Biographies of the richest people on the planet. Biographies of successful people

Many people dream of fame, wealth and happiness. However, not everyone succeeds in achieving something in life. From the article you will learn about how successful people became successful, how to find the main secrets and principles of good luck.

Age-old mystery

Thousands of thinkers, scientists and ordinary people are trying to create a universal path to victory. Some believe that the only way to achieve your goal in life is through hard work. Others are sure that people receive a "ticket" from fortune from birth. Still others are convinced that a person becomes great only through mystical coincidences. But the persons who actually succeeded know that they will only help to catch the "firebird" with all of these points together.

Absolutely everyone is sure that everything depends on a particular person and his ability to recognize and use the chances that fate offers. Of course, it is impossible to reach heights in one hour or in several lessons on the topic "How to become a successful person" from a famous lucky person. But if you strive for this and read the relevant literature, communicate with interesting people, that is, every chance to change your life for the better.

In any case, there are rules that unite all the rich and handsome men and women among themselves. The first secret is that you need to correctly set goals and priorities. Immediately think about who you want to be, for example, in 10-20 years, what you need to do to achieve what you want. Start with small tasks. If they are successful, then keep working in the same spirit.

Second secret: when you go towards your goal, do not waste time on things that make you vulnerable and insecure. Try to avoid people who don't share your vision. The ability to deal with difficulties, criticism and temptations - these are the main qualities successful person... Remember: no matter how hard you try, there are people who will not appreciate your work.

Third secret: don't postpone things until later. Enthusiasm and ideas often lose out to laziness and lack of initiative, so try to cultivate punctuality and patience. After all, men and women with such traits are valued in the world.

Computer genius

The idol of many dreamers is Bill Gates. The story of this man is fascinating and instructive. He was born into a well-to-do family. My father worked as a successful lawyer, and my mother was actively involved in charity work. The boy lived in a good neighborhood and attended an excellent school. Since childhood, parents have tried to instill in their son the spirit of competition. Relatives made sure that the boy strived for science. Little Bill loved to play various games, in which he was often the winner.

Already at the age of 10, the boy decided that he would enter the circle in which there are successful people. His father was an example to follow. Therefore, instead of sports games and having fun with friends, the boy read a lot and devoted time to study.

Ironically, the school had one of the very first computers. Even then, he was interested in a unique car. Intuitively, he felt that the world would be changed by the programs, and not the devices on which they were installed. It was during this time that Bill created his first projects. The director encouraged the students with awards. For his work, the boy received his first $ 500 at the age of 15. After graduating from school, the guy set a goal for himself - to make money from programming. It should be noted that not all the people around him believed in Bill's strength.

Target and means

Parents, who knew nothing about computers, were against such a desire. They believed that successful people could not do such a thing, and saw their son as a lawyer. The young man entered Harvard. On the machines of the university, he continued to write programs. The money that he raised for his ideas was invested in the business. In 1975, Bill and a friend opened their own firm, which they called Microsoft. Often a genius worked so hard and diligently that he fell asleep right in the office. Harvard guy dropped out. His parents did not share his choice, but the computer genius did not give up.

Bill Gates knew how to become a successful person. The man's secret was hard work and fabulous ambition.

In 1978, there were 11 people in the Microsoft office. Today, 90% of computer users have the software his firm created.

In the history of this genius there were ups and downs, but he confidently walked towards his goal. Several times Bill Gates topped the list of the richest people in the world. Now the multibillionaire donates significant funds to charity. He donates millions to the poor and disadvantaged. His new goal in life is to save the world.

Grief as an incentive

The most successful people work in different directions. If Bill Gates became a computer genius, then in the world of the book, J.K. Rowling takes the lead.

The future writer was born into a simple family. Her homeland was the county of Gloucestershire, which is located in England. She had a younger sister. It was to her that the author read her first stories. When she was 5-6 years old, Joan wrote a fairy tale. Childhood could not be called sweet. The family often did not have enough money. The girl was afraid of her father because of her complex nature. And her mother, whom she loved very much, died when Joan was 25 years old. She endured the tragedy very hard. But it was this death that pushed her to work. It should be noted that before radical changes, almost all successful people in the world experience something terrible and unusual.

