These famous entrepreneurs all have unique stories that have made them successful. Follow their example and learn what it takes to climb to the top as an entrepreneur and stay at the top as a leader.
- Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg was a college student when he started one of the biggest and well-known companies of the 21st century: Facebook. Facebook was developed by Zuckerberg and a group of friends in a dorm room at Harvard. Facebook started out as a social media site for Harvard students via invite only, but it quickly spread to other campuses and eventually to the whole world. Zuckerberg dropped out of college and has only ever had one real job: being the CEO and Chairman of Facebook, and he’s made a lot of money because of it. Zuckerberg had the skills to start Facebook, but he’s only had success because of his ability to turn a product into a successful company under his leadership. - Sophia Amoruso
As she was working jobs she didn’t like or feel good at in her twenties, Sophia Amoruso started selling old clothes in an eBay store she called Nasty Gal Vintage. Two years later, she was moving her eBay store to her own site, and a year after that she was moving her company into its first warehouse in Berkeley, CA. Nasty Gal claimed huge success just from social media, and by 2012, 6 years after starting her eBay site, Nasty Gal was named the “Fasted Growing Retailer” by INC Magazine. Today, Amoruso is empowering women through her autobiography #GIRLBOSS, where she explores what it means to be a high-powered leader of a huge company. - Jeff Bezos
If Bezos isn’t a household name yet, Amazon.com definitely is. After quitting a job at a New York City hedge fund in 1994, Bezos decided to take advantage of the rapidly growing Internet world, and came up with business plans for Amazon, which started out as an online book retailer. Today, Amazon is the largest online retailer and the go-to model for retail sales. Bezos has remained the CEO and Chairman of Amazon since its beginning. Bezos is a notorious micromanager despite the fact that he’s managed to remain the head of the company since its inception. He likes to know every detail, but since he’s remained the head of the company, he helps show how various leadership styles can still be successful. - Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is best known for her name and the brand that comes along with it. Oprah started her career on a radio show, where her calm personality and emotional presence eventually landed her a job on a Chicago daytime show. Oprah managed to help the show go from last place to first in ratings. Her success in daytime TV led to the creation of the famous Oprah Winfrey Show, where she focused on self-help, meditation, and literature. Not only is Oprah the leader of two companies, Harbo and OWN; she’s also a leader, motivator, and role model to people all across the U.S.
