Twists of Life_ Get Inspired

1. Poorto
Rich
from
Inspiring Success Stories

2. Jim Carrey
The star, who has won millions of hearts and even “God”
in Bruce Almighty, once actually lived in a VW camper van
and tents for years. According to him those tough times
made him what he is today. Carrey, known for his
matchless sense of humor, developed it as a trait while
growing up in those difficult conditions
Lived in a VW
camper van and
tents for years

3. Frank O’Dea
The ‘Coffee King’, Frank O’Dea is well known as the co-
founder of Canada’s largest coffee shop chain. You would
be surprised to know that he spent his 20’s living on the
streets, where he could barely earn to afford a cup of
coffee. Who could foretell that one day the same Frank
O’Dea would be running the most popular coffee shops
across 360 locations in Canada? Of course, he had to figure
in this list of rich people who were once poor.
Spent his 20’s
living on the
streets

4. Suze Orman
The popular face of CNBC, Suze Orman, deserves a place in
this list. Her poignant story is no less inspiring. She had to
spend months living out of her van in the 70s because of
dreadful financial conditions. She took it as a great lesson
of life growing up to becoming a renowned personal
finance guru. Today, Orman is one of the rich people who
rose from not-so-favorable circumstances and whose
worth now stands at $25 million.
Spend months
living out of
her van

5. Leonardo
The eye-candy and Hollywood heart-throb DiCaprio also
makes it to the list of rich people who overcame severe
adversity to come out winners. He grew up from a
neighborhood of prostitutes and drug dealers to become
an ace actor. Surely going by his screen image, one would
not know of the past that made the man.
Grew up from a
neighborhood
of prostitutes

6. Steve Jobs
Who has not read about the marvels of this tech giant? He
is, and will remain, the most renowned personality in the
world along with Bill Gates. He was the adopted child of a
working-class couple, who could barely afford his college.
And look what the man has done! Even after Steve Jobs is
gone, his innovated technological devices continue to
engage and fascinate. He was a funder of Apple Co.
Adopted child
of a working-
class couple

7. J.K. Rowling
The queen of the fantasy novels and author of the Harry
Potter series, Rowling is currently worth $1 billion. The
writer has grown out of a humble background, where her
single mother lived on welfare in Edinburgh. Rowling
reveals that she even tried committing suicide at a time
when she was broke and depressed. The celebrated author
is a known name in most households today.
Tried
committing
suicide once
due to
depression

8. Oprah Winfrey
She presents the most inspiring stories on TV ever, but her
own life is no less moving. Winfrey has lived a childhood,
which included sexual abuse, utter poverty with barely
hand-to-mouth earnings from a farmland. She is now
worth $2.4 billion, and will soon launch her own Oprah
Winfery Network cable channel. Yet, she stays grounded by
putting in most of her recourses into social welfare and
exposing the evils of the society.
Lived Once
with utter
poverty with
barely hand-
to-mouth
earnings

9. Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin had seen a distressful and traumatic
childhood, before he became the greatest actor of the
silent era. He grew father-less, and his mother being in a
mental hospital. He raised his brother and himself, making
petty living. The way he lived out the most unimaginable
hardships, his life story became the most heart wrenching
rags to riches stories ever.
Grew father-
less, and his
mother being
in a mental
hospital

10. Mohed Altrad
Born into a nomadic tribe in the Syrian dessert to a poor mother and died when he was young, Altrad was raised by
his grandmother, who banned him from attending school.
Altrad attended school anyway. He knew no French and lived off of one meal a day. Still, he earned a PhD in
computer science, worked for some leading French companies, and eventually bought a failing scaffolding company,
which he transformed into one of the world's leading manufacturers of scaffolding and cement mixers, Altrad
Group.
He has previously been named French Entrepreneur of the Year and World Entrepreneur of the Year.
Once lived off
one meal a
day
Twists of Life

11. Roman Abramovich
Abramovich was born in southern Russia, into poverty. After being orphaned at age two. While a student at the
Moscow Auto Transport Institute in 1987, he started a small company producing plastic toys, which helped him
eventually found an oil business and make a name for himself within the oil industry. Later, as sole leader of the
Sibneft company, he completed a merger that made it the fourth biggest oil company in the world. The company
was sold to state-run gas titan Gazprom in 2005 for for $13 billion.
He acquired the Chelsea Football Club in 2003 and owns the world's largest yacht, which cost him almost $400
million in 2010.
An Orphan
once lived by
selling plastic
ducts from his
apartment
Twists of Life

12. Kenny Troutt
Net worth: $1.5 billion (as of Sept. 2013)
Troutt grew up with a bartender dad and paid for his own tuition at Southern Illinois University by selling life
insurance. He made most of his money from phone company Excel Communications, which he founded in 1988
and took public in 1996. Two years later, Troutt merged his company with Teleglobe in a $3.5 billion deal.
He's now retired and invests heavily in racehorses.
Grew up with
a bartender
dad and paid
for his own
tuition
Twists of Life

13. Howard Schultz
Net worth: $2.9 billion
In an interview he says: "Growing up I always felt like I was living on the other side of the tracks. I knew the people on
the other side had more resources, more money, happier families. And for some reason, I don't know why or how, I
wanted to climb over that fence and achieve something beyond what people were saying was possible. I may have a suit
and tie on now but I know where I'm from and I know what it's like."
Schultz ended up winning a football scholarship to the University of Northern Michigan and went to work for Xerox after
graduation. Shortly after, he took over a coffee shop called Starbucks, which at the time had only 60 shops. Schultz
became the company's CEO in 1987 and grew the coffee chain to more than 16,000 outlets worldwide.
Grew up in a
housing
complex for
the poor
Twists of Life