A few months before the disaster, she, rushing on the train, imagined a dark-haired boy who had just learned that he was a wizard. At that moment, the novelist did not have a pen with her, so more and more bright images appeared in her head.

Creativity is a pill for depression

She wrote the book very slowly. Per a short time Rowling survived the death of her mother, a divorce from her husband who beat her, and a move back to England. A woman with a small child, whom she gave birth to in 1993, lived very poorly. For some time she suffered from severe depression. Therefore, in the draft of the Harry Potter book, many dark and evil characters appeared.

A life successful people is not always easy. But this writer did not give up and continued to create. She was empowered by the dream that her novel would be published. The story that the world admires today was at first a kind of Joan's diary. In it, she solved her problems using fantastic situations. Work saved her from pain and suffering. The woman wrote when the child was asleep after walking.

In 1995, Rowling completed her first book. However, none of the publishers she contacted agreed to publish the story. Once "Harry Potter" fell into the hands of the daughter of one of the editors. It was the interest of this girl that contributed to the fact that the novel saw the light of day. More than 400 million copies have now been sold. The writer is one of the richest women in Britain.

Charity

For a while a lot of friends and even strangers asked a famous author for money. Almost all successful people in the world face this situation. The woman helped many. But Joan is of the opinion that big money spoils personality. The writer herself lives quite modestly and very rarely, despite her financial situation, allows herself expensive things.

Weekly at mailbox the writer receives thousands of letters. Some of them are from fans. Others are from various organizations that are asking for help. At first, Rowling gave funds to everyone. But then I realized that it would not be able to help someone in particular. Later she decided to create her own charitable foundation. Almost all successful people turn to this practice. Her organization is fighting multiple sclerosis from which her mother died.

No age limits

Everyone has long known that making a dream come true and a small triumph make a person not only happy, but also improve his health. There is a great example that success can be achieved regardless of age and background. This is a unique person named Granny Moses.

This American woman was born back in 1860. Since childhood, she was very fond of drawing. She worked hard on the farm all her life. She became an exemplary mother of five children and a good person. She had no time for her favorite hobby.

The woman retired and started painting. My grandmother was in her 70s when a collector from New York liked her work. Simple, soulful landscapes immediately conquered the world. Exhibitions of the artist's paintings were held all over the world. The woman created about 1600 canvases and died at the age of 101.

It should be noted that in 2004 her work "The Old Colorful House, 1862" sold at auction for $ 60,000. The story of Grandma Moses proves that the activity of a successful person does not depend on age.

Characteristics of goals

The secret of luck is unique to everyone. Someone needs a good chance and useful connections to make their dreams come true. Others have a lot of time and lots of opportunities. But in any case, without tremendous work, energy and ambition, it is impossible to wake up and become famous in one day.

For many people, happiness and success are not measured in the amount of money in the bank account, not in the army of fans who are on duty at the door. There are people for whom luck lies in fulfilling their dream, no matter how strange it may seem to others. The first want simple family comfort, the second - career growth, the third - the ability to freely travel the world. For each individual person, the triumph has its own characteristic.

Stories of how successful people became successful is a step that can bring you closer to your goal. It doesn't matter what a person puts before himself. If his aspirations are pure and light, sincere work and circumstances will contribute to their realization.

The story of Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs as retold by Walter Isaacson is one of the most popular modern biographies, often cited in various collections. " Steve Jobs”Talks about the life and career of one of the most influential entrepreneurs of the 21st century, about his great failure and how it helped him to achieve success and conquer the world.

The Microsoft co-founder talks in his autobiography about the company's early years and growth, and his difficult and close relationship with Gates. In this book, you will find a couple of ideas on how to start your own business, interact with partners, make money and, most importantly, how to spend it.

