1.Madam CJ Walker
Sarah Breedlove (aka Madam CJ Walker) was one amazing lady. She is regarded as the first black female self-made American millionaire.
Born in 1867, her parents and older siblings had been slaves on a Louisiana plantation. She was the first of her family to be born into freedom (that's some lucky timing!).
Madam CJ Walker started her own line of beauty and hair products specifically designed for black women. She saw a market that wasn't being met, and created a solution to a problem no one else seemed interested in solving.
As you can imagine, during her time she had to fight tooth and nail for every step up the ladder. A smart, strategic, and enterprising woman, she perfectly embodies the entrepreneurial spirit (with stylish hair to match).
2. Steve Jobs
You can't really make a self-respecting "famous entrepreneurs" list without throwing in Steve Jobs. Jobs dropped out of college because his family couldn't handle the financial burden of his education. He unofficially continued to audit classes, living off free meals from the local Hare Krishna temple and returning Coke bottles for change just to get by. Jobs credited the calligraphy class he stopped in on as his inspiration for the Mac's revolutionary typefaces and font design.
Jobs went on to have an unbelievable career, eventually forming the Apple Computer Company with his childhood friend and electronics expert Steve Wozniak. Often referred to as "The Grandfather of the Digital Revolution," Jobs forever changed the consumer electronics industry. At the time of his death, his net worth was over $8.3 billion, and his influence will be felt for many digital generations to come.
3. Andrew Carnegie
Just hearing Andrew Carnegie's name brings back yawns and daydream distractions from high school history class. I had no interest in Carnegie back in school, but today he serves as a pretty amazing example of entrepreneurship.
Carnegie had a really rough life growing up. He spent his childhood working in factories, and at night he forced himself to sleep as a way to forget his constant hunger.
Carnegie eventually worked his way up to becoming a superintendent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company before creating several of his own businesses, the most successful being the Carnegie Steel Mill. Despite being one of the richest Americans of all-time, he also serves as a class act example of generosity.
Following his belief that "the man who dies rich dies disgraced," Carnegie donated nearly 90 percent of his wealth to various charities and foundations. His is widely considered one of the largest benefactors of libraries and educational institutions across the country. Thank you, Carnegie, for giving a second home to us nerdy kids who practically lived in our local libraries.
4. Bill Gates
Bill Gates is one of the most famous entrepreneurs of our era. The richest man in the world, Gates has a net worth estimated to be over $79 billion. He's held the title of "world's wealthiest individual" for 16 of the past 21 years.
Co-founder of the world's largest PC software company, Microsoft, Gates was one of the defining figures of the personal computer revolution.
Gates showed an interest in computer programming at a very young age, spending all of his free time creating programs on the teletype terminal computer his school had donated. Gates went on to create Microsoft and develop the Windows operating system, which continues to be tremendously popular.
Bill Gates is, like many other famous entrepreneurs, also known for his philanthropic activities, donating very large amounts of money to charitable organizations and scientific endeavors. Gates established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, a private philanthropic foundation dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing health care, improving education opportunities, and providing access to technology worldwide. Gates himself has donated over $28 billion to the foundation, which he continues to work for.
5. Walt Disney
Walt Disney started off as a farm boy drawing cartoon pictures of his neighbor's horses for fun. When he was older, Walt tried to get a job as a newspaper cartoonist, but was unable to find one and ended up working in an art studio where he created ads for newspapers and magazines. Eventually he grew to work on commercials, became interested in animation, and eventually opened his own animation company.
Disney's first original character creation was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but it was officially owned by Universal Pictures because he was working under contract at the time. When Walt walked out on Universal Pictures after getting a pay cut, he needed to create a replacement, which is how Mickey Mouse came into being.
Disney was wildly successful with his animation company, but he wasn't satisfied. He was determined to make the biggest and greatest theme park ever seen, saying to a colleague, "I want it to look like nothing else in the world."
One of the biggest entertainment moguls of all-time, with an unrelenting spirit and commitment to his vision, Disney is undoubtedly an entrepreneurial all-star.
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