the greatest entrepreneurs of our time

The Greatest Entrepreneurs of Our Time

The characteristics of successful entrepreneurs are widely varied,

largely due to inherent human diversity.

Determination, Resilience, Willingness to

take Risk, Competitiveness, Hunger – these

appear on most lists.

But to be truly great, they need to have revolutionized their industry and/or changed the way we think and live.

This is a compilation of 20 great entrepreneurs who fit that description.

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Steve JobsCo-founder of Apple Computer Inc. (1976)

With an initial dream of ev-eryone having a personal computer, Jobs went on to revolutionize technology

with his signature products – the

iPhone, iPod and iPad. And, when he died in 2011, his net worth was $11 bil-

lion.

6

Bill Gates

Co-founder of Microsoft Corp. (1975)

Bill Gates helped revolutionize operating systems for personal

computers. Best known as an American

business magnate, investor, and philan-thropist, with $79 billion in net

worth, he ranks consistently among the wealth-

iest people of the world.

7

Jeff Bezos

Founder of Amazon.com (1995)

Bezos, “The King of E-Com-merce”,

created a $89 billion online marketplace that changed Inter-

net purchasing.

Amazon.com perfected industry standards like product recom-

mendations, easy check out, and incorporation of

customer reviews.

8

Howard Schultz

Chairman & CEO of Starbucks Corp. (1971)

Schultz’s early employers had no

interest in his coffee shop idea, but

gave him both financing and their brand

name, Starbucks.Today, Starbucks is the world's

largest coffee chain, with annual rev-

enues of more than $19 billion.

9

Fred Smith

Founder of Federal Express Corp. (1971)

Fred Smith amassed his $3.7 billion

fortune by enabling businesses to deliver goods quickly, any-

where in the world.

Though initially told it couldn't be done, the visionary changed

the way the world does business and FedEx now has revenues in excess of

$47 billion.

Ray KrocFounder of McDonald's Corp. (1955)

Ray Kroc perfected fast-food franchising. McDonalds’

spectacular growth is a result of Kroc’s fo-

cus on its long-term development,

its franchisees, and making the customer experience uniform

across locations.At Kroc’s death in 1984, he

was worth $500 million.

11

Larry Page & Sergey BrinCo-founders of Google (1998)

With $66 billion in annual rev-enues,

Google is one of the fastest-growing

businesses of all time. The founders’ invention, Page

Rank, helped make Google the most

popular search engine in the world.

Mark ZuckerbergCEO and co-founder of Facebook

(2004)

Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from a dorm room, and developed it into the most successful social net-working website on the internet. To-

day, he is worth $35.7 billion.

His motto: If you aren’t making mis-takes, you aren’t moving fast enough.

13

Warren BuffettPrimary shareholder, chairman and

CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (1955)

With a net worth of $66.7 billion, Buffet

is one of the world’s wealthiest people,

and is known as the 20th cen-tury’s

most successful investor.

His credo: Look for undervalued companies and seek controlling

interest.

Sam WaltonFounder of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (1962)

Sam Walton filled the need for low-cost retail stores in rural communi-ties, sometimes scoping out under-served markets in his private air-

plane.

Today, Wal-Mart is the world's third largest firm with $486 billion in an-

nual revenues.

Michael BloombergFounder of Bloomberg L.P. (1981)

With a net worth of $34 billion, Bloomberg is the 16th richest person in

the world. He founded and owns 88% of

Bloomberg, a global financial data and media company notable for its

Bloomberg Terminal.

Richard BransonFounder of The Virgin Group (1970)

Richard Branson developed "branded venture capital." This strategy of li-

censing the Virgin name enabled him to launch a patchwork of businesses

with minimal investment.

Today, the Virgin Group has more than

400 subsidiaries, and has annual revenue of $24 billion.

Marc BenioffFounder of the software company

Salesforce (1999)

Marc Benioff transformed enterprise software by moving it from the data

center to the cloud. Today, the influential Salesforce is worth

$34 billion and has 130,000 customers.

Benioff also owns 13% of Fitbit, and invests in dozens of tech startups.

Peter ThielPayPal Co-Founder (1998)

Thiel exited PayPal when it sold to

eBay for $1.5 billion, and netted him $60 million.

Currently, Thiel’s largest holding is in Palantir, a data analytics

company. His firm Founders Fund invests in companies that can effect dra-

matic technological change.

19

Walt Disney

Founder of Walt Disney Co. (1923)

With his cartoon films and iconic theme

parks, Disney pioneered brand-ing,

brand stretching and merchan-dising.

Today, Walt Disney Co. is the largest

media company on earth, with annual

revenues of $35 billion.

20

Martha StewartFounder of Martha Stewart Living

Omnimedia (1997)

Stewart changed the way Amer-ica views cooking, home decora-

tion, gardening and entertaining.

By marketing her taste, Stewart turned

her own life into a business em-pire that

sold for $353 million.

Philip KnightCo-founder of Nike Inc. (1972)

Philip Knight was initially opposed to heavy marketing. But after being nearly forced out of business by rival Reebok,

he revolutionized the concept of company

branding. Today, Nike’s revenues are $7.4 billion, and Knight’s net worth stands at $25.1

billion.

22

Pierre OmidyarEbay Founder (1995)

Ebay got its start when Founder,

Pierre Omidyar developed an online

system to trade collectible PEZ dispensers. The idea caught on

like wildfire, altering the dynamic of

internet commerce. Today, eBay’s revenue is $17.9

billion, with operations in 30 countries.

23

Oprah WinfreyFounder of Harpo Productions Inc.

(1986)

Oprah, the richest African Amer-ican

of the 21st century, has a net worth

of over $3 billion. Starting as a talk show host, she created a business empire, in-

cluding OWN network. Oprah is the most in-

fluential woman in the world.

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