Inspiration_Stories - From Rag to Riches

IF THESE PEOPLE CAN DO IMPOSSSIBLE TO POSSIBLE..THEN WHY CANT WE?? WE TOO CAN DO THE SAME, JUST KNOW & APPLY THE UNLIMITED POWER THAT LIES WITHIN US!

"Our dreams have to be bigger, our ambitions higher, our commitment deeper, and our efforts greater. Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one's monopoly. Pursue your goals even in the face of difficulties, and convert adversities into opportunities."...Dr. Satyendra Shukla

We are all familiar with the Cinderella story where a maiden who was ill treated by her stepmom endured every suffering that came her way until she finally became a princess. This kind of story does not only happen in fairytales. Many successful people have their own story of pain and difficulties. The people who were able to endure life's challenges are the ones who were able to reach the top.

In this article, we are going to look at the lives of several people who started from nothing but ended up with everything. Learning from the experiences of these people may lead you to the place you want to go. Here is a list of famous personalities who made it from rags to riches.

1. Warren Buffet

This is an exception to the rags to riches story in the sense that he was born to affluent parents. But despite that, he did not depend on his family fortune to build his own. He went door to door selling chewing gum, Coca-Cola, or weekly magazines. For a while, he worked in his grandfather's grocery store. Filing his first income tax return in 1944, Buffett took a $35 deduction for the use of his bicycle and watch on his paper route. At the age of ten, he was visiting the New York Stock Exchange. He is widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century and is among the wealthiest people in the world.

2. Oprah Winfrey

Born in 1954 in Mississippi, Winfrey was born into poverty .She was born to teenage single mother and later raised in an inner-city Milwaukee neighborhood. Her early childhood was fraught with hardships. There were claims of rape and teenage pregnancy, with the baby dying in its infancy. The turnaround started with her interest in the media. She got a job in radio while she was still in school and at 19 was co-anchoring the local evening news. There was no looking back after that. After a successful stint as a day time talk show host, she launched her own production house. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, highest-rated talk show ever. She has a net worth of $2.7 billion.

3. J. K. Rowling

Rowling was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, which is near Bristol. She attended school and found her love for writing fantasy stories. She would often write stories and tell them to her sister. Rowling moved from village to village many times and often traveled. In December of 1990, Rowling's mother died, and she moved to Porto, Portugal in order to teach English as a foreign language. Before her mother's death, Rowling had already begun writing her famous Harry Potter novel. In Portugal, Rowling married, but the couple separated in 1993. However, she did have a daughter and the two moved to Endinburgh, Scotland. During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression and often contemplated suicide. She was unemployed and living on welfare. She was able to write and complete her first novel by going to several different cafés. Today, J.K. Rowling is worth about $1.1 billion and has been able to sell over 400 million books.

4. Tom Cruise

Living without a father, Tom Cruise experienced hardship during his childhood. His mother is a Special Education teacher. In order to make enough money for the family, she would get four jobs at a time. During Tom’s high school years, he joined the theater department. He was not able to finish his senior year because he decided to continue his acting career.

5. Madonna

After her high school graduation in Michigan, she decided to go to New York with just USD 35 on her pocket. Madonna is brave enough to conquer an unfamiliar world. She struggled but did not surrender. She worked as a crew at Dunkin Donuts and later became a backup dancer. After years of hard work and perseverance, she became one of the most famous people in the world.

6. John D. Rockefeller

Rockefeller was born in Richford, New York and was one of six children. His father was a traveling salesman and was a foe of conventional morality. Throughout much of his life, Rockefeller's father tried to find tricks and schemes he could use in order to avoid hard work, or any work at all. John's mom struggled a lot in order to keep stability in the home, especially when her husband was gone for weeks at a time. Rockefeller's family soon moved to Moravia and then to Owego. John went through school and got a job as a bookkeeper where he made about $50 in three months. In 1859, Rockefeller decided to produce business with a friend named Maurice B. Clark. The two established a firm and built an oil refinery. The refinery was run buy two other men, but soon after, Rockefeller bought out the Clark bothers' firm and renamed it Rockefeller & Andrews. Soon his brother also bought into the oil business. By the end of it all, Rockefeller was able to find the Standard Oil Company and became the world's first billionaire.

7. Dhirubhai Ambani

Born: December 28, 1932 - Chorwad, Gujarat, India

Known for: Reliance Industries

Net worth: Approx. $8 billion

An incredible epitome for 'Rags to Riches' story, Dhirubhai Ambani was an Indian industrialist who founded Reliance Industries after struggling passionately for years. hirajlal Hirachand Ambani, an Indian industrialist, was widely known as founder of Indian conglomerate multinational Reliance Industries. The company, has been featured on the Fortune 500, is a conglomeration of communications, petrochemicals, power, and textiles. Dhirubhai Ambani's life is a real rags-to-riches success story.