Book by David Kirkpatrick - true story creation of social network number 1 with more than half a billion users. Main character storytelling Mark Zuckerberg himself provided the journalist with unlimited access to information about himself and Facebook, so the facts presented in the book can be considered as reliable as possible.

Tony Shay is an internet entrepreneur and CEO of the online store Zappos. The autobiography tells about the life and formation of a businessman: from opening a worm farm at the age of nine to the creation of Zappos and LinkExchange, which were later bought by Amazon and Microsoft. This cheerful story will help young entrepreneurs make their business even more useful and profitable.

Blake Maikosky is an American entrepreneur, writer and philanthropist best known as the founder of Toms Shoes. She is famous not only for her espadrilles, but also for the fact that when buying a pair of shoes, the same goes to poor children with foot diseases. In his book, Maikoski talks not only about how to make a profit, but also how to start a business that will benefit people.

The Shoe Salesman is another success story, this time of Nike creator Phil Knight, who couldn't afford to buy Adidas sneakers as a kid. This book will tell you how an entrepreneur started a firm that became a serious competitor to the company with three stripes. In addition, the Shoe Seller will reveal what happened to the waitress who drew the Nike logo for $ 30, and how an aeronautical engineer from NASA came up with the famous Air Max.

The business autobiography of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is not an ordinary success story, but a cautionary tale that proves that a company can make high profits and not abandon its principles. Howard Schultz says that treating employees and customers with love and respect, manufacturing a product highest quality and the corresponding service are the basics that should not be sacrificed even during the most difficult times for the company.

The autobiography of multibillionaire Richard Branson will appeal to those looking to become an entrepreneur, build successful business or just find out how the Virgin empire was built. This book talks about the exciting journey and the grandiose results that can await someone who has an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to embody it. Branson began his career selling defective Virgin records. On the this moment The Virgin Group includes more than 400 companies of various profiles, and the number of employees of the corporation exceeds 50 thousand people.

The book of an outstanding American industrialist is not a collection of abstract general recommendations on setting up and running a business, and a handbook with applied information. Henry Ford in simple words teaches wisdom Everyday life, the same - explains the most complex production relations, supporting what has been said with examples - models that are efficient even after a hundred years.

The autobiography of former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will appeal not only to football fans. This book is an extraordinary story strong man, who knows very well that there are no big victories without heavy disappointments.

Cast Life is an extremely honest story of a career full of ups and downs, the autobiography of a man who has come a long way to becoming a movie star. Brian Cranston talks about his past, considering each of his life status as a role in a movie, be it a painter or a murder suspect. The book will appeal to all lovers of fascinating non-fiction literature and Cranston fans in particular.

If the biographies of successful entrepreneurs don't inspire you, you might like Stephen King's memoir. If you have to write for work, and already tired of textbooks on journalism and philology, then "How to write books" is a great way to take a break from boring manuals. If you are just starting to write, then King's biography is also suitable: the author talks to the reader without arrogance, on an equal footing, motivating him to be creative.

Biography of Christopher McCandless, an American downshifter traveler who went to a desert part of Alaska with a small supply of food and equipment, hoping to live some time in seclusion. "In the wild" - an example of dedication and human readiness to give up the benefits of civilization in search of peace of mind... The end of this story is sad, but McCandless's philosophy is close to many.

Benjamin Franklin's story has inspired many, from Dale Carnegie to. In his autobiography, a politician, scientist and journalist shares advice with those who are just starting their careers, looking for new ideas, or simply interested in history.

The autobiography of Solomon Northup, a free-born African American who, by coincidence, fell into slavery. This book teaches that even in the most seemingly hopeless situations, you cannot give up and lose hope. The adaptation of this story won an Oscar for Best Picture in 2013.

It is difficult to find a person who would not like to live in abundance. And if some have to work every day by the sweat of their brows to earn a penny, then fate has given others huge fortunes as an inheritance.