14. Ken Langone
Net worth: $2.8 billion
To help pay for Langone's school at Bucknell University, he worked odd jobs and his parents mortgaged their home.
In 1968, Lagonne worked with Ross perot to take electronic data system public. (It was later acquired by HP.) Just two
years later, he partnered with Bernard Marcus to start Home Depot, which also went public in 1981.
His parents
worked as a
plumber and a
cafeteria
worker
Twists of Life

15. John Paul DeJoria
Net worth: $2.9 billion
Before the age of 10, DeJoria, a first generation American, sold Christmas cards and newspapers to help support his
family. He was eventually sent to live in a foster home and even spent some time in a gang before joining the military.
With a $700 loan, DeJoria created John Paul Mitchell System and sold the shampoo door to door while living in his car.
He later started Patron Tequila, and now invests in other industries.
Once lived in a
foster home
and his car
Twists of Life

16. Shahid Khan
Net worth: $4.4 billion
He's now one of the richest people in the world, but when Khan came to the US from Pakistan, he worked as a
dishwasher while attending the University of Illinois. Khan now owns Flex-N-Gate, one of the largest private companies
in the US, the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, and Premier League soccer club Fulham.
Washed
dishes for
$1.20 an hour
Twists of Life

17. Do Won Chang
Net worth: $ 6.5 billion
The husband-and-wife team — Do Won Chang and Jin Sook — behind Forever 21 didn't always have it so easy. After
moving to America from Korea in 1981, Do Won had to work three jobs at the same time to make ends meet. They
opened their first clothing store in 1984.
Forever 21 is now an international, 480-store empire that rakes in around $3 billion in sales a year.
Worked as a
janitor, gas
station
attendant, and
in a coffee
shop
Twists of Life

18. Ralph Lauren
Net worth: $6.8 billion
Lauren graduated high school in the Bronx, New York, but later dropped out of college to join the Army. It was while
working as a clerk at Brook Brothers that Lauren questioned whether men were ready for wider and brighter designs in
ties. The year he decided to make his dream a reality, 1967, Lauren sold $500,000 worth of ties. He started Polo the next
year.
Was once a
clerk at
Brooks
Brothers
dreaming of
men's ties
Twists of Life

19. Lakshmi Mittal
Net worth: $12.3 billion
A 2009 BBC article says the ArcelorMittal CEO and chairman, who was born in 1950 to a poor family in the Indian state of
Rajasthan, "established the foundations of his fortune over two decades by doing much of his business in the steel
industry equivalent of a discount warehouse."
Today Mittal runs the world's largest steel making company and is a multibillionaire.
Came from
poor family in
india
Twists of Life

20. Francois Pinault
Net worth: $14.2 billion
Pinault is now the face of fashion conglomerate Kering (formerly PPR), but at one time, he had to quit high school
because he was teased so hardly for being poor. As a businessman, Pinault is known for his “Predator" tactic, which
includes buying smaller firms for a fraction of the cost when the market crashes. He eventually started PPR, which owns
high-end fashion houses including Gucci, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent.
Quit high
school in 1974
after being
bullied for
being poor
Twists of Life

21. Leonardo Del Vecchio
Net worth: $24.1 billion
Del Vecchio was one of five children who was eventually sent to an orphanage because his widowed mother couldn't
care for him. He would later work in a factory making molds of auto parts and eyeglass frames.
At the age of 23, Del Vecchio opened his own molding shop, which expanded to become the world’s largest maker of
sunglasses and prescription eyewear with brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley.
Grew up in an
orphanage
and later
worked in a
factory where
he lost part of
his finger.
Twists of Life

22. George Soros
Net worth: $24.2 billion
In his early teens, Soros posed as the godson of an employee of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture in order to stay
safe from the Nazi occupation of Hungary. In 1947, Soros escaped the country to live with his relatives in London. He put
himself through the London School of Economics working as a waiter and railway porter.
After graduating, Soros worked at a souvenir shop before getting a job as a banker in New York City. In 1992, his famous
bet against the British pound made him a billion dollars.
Worked as
a waiter
and railway
porter
Twists of Life

23. Li Ka-shing
Net worth: $27.1 billion
Ka-shing fled mainland China for Hong Kong in the 1940s, but his father died when he was 15, leaving Ka-shing
responsible for supporting his family. In 1950, he started his own company, Cheung Kong Industries, which manufactured
plastics at first but would later expand into real estate.
Had to quit
school to help
support his
family
Twists of Life

24. Sheldon Adelson
Net worth: $29.5 billion
Adelson, the son of a cab driver, grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and began selling newspapers at the age of 12,
reports Bloomberg Businessweek.
A Forbes profile of the billionaire says years later, after dropping out of the City College of New York, Adelson "built a
fortune running vending machines, selling newspaper ads, helping small businesses go public, developing condos and
hosting trade shows."
Adelson lost almost all of his money in the Great Recession, but he earned much of it back in the following years. He
now runs Las Vegas Sands, the largest casino company in the world, and is considered the most high-profile political
donor in America, says Forbes.
Grew up
sleeping on
the floor of a
Boston
tenement
house
Twists of Life

25. Larry Ellison
Net worth: $49.8 billion
Born in Brooklyn, New York, to a single mother, Ellison was raised by his aunt and uncle in Chicago. After his aunt died,
Ellison dropped out of college and moved to California to work odd jobs for the next eight years. He founded software
development company Oracle in 1977, which is now one of the largest technology companies in the world.
Last September he announce his plans to step down as Oracle’s CEO to become CTO and executive chairman.
Dropped out
of college after
his adoptive
mother died,
and he held
odd jobs for
eight years
Twists of Life

26. Yes