Hard work and perseverance: inspiring success stories

Forbes’ lists of the richest people are not just a source of envy but also inspiring success stories. After all, many of them started literally from scratch, achieving everything through their own hard work and perseverance.

Jack Ma

This man was born into a poor family in China and grew up in poverty. He failed his college exams several times, struggled to get in and learned to be a teacher. Going to the United States, Jack Ma learned for the first time what the Internet was all about. He tried to make his own website, which turned out to be a failure. But Ma’s next project brought him success. It is the online shop Alibaba, established in ’99. Today it is one of the most in demand, and Ma is one of the richest people in China.

Ingvar Kamprad

At the age of 7, this kid was selling matches. Then he moved on to bigger things – stationery, postcards and other small items. As a result, by the age of 17 Ingvar had something to start his own business. It became IKEA, which, a few years later, began selling furniture. Today the word is on everyone’s lips. There are IKEA shops in more than 40 countries around the world. Until his death in 2018, Ingvar Kamprad lived a modest life.

Howard Schultz

Growing up in social housing, Howard Schultz was depressed by poverty from childhood. So he dreamed of achieving something. A football scholarship enabled him to go to and attend university – and he became the first in his family to do so. After that, he worked at Xerox. Later he got a job at Starbucks, which at the time was selling coffee beans. Howard wanted to breathe fresh air into the chain, which led to a disagreement with management. However, Starbucks became one of the co-founders of Schulz’s own company. The entrepreneur soon managed to turn his venture into a chain of popular coffee shops which literally took over the world.

Roman Abramovich

The Russian tycoon had a tough time growing up. He lost his mother and then his father at an early age. Having grown up in the care of his relatives, he graduated from an industrial institute in Ukhta, then tried his hand at various professional activities. His acquaintance with Boris Berezovsky and his empire changed Abramovich’s life. After the oligarch fled abroad, it was Roman who took over his company. Today Abramovich is one of the top richest entrepreneurs in Russia.

Leonardo Del Vecchio

He was born in a large family, the fifth child. Widowed, his mother was unable to raise such a flock on her own, so she sent Leonardo to an orphanage. From a young age, the boy got used to supporting himself. He got a job in a factory making eyeglass frames. Working there, Leonardo lost part of a finger in an accident. But it gave him the idea of his own business. Already at 23, the young man set up his own moulding shop. And a little later, he founded Luxottica, a company which today unites the best brands of sunglasses.