Founders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs.
Dave Ramsey went bankrupt in 1988 after his $4 million real estate portfolio was called in, then built Ramsey Solutions on debt-free financial counseling and a nationally syndicated radio show.
Gary Vaynerchuk grew his family's wine store, then became a digital marketing leader through VaynerMedia and co-founded Resy, which American Express acquired in 2019.
Tony Robbins left home at 17, worked as a janitor and started out with motivational speaker Jim Rohn, becoming a best-selling author of Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within.
Patrick Soon-Shiong invented the cancer drug Abraxane, founded the healthcare network NantWorks, and has owned the Los Angeles Times since 2018.
Kevin Systrom turned down a job offer from Mark Zuckerberg, co-founded Instagram and sold it to Facebook for $1 billion in 2012 when it had just 13 employees.
Tom Ford, previously creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, launched his own brand in 2005 and directed the films A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals.
Michael Kors redesigned his mother's wedding dress at five, sold clothes from his parents' basement as a teenager and built a global fashion brand now part of Capri Holdings.
Sam Zell, the Chicago-born son of Polish refugees who escaped on Sugihara visas, managed apartment buildings as a student and built a real estate and investment empire including EQ Office and Tribune Media.
Rupert Murdoch inherited a small Adelaide newspaper in 1952 and built News Corp into a global media group spanning The Sun, The Times, The Wall Street Journal, HarperCollins and Fox News.
Dave Thomas dropped out of high school to work full time at a Fort Wayne diner, founded Wendy's and appeared in more than 800 commercials for it, a record for any company founder.
Roger Penske bought and repaired used cars as a teenager, became SCCA Driver of the Year in 1961 and built the Penske Corporation, Team Penske and ownership of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Palmer Luckey designed the Oculus Rift headset that revived virtual reality, then co-founded the defense technology company Anduril in 2017.