1. Wealth without happiness - empty clink of coins

Unfortunately, most of us are not darlings of fate, and there is no end in sight to our daily chores. But many rich people created their first capital thanks to resourcefulness, the correct use of their talents, on which their whole biography was based. And thoughts, as time shows, are united in one thing - to work as much as possible with the mind and not be lazy.

The famous French writer and philosopher Stendhal believed that a person lives on earth not in order to become rich, but in order to become happy. Achieving high prosperity does not mean finding peace and joy in life. Direct proof of this is the biographies of the world's richest people. Many billionaires, drowning in luxury, still remained lonely and unhappy.

2. Biography and thoughts of the richest people in the world, besides the kind

Successful people of this world are known to everyone. Bill Gates, for example, has been one of the many for a number of years now. Where did you start? I just loved technology, was fond of computers and created the Microsoft program. He simply took a risk, but he risked deliberately, realizing that the product is necessary for users of personal computers. Its main motto is not to be satisfied with what has already been achieved. It was he who expressed the idea that intellectual property has a shelf life for bananas.

Let's look at another successful lady. Oprah Winfrey, a black American woman, lived in a poor family, went to a simple school. Only work on herself, curiosity and a diligent attitude to everything that she does, brought her to the bench of the Faculty of History. Perhaps it was the biography and thoughts of the richest people in the world, about whom she learned from history books, that taught her a lot. “Don't give up on your dreams. Don't give up on yourself. Your persistence will pay off anyway! " - these are her words. They are a direct confirmation of her dedication. A keen mind, a desire to delve deeper into the fate of people, purity of speech made her OWN program the most popular and demanded among viewers. So not all biographies of the richest people in the world are full of gifts of fate.

3. Acquired or appropriated?

I don't really want to find out how the Russian tycoons got rich, the whole point is that here, in addition to intelligence and resourcefulness, the "freebie" effect worked. Many Russian rich people became the owners of the property left over from the Soviet period: factories, plants, combines, etc. The biography and thoughts of the richest people in the world in relation to Russian billionaires lose their instructive and meaning. Everything was earned by fraudulent means in the dashing 90s due to the appropriation of foreign or state capital.

American billionaire Donald Trump is another matter. He was brought up in an ordinary family with four children. Donald was a difficult child, and in order to curb the boy's hard temper at least a little, he was placed at the Military Academy at the age of 13. And there he learned discipline and toughness. He perfectly described his temper with the words: "In business, it is better to be cocky, even impudent, than tough and intractable." The study gave a moral start, and Donald decided to be more aggressive in order to get desired result... The owner of numerous casinos and hotels scattered all over the world began with the fact that with the support of the state, together with his father, he reconstructed the Commodore Hotel. The biography of the richest people in the world - Donald and Fred Trump - tells us that there are no easy paths to wealth. Life rewards those who are not afraid of difficulties.

The biography of the richest people in the world often begins precisely with impulses of a moral and psychological nature. The main thing is to be able and not to deviate from the intended goal.

"It is not the gods who burn the pots" - you, of course, understand the meaning of this saying. Everyone who created something new or achieved success was in fact ordinary people, with their own shortcomings, somewhat unhappy, not always rich in the beginning. But this did not stop them from becoming great and go down in history. Therefore, the biography of such a person is hundreds and thousands of small lessons for each of us.

1. Ray Kroc's McDonald's: cleanliness, service and quality

Ray Kroc is the founder of the worldwide McDonald's chain. Ray's first lesson is that age is not a hindrance. The seller of paper cups and mixers at the age of 52 managed to discern the potential of a small restaurant of the McDonald brothers and develop it to a planetary scale. The brothers' establishment was designed in such a way as to serve customers as quickly as possible. Krok got the idea to develop this direction in order to increase the supply of his mixers to these establishments.

