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ChronoFish t1_je2epqo wrote

>, but none of the very richest people got their wealth from theirs

There are lots of heirs no doubt... But there are lots of people who elevated themselves.

Opera Winfrey, abused and molested runaway... Now worth $2.5B

Leonardo Del Vecchio, sunglasses manufacturer....started by working in an auto parts factory.... Now worth $25B

Kenny Troutt paid his way through college by selling insurance. Then he started Excel Communication which he later sold for $3B.

Sheldon Adelson, son of a cab driver, made his fortune with vending machines. Eventually becoming the CEO of Vegas Sands. He left his family $29B.

John Paul DeJoria sold his first products (Paul Mitchell hair products) door to door ... Started with a $700 loan... Now worth $2.9B

J.K. Rowling was single mother struggling to pay rent before her Harry Potter novels put her on track for $60 Million net worth.

There are lots of examples of people who had nothing at the start turn their ideas and desires into a large net worth.

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rmdashrfdot t1_je2i9el wrote

$60 million? JK Rowling has a billion.

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UnaccreditedSetup t1_je3p39a wrote

I think it’s just referring to when she first released her novels and not now where there is tons of media based on her novels

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brickpaul65 t1_je2t7z1 wrote

Shhh....maybe they were reassuring themselves they have really have massive talent and it is random chance that they have not achieved what they define success as...nevermind, this was silly take on how success is achieved and you gave multiple examples. Well done.

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doggmapeete t1_je56f9u wrote

There are many examples as you lay out but the vast majority of billionaires came from money. Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg all came from wealthy families. For every Carnegie there dozens if not hundreds of JP Morgans. I think a good metaphor is a bow and arrows. The wealthier your family the better the bow and the more arrows you’re given to shoot a bullseye. Oprah had a busted ass bow and one arrow and somehow managed to hit it. Elon Musk had a fancy bow with dozens of arrows. He could shoot and miss until he made it.

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Realistic_Ad3795 t1_je79gu0 wrote

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/26/majority-of-the-worlds-richest-people-are-self-made-says-new-report.html

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doggmapeete t1_je8c4c3 wrote

I read the article and they’re differentiating between inheriting all of your money vs making it yourself. But they’re not talking about the opportunities they were given by having wealthy parents.

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Realistic_Ad3795 t1_jeah4si wrote

Opportunities still need to be converted. And in many cases, the opportunity had little to do with the success. Zuckerberg is a good example of that. I would say Gates, as well.

They might have been well off just on status, but they are billionaires because of what THEY did.

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doggmapeete t1_jeastbc wrote

Gates’ dad was a big finance attorney in Seattle. Definitely opened doors for him and helped get him access to capital.

Yes you need to do the work, but fundamentally you have a lot more room for error and have access to people and opportunities others simply don’t.

Zuckerberg got into Harvard. That set off his Facebook adventure. Would be a billionaire without the Harvard connections? Would he have gone to Harvard without wealthy parents.

I grew up poor surrounded by wealthy people. Now I’m not poor and I see the vast difference in services, opportunities and experiences that my kids have that I didn’t that will ultimately set them up much better than I was.

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DicknosePrickGoblin t1_je4ezyy wrote

Rich people love to portray them as self made hard workers but they always leave key aspects of their succes out of the story. OP talks about qualifications, what are Oprah's?, italian man is the Luxottica guy right?, how is an auto part factory worker qualified for selling sunglasses?, are you aware of the shady practices he used to get there? A casino owner, really? Some bigot that struck gold writing crappy books for children?

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ChronoFish t1_je4lkpm wrote

Redditors love to villainize those who have been hyper successful. They will question the need for the success, the definition of success, the character of those who became successful (whether relevant or not), the unfairness of their situation (even when pointed out that no... This person didn't start with a silver spoon in their mouth)... And when all else fails, talk about how their success is "on the backs of other people", even when they are responsible for employing 100,000s of people directly and millions through the micro-economies that surround their business. And if the person has been successful not once, but multiple times, then it's because they are a fraud.

What is about success that redditors hate? I don't get it.

There are few people who have perfect character. That doesn't change their humble beggings. Coming from relatively rich family doesn't guarantee success, and certainly doesn't make becoming super wealthy easy. There is no need to worship those who make it big, but equally there is no need to discredit them.

If it were easy everyone would do it. It's not easy, and by extension not everyone is doing it.

We can learn lessons from those who have made it big.

  1. Work hard and smart
  2. Look for opportunities, and take advantage of them
  3. Ignore those who say you can't because of where you come from
  4. Who/where you are today doesn't dictate who/where you will be

These are obvious and it's not a "guide to riches" ... That's not the point... Self made millionaires/billionaires plot their own path, aren't satisfied with the status quo, and look for ways to change things to their vision.

The "selfmade" doesn't mean no one else was involved. It means they were not guided or had things handed to them. They didn't become billionaires by someone literally handing them a lottery ticket.

If it's easy, then do it. And if you say "I can't because..." this is exactly what separates you from the hyper successful.

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