It’s not easy to make something of yourself when you come from very little. It has been proven time and again that opportunities for education and other experiences as a child have a profound effect on your adult life and how successful you hope to become. However, there are those who have managed to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and we’re talking way, way up, without a silver spoon. Check out a sampling of billionaires who grew up poor.
Lakshmi Mittal (Net worth: $28.7 billion)
Ingvar Kamprad (Net worth: $23 billion)
Sheldon Adelson (Net worth: $21.8 billion)
The man who currently controls most of Las Vegas did not grow up in the casino business; nor did he grow up around money. Sheldon Adelson lived in a less-than-safe neighborhood of Dorchester, Mass. outside Boston. His father worked as a cab driver and Adelson sold newspapers on a street corner. By age 12, he made it clear that he was meant to be the head honcho and own his own business. He had a business selling toiletry kits as well as a charter tour business. It was the first Sands Hotel and Casino that he took over in 1988 that churned out his immense wealth.
Howard Schultz (Net worth: $1.5 billion)
Every time you sip that caramel macchiato or peppermint mocha, you can thank Howard Schultz for ensuring that it’s available on almost every street corner in large cities. Schultz’s story began in public housing in Brooklyn, N.Y. – the Canarsie Bayview Houses. He was the first family member to graduate from high school. After heading to Seattle to check out a little-known, but locally popular, coffee bean store known as Starbucks, he joined the company and became head of marketing and operations in 1982. The plot thickens. Schultz left Starbucks after clashing with the owners over offering coffee in stores (can you imagine?!), and started his own coffee business, Il Giornale. A year later, Schultz had the last laugh and bought Starbucks for $3.8 million, turning it into the mega company it is today.
Oprah Winfrey (Net worth: $2.7 billion)
Arguably one of the most influential women in the world, media mogul Oprah Winfrey was raised in poverty by an unmarried teenage mother in rural Mississippi. With a rocky childhood that included abuse, pregnancy, and being bounced around the country, it wasn’t until she was midway through high school that Oprah got on track. She landed a job at age 17 doing the news part time for a local black radio station, and the rest is history. Oprah climbed her way up through anchor and host positions, and was catapulted to fame with “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1986. The Oprah empire now includes her own magazine, TV and radio stations, website, charities and countless other endeavors.
George Soros (Net worth: $19.2 billion)
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