Ray buys from the brothers the right to open restaurants with the same name, and a few years later, he buys out all the rights to McDonald’s and starts selling franchises. As a result, Croc managed to turn a potentially successful enterprise into a truly profitable one, choosing the motto - "speed, cleanliness, service and quality". His company has proven time and again how important it is to transform in order to survive in a changing market. When did the campaign to draw attention to healthy eating, a huge number of fast food restaurants around the world have closed. McDo's network has survived and, moreover, gained momentum thanks to its transparency, openness and honesty. Restaurants changed their format to eco-green, added salads to the menu, described the number of calories in each product, launched excursions to production facilities, etc.

From the very beginning, Krok wanted restaurants with golden arches to stand at the best crossroads of human traffic - even then he understood how important it is to be always in sight. Therefore, instead of personally taking advantage of the profits from the mushrooming network, he invested all the money in its development. By the way, buying the land on which all his restaurants are located. This allowed Krok not to depend on external circumstances - the growth of land prices or the whims of landlords.

The stability of the network's income was based on the simple - people get used to a certain style and hardly accept any sudden changes. Therefore, at first, the service was "finished" and invented potatoes and hamburgers, and only then restaurants began to clone in the United States and then around the world. Naturally, gradually improving it already in the process. By the way, Kroc personally supervised and helped to ensure McDonald’s standards in all restaurants of the chain.

2. The founder of Lego: bricks that became toys of the twentieth century

You can always do something new, even if there are a lot of competitors around. True, only if you know exactly what you want. At Lego, from the very beginning, we adhered to the principles of precision, durability, compatibility and intergenerational connectivity. Since 1958 Lego sets have been produced to specific standards and the same size. This has led to the fact that today parents can give their children a construction set from childhood, and kids can easily combine supernovae with vintage sets.

In addition, Lego has gone to great lengths to ensure that their plastics are of the highest quality, strongest and safest. One of the facts: in the composition of each part there is barium sulfate - it can be seen on an X-ray if the child swallows the part. It means one thing: “Do you want to be the best? Be in the little things for them! "

And the founder of the company was an ordinary carpenter - Ole Kirk Christiansen, who was just observant - he noticed how his son and his friends were playing with colored wooden cubes, and came up with his own constructor. Later, he put quality, reliability and safety at the head of everything - what all parents aspire to.

3. Mother Teresa: unconditional love for people

Laureate Nobel Prize peace, a great woman who saved people by word, deed, prayer. Her main lesson for us is that she accepted people: "If you start judging people, you will not have enough time to love them." Every day before leaving the house, the nun asked God to give her the strength to accept people as they are - evil, harmful, cowardly, greedy. She focused every day on best qualities people and with this line of thought helped humanity. This is the most important lesson in concentration and focusing of attention, a truly humane attitude towards a person. Mother Teresa did not feel sorry for people, because she understood their weaknesses. That is why she found words and ways of help that really worked for the good of people.

4. Steve Jobs: either terrible or excellent gadget

He did not have genius abilities and huge starting capabilities. Steve Jobs saw the power of simplicity and its benefits for people. Jobs was driven forward not by the desire to get rich on innovation, but by the desire to give the best possible. Rest and work with content for most people, according to Jobs, should have been simple and understandable, because not every user is a programmer who loves to delve into code and hardware in order to create a personally ideal gadget for all occasions. Ordinary people often wanted a cool, high-quality product that made their life easier.

Calligraphy and Zen Buddhism instilled in Steve a passion for simplicity, and his tenacity, disarming and wicked honesty, the demand to be the best made Apple what it is today. Those from whom Jobs shouted to connect the brain to work usually end their speech about him like this: “He humiliated us, creating terrible conditions for work. But it was he who made me do what I did, not being sure that I was capable of it. "

Jobs seized on the opportunity that set him apart from others. If he saw a cool prospect, he threw all his strength and the strength of those who were within reach of him to achieve it.

