters in many ways when creating the image of the famous Gordon Gekko from the movie "Wall Street".

Currently, 81-year-old Aikan is ranked 43rd in the Forbes richest people ranking.

On the first line in the selection of the best business minds of our time is one of the leaders in the global gaming business, the founder of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and an influential sponsor of Republicans in the US.

The source of Adelson's wealth and current investments was the COMDEX computer exhibition designed for the computer industry. It was an innovative solution that had incredible popularity. The first event took place in 1979, and in 1995 the businessman sold COMDEX to the Japanese telecommunications corporation SoftBank Japan for $862 million. After that, in 1988, the businessman acquired the popular gambling establishment The Sands Hotel & Casino. Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin played there, and Ocean's 11 in 1960 was filmed.

However, later Adelson personally blew up The Sands Hotel & Casino in order to build in its place the luxurious Venetian hotel-casino, decorated in the Venetian style (up to canals and gondoliers). And then he entered the international arena, building luxury hotel-casino complexes in a number of countries.

Throughout his career, Sheldon Adelson has created over 50 diverse companies.

Russia was represented in the list of outstanding entrepreneurs of the century by Yuri Milner (55th place). He participated in the creation of Mail.Ru Group and the international venture fund DST Global.

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Who is a businessman

A businessman is an entrepreneur, a business person who implements his own economic projects for profit or other benefits. He can do business himself or hire a hired director, provide resources and, most importantly, set tasks. Accordingly, the entrepreneur has the opportunity to prove himself both as a leader - to manage the staff, and as a clerk - to perform work tasks.

A successful businessman often oversees not one, but several more or less profitable commercial projects. Their success is measured in terms of money, position in society, etc.

Running a business encourages continuous development and provides an opportunity for self-expression. An employee does not care about a special mindset, while becoming a businessman means learning to analyze, compare and predict facts and events.

The main components of a successful business

The sources of professional achievement in business are:

• business and personal qualities of the leader;
• intellectual abilities;
• character traits;
• acquired skills;
• image and reputation of the company;
• unique idea;
• detailed business plan;
• availability of resources;
• competitiveness.

It is possible to open your own business in the absence of finances and certain business strategies, from scratch. If there are innovative ideas about making a profit, then you can attract investments or use a bank loan.

Starting capital can be multiplied only with competent investments. Therefore, it will require a detailed business plan and a willingness to work hard to outperform the competition.

Business and personal qualities of a leader

Among the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, in addition to the makings of a leader and organizer, the following stand out:

• self confidence;
• creativity as a way to generate business ideas;
• the ability to find your niche in the market and make initial economic calculations;
• the ability to assess and anticipate changes in market conditions;
• guidance on the principle of maximizing one's own profit and consumer benefits;
• willingness to take responsibility and make decisions;
• communication skills for business communication;
• ability to take reasonable risks.

Intellectual ability

The following qualities are most effectively used in the profession of a businessman:

• developed logical thinking;
• insight;
• originality of thinking;
• curiosity;
• the ability to acquire new knowledge and skills;
• intuition;
• education and general erudition.

Character traits

An analysis of the activities of Russian and foreign entrepreneurs shows that among the various personal qualities, five of the most important can be distinguished:

Acquired Skills

It is important for a businessman to know the basics of entrepreneurial activity:

• marketing;
• management;
• finance;
• operations.

There are different ways to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills:

1. Studying at a college or university. If an entrepreneur already has a technical or humanitarian education, it would be useful to get a second one in the field of management or finance. Basic education allows a person to acquire the skills of searching and processing information, develop structural and logical thinking, and general erudition.
2. Attending seminars and trainings. In a short period of time at the seminars you can get up-to-date information about legal and formal innovations, expand your understanding of the chosen industry. Trainings help to form the necessary entrepreneurial qualities of a person.
3. The study of literature and video materials. Beginners, who are deprived of the opportunity to attend seminars, are able to learn the basics of business on their own with the help of numerous books by successful authors. In addition, a large number of theoretical and visual materials are available on the Internet - the video format is convenient for learning.
4. Practical activities. One of the best ways to gain the necessary knowledge in your chosen industry is to work for a similar company. In this case, the future entrepreneur will be able to study the specifics of the business, gain invaluable experience and acquire useful connections.

Also, to determine what exactly to study, you need to take into account the features of the chosen direction. In the fields of medicine or construction, an entrepreneur must understand not only management, but also the production part. Whereas it is better to organize an advertising agency or a law firm with a liberal education.

This video of the Academy of Professionals channel tells you how to start creating a business.

Image and reputation

Image is a generalized image of the company, which is available to the masses on the basis of statements and practical activities. It forms in the public or individual consciousness an emotional attitude towards the leader or organization. Created using PR tools.

Good business reputation means:

• honest work with clients and partners;
• stable financial level;
• willingness of management to meet commitments.

Reputation is created in the aspect of all activities through personal contact with the company.

Image and reputation:

• determine the position of the company in the market;
• attract the attention of potential buyers;
• retain the loyalty of regular customers.

In order to successfully resist competitors, you should not rely on the spontaneous formation of positive ideas, but consciously develop the image of your enterprise. The most important factor that will help shape the image of the company is the quality of the goods and services provided.

The main components of image and reputation are:

• professionalism of employees;
• profitability of the company;
• name reflecting the essence of the enterprise;
• legend about the leader and organization;
• presentability and openness to the client;
• corporate culture;
• company logo;
• Company `s logo;
• branded clothing;
• special color scheme.

