Rags-to-riches stories which inspired the world

Monday October 09, 2017 , 3 min Read

Not all successful tycoons and industry leaders had a reign to an affluent family heirloom; many struggled through the grim in their heydays before they made it big. They climbed to the top because of their sheer tenacity and never-say-die attitude. If you want to be rich too, you need to learn how to take the lemons life throws at you and make lemonade out of it. Mr. Narendra Modi, the 15th Prime Minister of our country, used to run a tea stall with his brother in Ahmedabad. Just like him, several people have struggled throughout their lives to achieve remarkable success.

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We have compiled six such stories to inspire and motivate you.

Howard Schultz

The former CEO and present executive chairman, of Starbucks, Howard Schultz grew up in a housing complex for the poor. He worked for Xerox after his graduation. Soon after, he took over a coffee shop called Starbucks which had only 60 shops at that time. He became the CEO of Starbucks in 1987 and expanded the coffee chain to more than 16,000 outlets worldwide.

Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhai's father was a man of limited means. To earn a few extra bucks, Dhirubhai used to sell oils and fritters. He went on to become the founder of the Indian business giant - Reliance Industries. Even today, it's hard to forget the scale of his success. At present, the total asset value of Reliance Industries is over 85 billion dollars.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren was born in a strict Jewish family and his father was a house painter. But his modest beginnings never came in the way of his dreams. An entrepreneur from his school days, the multi-millionaire sold ties to his classmates to earn some extra cash on the side. He mentioned in his yearbook that he wanted to be a millionaire. He made all his dreams comes true when he became a popular name in the fashion world.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey was born into abject poverty. However, that didn't stop her from winning a scholarship to Tennessee State University. She later went on to become the first African-American TV correspondent at the age of 19. In 1983, she moved to Chicago to work for an AM talk show that was later branded The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Patricia Narayan

Patricia Narayan walked out of an unsuccessful marriage at the age of 20, with her two kids in tow. In order to support herself and her kin, she started selling homemade jams, pickles and other small food products. Later, she ran canteens at several offices. Today, she owns a chain of restaurants called Sandheepa and earns around two lakh rupees per day.

Lakshmi Mittal

Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal was born in 1950 to a poor family in the Indian state of Rajasthan. He established the foundations of his fortune over 20 years ago by conducting much of his business in the steel industry equivalent of a discount warehouse. Today, he owns the world's largest steel making company and is a multi-billionaire.

Just like these rags-to-riches entrepreneurs, you too can start from nothing and work your way to the top. Use the above mentioned stories as your inspiration and don't allow your adversities to deter you from your aspirations.