5. Inventor Nikola Tesla: "The experiments are so beautiful that I have no time to eat"

Tesla showed us that authority and fame are narrow-minded. So, Thomas Edison, who built his career on direct current, did not listen to the questions and advice that sounded from the lips of his assistant in experiments with electricity, unknown at that time Nikola Tesla. As a result, it was this assistant engineer who had previously idolized and immensely respected Thomas Edison, who beat him in the electricity market.

Edison was cold about Tesla's opinion, although he used his improved machines, he refused to see the possibilities of alternating current - safer and more flexible, so to speak. This current was transmitted with less loss over long distances. But until Tesla invented transformers, most consumers used the inventions of only Edison they knew.

Therefore, Tesla had to amaze the imagination of people. For example, at the 1983 World's Fair in Chicago, he passed an alternating current of 2 million volts through his body. Focus? No, the current passes through the surface of the body and does not kill - Tesla knew about this a century ago. By the way, this is another lesson loved by many people today - if you want to sell your product to those who are not yet ready for it, then you need a grand presentation. Shocking and mysterious.

6. Harry Houdini: Focuses for the Good of Development

Houdini was an excellent illusionist. And the secret of his tricks was a painstaking search - he was constantly looking for new ways to surprise people with what was available to him. Harry did not break locks or rip ropes when he freed himself from them - he knew physics and was gutta-percha for the audience. So, he thoroughly knew the structure of locks, expanded his technical and technological knowledge, tested the body for strength, developing tremendous flexibility and the ability to displace joints and control individual muscles.

What about the elephant disappearance trick? The love of optical tricks, plus a deep understanding of the foundations on which they were created, helped here. He did not know how to communicate with spirits (which was attributed to him), but pumped in himself the ability to receive secret information from people, adjust situations and predict behavior.

Houdini was driven by the desire to be the best version of himself of yesterday, and this developed technology and physical education. He improved every day and improved what he could improve. And that is why he was the greatest illusionist.

7. Tony Shay: wow - as the meaning of life

A cool company was born out of a simple desire - to deliver the order as quickly and surprisingly as possible. At Zappos, created by Tony Schei, everything that complicated the shoe delivery process has undergone changes - logistics, warehouse management, product placement, sales scripts. So, any intern in a company works for a couple of weeks in a call center to learn to understand future customers - and all his sensible comments are entered instantly into already working scripts. Any financial and logistic operation is available to any of the official supplier partners on a special web platform.

The CEO of the company put everything on the line for one goal - to produce a wow effect on his clients every day. And he was right. When the shopping process itself (ease of ordering, more than friendly service, the joy of opening a box of shoes) evokes constant delight, people are ready to overpay, meet halfway, give feedback to the one who made them admire. For example, one day one of the clients called hotline Zappos at 2am and asked to find the address of the nearest pizzeria. And, surprisingly, he quickly got the information he needed. True, as it turned out later, it was Tony Shay himself.

Tony Shay learned more about his clients and thus came up with new ways to surprise them. By the way, one of the components of the clients' happiness, according to the CEO, was the happiness of the employees themselves. Shay paid great attention to creating a corporate culture where helping others is not a duty imposed from above, but a habitual behavior. As a leader, Tony literally demanded that everyone be creative every minute, show their care for customers in any way they could, paying good ideas from the company's budget, amuse your colleagues and know everyone by sight and by position, in order to quickly solve all business issues.

Mutual assistance and simple schemes sharing information and doing more with less effort helped Tony to promote his book Company in a Million: Delivering Happiness. He gave the unpublished book to bloggers and mainstream media in exchange for their reviews, whatever they were. As a result, the new edition instantly became popular, without getting lost in the mass of books that appear on the market every day.

Key findings from biographies

Each of these personalities taught us to believe in our work to the end, to improve, to be attentive to details. Each of these people showed that it is important:

See opportunities, not limitations;
always look wider;
create even in routine and boring matters;
understand - the happiness of another depends on how much you have defined your problem and found its solution. Only by solving your own problem can you solve the problem of others.