Born to a school teacher, he was the third of five siblings, three brothers and two sisters. Ever since childhood, Dhirubhai was more keen on work than studies and repeatedly bunked classes and roamed in streets, watching people work and making money. He'd once said his mother to stop lamenting about the hardships and that he would make "heaps of money one day." His entrepreneurial career began in his early school years by selling "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends. On completion of his school studies, his brother Ramnikbhai sent him to Aden, Yemen, which was the second busiest oil banking and trading port of the time.

With determination and pursuance deeply rooted, the billionaire began his spectacular journey as a small time worker with Arab merchants during the period of 1950s and relocated to Mumbai in 1958. The man, inspired with a vision, commenced his own business in spices and eventually laid the firm foundation of Reliance Industries in the year 1958. And today, the company not only stands strong for a wide base of more than 85,000 employees, but also gives out around 5 percent of Central Government's total tax revenue.

Dhirubhai holds the credit for opening the platform for India's stock market into the average Indian sector. The success spree was taken further when the laborious man's industries were enlisted as one of the three privately owned Indian companies in the Fortune 500. However, Reliance Industries were made public in the year 1977.

8. Lakshmi Mittal

Born: June 15, 1950 - Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India

Known for: King of Steel, Steel Tycoon

Net worth: US$ 20.7 billion (2012)

An inspiration to millions across the world, Lakshmi Mittal, the steel king of India, has been the chairman and chief executive officer of Arcelor Mittal, the world's most powerful and largest steelmaking company. Born into a Marwari business family in Churu district of Rajasthan (India), Mittal graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in business and accounting and moved towards the clan's steel business after completing his studies.

Instilled with perseverance and enthusiasm, the richest man in India began his unbelievably inspiring journey with the purchase of a plant located in Indonesia in the year 1976. It may throw many off-guard but it was this purchase that turned Mittal from rags to riches in its truest form. The man established his own company with the name 'Arcelor Mittal' and never looked back.

Today, the steel tycoon owns a personal wealth of $20.7 billion and has been listed as the 44th most powerful person by Forbes Most Powerful People List. The global steel producer with operations across 14 countries has also been revered as the richest man in India, Asia and UK, and the 21st richest individual in the world. Having won many accolades, Lakshmi Mittal presently serves as the Director of Goldman Sachs, Co-owner of Queens Park Rangers F.C, and the Owner of Karrick Limited.

9. Sunil Mittal

Born: October 23, 1957 - Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Known for : Chairman and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises

Net worth : $8.3 billion (2011)

Sunil Bharti Mittal is a prosperous, well-known Indian telecom mogul, founder, chairman and group CEO of Bharti Enterprises. Having been awarded with the Padma Bhushan, the entrepreneur inspiringly showcases how rags can indeed be turned into riches. Son of Sat Paul (former Member of Parliament) and Lalita, Sunil runs the country's largest GSM-based mobile phone service and has achieved milestones in his professional front.

With the globe's fifth largest wireless company today, the billionaire started his first business in April 1976 at the young age of 18. Borrowed around $440 amount of money from his father, Sunil commenced his voyage of making crankshafts for local bicycle manufacturers.

However, in the year 1980, Mittal began an Import Enterprise entitled Bharti Overseas Trading Corporation and took it further with some help from his brothers. The man with conviction, also purchased certain importing licenses from exporting companies in Punjab just a year after but witnessed it swinging down. Still determined to advance ahead, the inspirational man commenced the assembling of push-button devices in 1984, which eventually led to a successful throne. Married to Nyna, Sunil Bharti Mittal has three children and is a visionary chairman of Bharti Enterprises today.

10. Sameer Gelaut

Known for : Indiabulls

Net worth : $1.2 billion

Who would have thought that an ordinary looking entrepreneur working from a compact workplace would enter the Billionaire Club list someday? That's the emotion-provoking story of Sameer Gehlaut, who scaled new success heights by establishing Indiabulls in the year 2000. The billionaire, at just 34 years of age, not only has developed one of the leading financial services, but has also expanded its operations across the globe.

The man commenced his journey in rags and eventually evolved as one of the prime pioneers in the online brokerage business segment.With simplicity and sheer determination, the young entrepreneur began his operations from a miniature office near Hauz Khas, a well-known place in Delhi.

However, the mission was assisted by two of friends at IIT Delhi, Rajiv Rattan and Saurabh Mittal. With just a tin roof and two computers, the history of brewing one of India's youngest self made billionaire was getting girded up. Today, Sameer has been revered as the 45th richest businessman in India and the 962nd richest man in the world.

11. Ronnie Screwvala

Born : June 8, 1956 - Mumbai, Maharashtra

Known for : UTV Group

Extraordinarily passionate and creative, Ronnie Screwvala is an Indian film producer and an extremely well-revered, founder, chairman of UTV Group. Born in Mumbai to a middle-class family, the passionate man started his career by releasing the foremost organized cable TV venture in Mumbai.

Established in the year 1981, the network would proffer around three hours of video channel service. The popular producer turned stones into milestones by taking his step further and broadcasting movies through cables to homes in the Maker Towers in Cuff Parade. What has stupefied many is the fact that Ronnie would do that at a monthly rate of just Rs. 200.

