It can be easy to think that the world’s richest and influential people live in a different world. They are leading their chosen industries and live lives that we can only imagine in dreams.
However, not all these rich and powerful were born to a life of luxury and power. Most of them used to work on jobs that you don’t think they are familiar with. A few may even surprise you because the jobs they had were so far from what career they have now.
Here are 10 of the world’s most powerful and richest people and what first jobs they did before they reached where they are today:
Jeff Bezos
Before he started the online retail giant, Jeff Bezos used to work for McDonald’s. He used to work around the grill and had experienced the daily rush during his shifts.
In the book “Golden Opportunity: Remarkable Careers That Began at McDonald’s,” Bezos shared that he was able to adapt to the rush thanks to his manager.
The manager, he shared, kept things fun and helped Bezos and his co-workers focus. Read: The best ways to motivate your employees
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban first worked when he was 12 years old after his dad told him to get a job if he wanted expensive shoes. He asked his dad how he could get a job with his age and he got one with the help of his dad’s friends.
His dad’s friend needed someone to sell garbage bags. Cuban went from door to door to sell the bags for $3. Thanks to that experience, he was able to learn the tricks on how to become a successful entrepreneur. Read: The Difference Between Entrepreneurial Success & Failure Is You
Today, he is now the owner of the NBA team, Dallas Mavericks, and a successful entrepreneur. He also helps budding entrepreneurs get started as one of the mentors for the ABC hit show, Shark Tank.
Kat Cole
Kat Cole used to work for Hooters before she rose through the ranks and became the president of baked goods brand Cinnabon. Her first job was a hostess when she was 17 years old.
After two years, she became one of Hooters’ top employees and she was offered to expand the business in Australia. She took the offer and found herself getting promoted as vice president when she turned 26.
Today, she leads Cinnabon and also became the group president for FOCUS Brands.
Michael Dell
Dell is one of the largest computer brands in the US and its founder and CEO did not start his career in the computer industry.
When he was 12 years old, he started working as a dish scrubber.
He would later become one of the frontrunners for the PC’s popularity and is now worth $18.7 billion.
Richard Branson
The founder of Virgin did not reach his position without starting from square one.
In one post on LinkedIn, Branson shared that he and his best friend Nik Powell started a small business together when they were 11 years old. They sold parakeets to their classmates, but they had to stop because the parakeets multiplied so fast that they can’t keep up.
They also tried to sell fir trees during Christmas but rabbits ate their stock before it grew.
As he grew older, he continued to pursue various gigs that allowed him to establish Virgin as the empire that it is today.
Beth Comstock
The woman behind the creation of Hulu and General Electric’s vice chair started her career working for Rubbermaid.
She shared in LinkedIn that she took the job after her college freshman year. She worked on the assembly line and made kitchen tools. However, the work proved to be overwhelming but she understood through the job the importance of teamwork.
She also saw how important the team is in overcoming challenges, especially if they work together. Read: 10 Ways to Improve Your Workplace Relationships
Warren Buffett
Before he established the billion-dollar empire, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett used to sell newspapers when he was young. He started working as a paperboy when he was 13 years old.
For a year, he was able to save and invested $1,200 from his savings to get 40-acre farmland. His business skills enabled him to build his empire that is now worth $61.2 billion.
Jacki Zehner
Goldman Sachs’ first female partner first worked in Canada as a concession stand seller. She would sell hotdogs during the game of her local team Kelowna Buckaroos.
She said that her work in the concessions stand was perfect since she learnt how to get around trading in Wall Street through the experience.
In 1996, she would later work with Goldman Sachs and found the charity Women Moving Millions.
Marissa Mayer
Yahoo!’s ex-CEO was originally studying to become a doctor when she found her interest shifting to computer science after a class she took. She also worked as a checkout clerk.
After she finished college, she took up a job at Google as a female engineer. During her stint in Google, she assisted in the creation of Google Maps and Gmail.
After Google, she would move to Yahoo! and became its head when she was 37. Read: How to Manage a Team When You’re Younger Than Everyone Else
Elon Musk
Before he set his sights in conquering space and introducing innovations, Elon Musk first worked as a lumber mill janitor to make a living. But, this did not stop him from inventing a lot of things that led him to the creation of Paypal, OpenAI, Tesla and SpaceX.
A fun fact about his pursuits is that Musk is not an expert in these fields. But, it did not stop him from pursuing his interests and inspire others to support his innovations.
In Not So Many Words…
If you want to become successful, you will need to start from somewhere. These 10 individuals proved that even if you start from odd jobs, you can find the right opportunity to become successful.
If they were able to do it, so can you. Be patient and the opportunity will knock on your door even if you don’t have the background to pursue it.
Inspired much?
Want to read more inspirational stories of successful people? Little Known Facts of Famous Male Entrepreneurs Little Known Facts of Famous Female Entrepreneurs Lessons from Actors & Actresses
Can’t get enough of MiddleMe? You can find me sharing my thoughts here as well: Instagram @kallymiddleme Twitter (MiddleMe_net) FaceBook (MiddleMe.net) LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/kallytay
Best things in life are meant to be shared, start spreading MiddleMe around, after all, sharing is caring.
#Influential #MarkCuban #Wealthy #MarissaMayer #Successful #WarrenBuffett #Passion #Rich #MichaelDell #Dream #Motivation #People #JackiZehner #JeffBezos #WorkLife #Job #Entrepreneur #KatCole #BethComstock #CareerMove #Influencer #Opportunity #Work #Career #Motivational #Businessman #ElonMusk #Business #Judgement #Perseverance #Working #Persistent #passionate #CareerPath #Enthusiam #Success #RichardBranson
Comments