A little exercise in the end. Go to the store and try on the most expensive suit out there, or the most Nice dress, which yesterday you could not look at due to fear of the price tag. Feel the pleasant material and quality, understand that you can get it. If you really want to. Get used to the idea that all this is available only if you think big. You can afford it.

Someone is playing with millions and billions, but this is not you yet? To be honest, what do you think when you hear success stories about Her or about Him, which are all fantastically successful: the first million years so at 25, the most expensive car, a luxurious house, several operating businesses that inspire assets .... The success stories of rich people are, in fact, too motley to be "combed" with the same brush and taken as stereotyped.

It can often seem that rich people have become rich without touching a finger - after all, behind such a successful person there were already mountains of gold, green rustling bills donated by their parents, and not taking advantage of all this is a sin.

So that nothing seems like, and finally understand the reality for yourself - that you can sit in a soft leather interior of a car, or open a bottle of the most expensive wine on your own terrace, and all this without reference to the already prepared soil, we will simply demonstrate 10 real stories becoming the richest people in the world from virtually nothing. From scratch, no support and no gold diapers.

By the way, not all the biographies of the world's wealthy people, about whom we will now tell, are familiar to you. If you were guided only by Forbes ratings - there will be an opening. Isn't there a reason to expand your own boundaries?

10. Michael Rubin opens the top ten richest people on the planet. The future billionaire and founder of Kynetic sold seeds to neighbors as a child. At the age of 10, an enterprising boy already hired 5 children to remove snow from neighbors' lawns for a fee. At the age of 14, Michael already had his own store, and at 23, under his leadership, he had a company with a turnover of $ 50 million. Michael's fortune is estimated at $ 2.3 billion. Almost always strong personalities begin this way: with the manifestation of an entrepreneurial streak since early years.

9. Oprah Winfrey will be the only woman in our ranking of the richest people in the world. Yes, not in the first place, but if it were a rating of hard work and dedication, she could safely give the championship. She is now 62 years old and her path to success has nothing to do with the story of Cinderella. She can answer questions about how rich people became rich based on personal experience: she plowed and achieved everything herself. Oprah Winfrey was born into a poor family. Mother was a maid and father was a miner.

For the first 6 years of her life, Oprah lived with her grandmother in the wilderness. The American TV presenter herself admitted in an interview that she was raped at 9 years old and became pregnant at 14. The child died shortly after birth. At the age of 17, Oprah began working as a reporter, and in 1986 she created her own program - The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2011 she launched her own television channel OWN. The TV presenter's fortune is estimated at $ 3.2 billion.

8. This guy doesn’t turn over tens of billions, like some representatives of the rating, but there is something in stock: almost 10 billion dollars of his own earned capital. He owns 7.6% of the shares of Facebook. Dustin Moskowitz was born into a Jewish family in Washington. His father worked as a psychiatrist, but more information about Dustin's family was not disclosed.

7. The honorable seventh place of our TOP-10 richest people is the Canadian-American engineer Elon Musk. He is 12 years older than Dustin Moskowitz. Elon Musk's capital is $ 12.3 billion. He founded SpaceX and X.com. The latter, after merging with Confinity, was named PayPal and was sold for $ 1.5 billion. Musk was born in South Africa. True, his father was a businessman, and his mother was a famous model, so it is difficult to call the family poor. But there is a downside to the coin - at school Elon was often beaten, and this, of course, left a considerable mark on the level of self-esteem.

At 12, Elon made his first video game and sold it for $ 500. It was the first self-employment on the road to billions. If you look at what these children do from an early age, you can predict future success for them. And the success "overtook" Elon.

6. Meet Li Kashin - the richest and most influential person in Hong Kong and Asia. While Forbes estimated the capital of Hong Kong "Superman" and counted $ 25.5 billion, it grew to 34. And this is the data for 2015. We think for 2016 Lee still did well. In narrow circles, this adventurous Hong Konger is called "Superman" and is now 87 years old.

