From Broke to Billionaire: 7 Entrepreneurs Who Started with Nothing

Saman Rehman
Feb 05, 2025

Howard Schultz (Starbucks)

He grew up in a poor neighborhood, saw potential in a coffee house, bought Starbucks, and turned it into a global brand.

Oprah Winfrey (Media Mogul)

She grew up in poverty, faced hardships, but her talent and determination made her one of the most influential billionaires in media history.

J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)

She struggled as a single mom, faced many rejections, but never stopped writing. Harry Potter made her the world’s highest-paid author.

Ralph Lauren (Fashion Icon)

He started by selling ties, built Polo Ralph Lauren from scratch, and became one of the biggest names in fashion.

Steve Jobs (Apple)

He dropped out of college, started Apple in a garage, and revolutionized technology with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Jan Koum (WhatsApp)

He came from poverty, had a vision for easy messaging, created WhatsApp, and later sold it to Facebook for $19 billion.

Dhirubhai Ambani (Reliance)

He started small in textile trading, built Reliance Industries, one of India’s biggest business empires, across multiple industries.

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