Idea

A business idea is an idea, a set of measures aimed at creating a new enterprise. It is used in any of the areas of activity to obtain a stable profit.

To assess the potential of an idea, the following is taken into account:

1. The real state of the market in the region, the structure of demand and its distribution by category of prices and goods.
2. Age composition of the population. Thus, the elderly are more likely to be interested in medicines and gardening products, when young people will pay attention to technological innovations and entertainment.
3. Structure of interests of both sexes. Men and women have different economic needs.
4. The experience of predecessors - their achievements and failures.

Once the main idea is defined, you can start looking for the most likely ways to implement it, namely:

1. Gather up-to-date business information.
2. Familiarize yourself with the legal framework.
3. Study the activities of competitors.
4. Consult with specialists and suppliers.

Among the important components of a business idea are also distinguished:

• location of the office or workshop;
• ways of marketing products, range of goods or services;
• investment volumes.

10 business ideas relevant for 2019 are described in detail in the video of the To-Biz Business Ideas channel.

Availability of a business plan

A business plan is a document structuring and summarizing the main entrepreneurial idea. Its development will help turn an abstract idea of ​​a business into a detailed guide to project implementation.

The goals of planning are:

• assessment of markets for goods or services;
• determination of the company's position in these markets;
• designation of short-term and long-term tasks;
• calculation of needs for financial, material and labor resources;
• analysis of risks and level of competition.

The business plan includes such components as:

• description and theoretical justification of the idea;
• information about the main and reserve suppliers, their pricing policy;
• production part;
• information about the target audience;
• investment appraisal;
• calculation of profitability and payback period.

This document can be called a step-by-step guide for an entrepreneur. To start planning, you should outline the goals and objectives of the enterprise, and only then describe the practical side.

Target aspects of the enterprise Business plan development scheme

Tangible and intangible resources

Economic resources are those goods that are used to produce goods and services. To organize a business, an entrepreneur needs both tangible and intangible resources.

Tangible assets are represented by such components as:

• reserves;
• materials;
• equipment;
• labor resources;
• building;
• finance.

They come to the enterprise from external sources through acquisition in the resource markets. Supplier relationships can be an important part of an organization's core competence. For example, the company's ability to attract the most qualified personnel.

• skills;
• knowledge;
• brands;
• business reputation of the organization;
• patent rights.

These resources are produced within the company itself and are of great importance for the success of the enterprise. Thus, a positive business reputation ensures a constant flow of customers.

Competitiveness

Competitiveness reflects the ability to stay ahead of others, using your advantages in achieving your goals. At the stage of starting a business, it should be taken into account that there are already competitors on the market who have managed to adapt to the needs of consumers. Therefore, an entrepreneur, in order to convey to the client his main advantages, will need advertising.

• it is necessary to find out how effective one or another of its carriers is for attracting the target audience;
• the amount of funding that is available for this purpose should be determined.

In modern conditions, there is a wide range of business promotion opportunities:

• Internet;
• printed products;
• mass media;
• outdoor advertising;
• direct marketing tools.

There are universal trends that lead to success in any business:

1. Goal setting. They are both short term and long term. Goals can be simple tasks that you need to complete on a daily basis. Effective fixation of the results of work, analysis of one's own achievements. This way of organizing a business will help to see the successes and failures, to identify the potential for further development.
2. Prioritization. Before performing any task, it is useful to analyze its significance at the moment in order to achieve the final goal. Time is an irreplaceable resource and the ability to manage it will save many others.
3. Consistency in business. The result of the work always depends on the quality of its implementation. Disorderly organization of work is no guarantee of success, when the gradual progress on the planned plan will ensure the productivity of any project.
4. Growth and improvement. Assume the regulation of business efficiency, focus on its progressive functioning. This approach will make it possible to take a stable position in the face of the volatility of economic realities.
5. Rational use of resources. In business, it is important to be able to assess not only the current situation in terms of the use of certain resources. It is also necessary to predict further actions and dispose of assets in accordance with this.
6. Communication and openness. These skills are indispensable in working with a team, in negotiations with business partners, as well as in interactions with clients. A successful businessman combines different management styles. Therefore, he should take a leading role in resolving various conflicts, be able to listen to his interlocutors. Learning to read body language can help you anticipate the behavior of others and better understand them.
7. Customer orientation. Knowing the needs of the target audience is of paramount importance. If a company uses advanced technologies, hires professionals and is a guarantee of quality, then its income increases. Since potential consumers are attracted by the best correspondence of the offer to the actual demand.
8. A team of like-minded people. Recruitment is an important task; successful work requires competent and responsible people who are highly motivated to achieve.
9. Readiness for risks. Even having a productive business plan does not guarantee good results in the future. Uncontrollable situations and circumstances arise at any moment. For example, there may be innovative proposals from competitors that make the business unprofitable. Therefore, the ability to take risks will help to adapt to unstable situations in the market.
10. Responsibility for results. A businessman himself is responsible for the success of his enterprise. If he is not satisfied with the current state of affairs, then you should not blame circumstances, competitors, economic problems, and so on. It should be recognized that changes in business will occur only when the entrepreneur consciously decides to implement them.

Video

You can learn about the habits of rich and successful people, the rules for achieving the goal from the video of the channel “1000 Secrets of Strength Development”.