Li Kashin is the chairman of the board of Cheung Kong Group and Hutchison Whampoa, which have a capitalization of about 15% of the Hong Kong stock market. Among the stories of rich people who started from scratch, his is one of the most difficult. For understanding: Li was born in the family of an ordinary teacher.

From the fifth grade, Kashin began selling watch straps, and a little later he got a job at a factory producing plastic watches. 16 hours of work at the factory and after attending evening school - this is how the Hong Kong guy Li Kashin began his journey to the first million. After gaining experience in the factory, he began to sell plastic flowers himself, and soon became the head of his own company.

5. The stories of rich people who started from scratch are not the same. As well as the story of Sergei Brin, who also falls into our ranking of the richest people in the world in fifth place. Sergey is nothing at all - 42 years old and he is the co-founder of Google. Sergey was born into a Jewish family of mathematicians who moved to the United States in 1979, and the future billionaire was only 5 years old. In 2016 according to the magazine Forbes fortune an American entrepreneur with Russian roots was valued at almost $ 35 billion.

4. You've probably heard about this guy too. Larry Page is an American billionaire who, together with Sergey Brin, made the first search engine, which eventually grew into the most powerful tool for finding any information - Google. Larry was born into a professorial family, and while studying at the prestigious Stanford University, he met Brin. The joint launch of Google, as we see, has become a gold mine for the guys. Now Larry Page's fortune is estimated at $ 32.3 billion, and this is 17th place in the Forbes ranking, however, in 2014. We dare to assume that in 2 years a couple of billions have increased.

Biographies of the world's richest people: TOP-3. Who are the leaders?

3. Another example of crazy success without any, it would seem, chances of it from birth - American businessman Sheldon Adelson. Sheldon is one of the twenty richest people according to Forbes magazine. Adelson once again proves: the richest people on the planet are not those who were born and immediately fell into golden swaddles. The son of a taxi driver, a 12-year-old newspaper salesman, a court reporter, and even a toiletry salesman. Sheldon got a lot. The future American billionaire was born into a Jewish family. And by the way, he is recognized as the richest Jew.

According to the most recent figures that were announced, Sheldon Adelson's fortune is $ 38 billion. Not bad, right? The billionaire receives his main income from his investments in real estate: the construction of casinos, hotels, shops, expo centers, etc.

2. We only write "Mark", and you already understand who in question... And yes, you are not mistaken. The founder of the social network Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is also in the TOP-10 of the richest people in the world. In May, the information on the status of Mark (talking about money) was updated, and the capital was $ 51.6 billion. But the guy is only 32 years old! By the way, like many on the list, it is of Jewish origin. Father is a dentist, mother is a psychiatrist. Mark has 3 sisters. How much do you think the doctors could provide for 4 children? While still a schoolboy, Mark developed an online version of the game "Risk", and while studying at Harvard - an internal social network, which he himself did not bring to mind, but the guys came to the rescue: Dustin Moskowitz, Eduardo Saverin and others.

1. The ex-president of Inditex could not be out of our list of the TOP 10 richest people in the world. And, you know, we put it first. While many are multiplying their incomes several times, Amancio Ortega, we are sure, is not "lost". It was he who in October last year received the title of the richest man on the planet according to Forbes magazine. But in May 2016, his fortune was estimated at $ 72.9 billion. If the name of the company Indetex does not tell you anything, then you have heard about the Zara brand. Here Amancio is the founder of this brand as well.

Amancio's father was a railroad worker, and his mother, even "better", was a servant. The family was so poor that the guy did not even graduate from high school, and from the age of 13 he began working as a messenger in a shirt store. Yes, did the 13-year-old guy then think that in 2015 he would lead the ranking of the richest people on the planet? We doubt it. Today, the billionaire invests considerable sums in real estate in Florida, Madrid, London, as well as in banks and tourism.

This is how the ranking of the richest people in the world looks like, who started the path to their success from scratch. Are there no borders? They really don't exist. Just act and any goal will be achieved. Who knows, maybe you will find yourself in the Forbes ranking in a couple of years.