Some CEOs have gotten to the top, not by starting from the bottom in other people’s companies and working their way up, but by creating their own company. Don’t be afraid to jump in the deep end and become an entrepreneur.

1. By
Jason Hanold
UNUSUAL STARTS FOR SOME
OF THE TOP CEOS AROUND
Image courtesy of Detroity2k at Pexels.com

2. Not all CEOs started off on the expected path towards a
CEO position. In some cases, you would have even doubted
they’d come to fill one of the most powerful positions in
the world, but everyone starts off somewhere. Some CEOs
at the top will give you some unconventional tips that may
take you to the top, but may not seem like it at first. Some
give this advice in hindsight, but others followed it to the T
in their early career decisions. More times than expected
companies are not looking for the same people who went
to the same school but instead are in search of new
talent. So, the first tip that CEOs give is to make yourself
visible. Show that you stand out from the rest, and this
can easily be done today with social media.
UNUSUAL STARTS FOR SOME OF
THE TOP CEOS AROUND

3. Take risks, expose yourself and ensure a spot up at the top. Most
Americans stay put in the states, but traveling and exploring the
world will open new doors not just around the world, but back
home. Knowing how and when to listen will be essential to any
CEO, but doing so from the get go is sometimes rare. By simply
listening you’ll be amazed what you find out. Networking just the
right team that will follow and support you on your way to the top
will be very important, and most don’t realize how much this will
actually help. Today’s competitive market will make it almost
impossible to make it on your own, so don’t be afraid to get your
entourage started. When a CEO gets started in a job that requires
tips they will most likely get an excellent sense of what customer
service really is. Be it anything from a doorman, a waiter or a
barman, try to get some experience where you know you can have
that direct contact with customers and measure your success in
tips.
UNUSUAL STARTS FOR SOME OF
THE TOP CEOS AROUND

4. Some CEOs have gotten to the top, not by starting from the bottom
in other people’s companies and working their way up, but by
creating their own company. Don’t be afraid to jump in the deep end
and become an entrepreneur. Again, in most cases, you’ll find that
CEOs rise to the top by following all of the rules and standing out
just enough to make a difference. While others have made it through
a less walked upon path. They have started off late at a company or
a career path but stuck to making themselves indispensable. Not by
asking for promotions, but by really getting into the nitty -gritty of the
business. At the end of the day, you may think that companies know
exactly what they are looking for in C-level executives, as you can
read about on the Jason Hanold SlideShare page, but is that always
the case? What if you show them a new path, a new profile and a
new kind of CEO. So, turning the spotlight back to these
unconventional beginnings to some of the world’s top CEOs here are
a few.
UNUSUAL STARTS FOR SOME OF
THE TOP CEOS AROUND

5. Kat Cole
The current CEO of Cinnabon as a teenager worked at Hooters as a
hostess and then waitress to save up money while going to college to
be a corporate lawyer. Because of her tenacious business spirit, by
19 she was asked to travel to help open international markets by
different companies. At 23, she was already in charge of a global
training for managers and employees. Although she went on to
eventually finish her MBA, she never finished her bachelor’s degree.
She attributes some of her success to the fact that not many Ivy
leaguers were throwing themselves to be a Hooters girl.
Richard Branson
Before becoming the founder and chairman of the Virgin Group, he
was a hit record producer. He started working at 16, but it was at 22
that he started his own recording studio.
UNUSUAL STARTS FOR SOME OF
THE TOP CEOS AROUND

6. Mark Cuban
This once disco dancing instructor now has his toe in
tons of businesses. He is the owner of the Dallas
Mavericks, co-owns Wagner/Cuban Companies and is
the Chairman and CEO of AXS TV, as well as an investor
in other successful businesses. He has always been a
natural entrepreneur, and from the list of different
businesses he started one of the most colorful ones is
teaching disco dancing.
UNUSUAL STARTS FOR SOME OF
THE TOP CEOS AROUND

7. Steve Jobs
You’ve all heard of Steve Jobs and of course, now he is the Late CEO
of Apple. But he always had a wild side to him and this comes to
shine with his illegal hacking telephone business. No wonder he was
so strict about Apple being a closed system. The blue boxes he sold
allowed people to make free calls from the phones back in the
1970s. He even recognized that there would have been no Apple if
there had been no Blue Box because this brought his partner and
him together.
Les Moonves
The now CEO of CBS started off acting. He struggled in New York as
an actor and played a few tough guy roles in some TV series, but
later confessed to being mediocre and decided to pursue another
career. He finally found it on the production side of the acting work.
UNUSUAL STARTS FOR SOME OF
THE TOP CEOS AROUND