With perseveration as his second nature, Ronnie took the network to new heights within a few years and plunged into making films, producing advertisements and selling airtime on India's national network 'Doordarshan'. However, his rags literally turned into riches when the man established UTV Software Communications in 1990 for a success that could never be estimated. Today, he is a successful film producer in the Indian film industry and has been listed as one of the most influential people in the world (Time 100, in 2009). The 55 year old producer, recently pushed his horizon higher by collaborating with Fox Searchlight, Walt Disney, Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment Production Company, and Sony for the global reach.

12. Tulsi Tanti

Born: Rajkot, India

Known for: Suzlon Energy

Net worth: $400 million

Discuss about the most astounding, inspirational rags to riches stories from India and Tulsi Tanti has to be a part of the overwhelming discussion. The chairman and managing director of Suzlon Energy stands thoroughly distinguished for having acquired $2 billion market cap wind power based company.

Amazingly ingenious and a firm believer, the entrepreneur kicked off his drive for success by his first project, which was in the textiles sphere in Surat entitled Sulzer Synthetics Private Limited. However, the company's name was later changed to Suzlon Synthetics Limited, which is positioned deeply into wind energy production.

Estimated as worth 4930 million by Forbes in November 2008, Tusli originally hails from Rajkot in Gujarat and feels proud for having accomplished milestones in his respective business. A diploma holder in mechanical engineering and a commerce graduate, he indeed refurbished and leveraged the textile industry in India by realizing their huge potential. Presently endeavoring to capture the global market, Tanti has magnificently showcased how rags can be transmogrified into riches by scaling the Suzlon Energy higher to the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer position in the world and largest in Asia.

13. Jamsetji Tata

Born: March 3, 1839 - Navsari, Gujarat, India

Known for: Founder of Tata Group

Net worth: $4million

Born to a Parsi family in Gujarat, Jamsetji Nasarwanji Tata left behind a true story of perseveration, patience and passion that indeed showed 'nothing is impossible'. Quite simple in looks but extraordinary in his goals, the Indian industrialist laid the firm foundation of Tata Group and ensured that each idea was executed perfectly for the respective fields' optimization.

The billionaire, who created India's biggest conglomerate company, started trading in Bombay and turned out to be the first businessman in his family of Parsi Zoroastrian priests. Married to Hirabai Daboo, Jamsetji graduated from college in 1858 and joined his father's trading firm. The founder of Tata Group, plunged into business when it was considered as a turbulent step, considering the Indian Rebellion of 1857 which had then been suppressed by the British government. After working with his father until 29 years of his age, Jamsetji commenced a small trading company in 1868 with a capital of Rs. 21,000, subsequent to which he attained a bankrupt oil mill in 1869 and transformed the same into a cotton mill.

Completely devoted to materialize his key ideas, the man then eventually discovered the Tata Group and thus, started being considered as the 'Father of the Indian industry'.

14. Nandan Nilekani

Born: June 2, 1955 - Sirsi (Uttara Kannada District), Karnataka, India

Known for: Unique Identification Authority of India

Net worth: $1.4 billion (2012)

A firm believer in 'writing the destiny on your own', Nandan Nilekani is an Indian entrepreneur who presently serves the duties of a chairman for UIDAI ( Unique Identification Authority of India). The billionaire also holds a chin up for heading the Government of India's technology committee.

A true story of rags to riches, the self-acclaimed man began his beautiful, motivational journey with a job at Patni Computer Systems in Mumbai way back in 1978. After years of hard work and unmatched determination, Nilekani was designated as a successful chief executive officer of Infosys in March 2002 and thereafter reached great heights when he joined the UIDAI.

The billionaire currently holds the net worth of $1.4 billion, which rightly epitomizes his persona as one of the most influential, richest men in India.

15. Gautam Adani

Born : June 24, 1962 - Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Known for: Founder and Chairman of the Adani Group

Net worth: $5.4 billion (2012)

Lastly yet equally inspiring story of a man who turned rags into riches all on his own. Gautam Adani is a well-known Indian business tycoon and chairman of Adani Group. With a personal wealth of $10 billion, the businessman has been announced as one of the richest person in India and the first billionaire from the city of Ahmedabad.

Dropped out of college, Adani was born in a Gujarati Jain family who set out for Mumbai at the age of 18 to make a living with just a few hundred rupees. After acquiring a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Gujarat University, he moved to Mumbai and started working as a diamond sorter at Mahindra Bros.

Subsequent to two years of extreme dedication and hard work, Gautam established his own diamond brokerage workplace at Zaveri Bazaar and earned a lakh rupees for the first time in his life. Not anyone knew that the journey of a billionaire was rather in making.

The man soon discovered his niche and set up an import-export company in the year 1988 as Adani Enterprises.The owner of a leading conglomerate company in India today, Gautam Adani is married to Priti Adani and has two children.