Mary Kay Ash. The founder of Mary Kay Inc. started a cosmetics business. While she didn't have a college educationor any training, she successfully created a brand known throughout the world. To date, nearly half a million women have started Mary Kay businesses, selling cosmetics. Theirappreciation for Mary Kay Ash is unwavering.
Richard Branson. Richard Branson is best known for his thrill seeking spirit and outrageous business tactics. He dropped out at the age of 16 and started his first successful business venture, Student Magazine. He is the owner of the Virgin brand and its 360 companies. His companies include Virgin Megastore and Virgin Atlantic Airway.
Coco Chanel. An orphan for many years, Gabrielle CocoChanel trained as a seamstress. Determined to invent herself, she threw out the ideas that the fashion world deemed feminine, boldly using fabric and styles normally reserved for men. A perfume bearing her name, Chanel No. 5 kept her name famous.
Simon Cowell. Simon Cowell started in a mailroom for a music publishing company. He has since become an Artist and Repertoire (A&R) executive for Sony BMG in the UK, and a television producer and judge for major television talent contests including American Idol.
Michael DELL. With $1,000, dedication and desire, Michael DELLdropped out of college at age 19 to start PC's Limited, later named DELL, Inc. DELL became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world. In 1996, The Michael and Susan DELL Foundation offered a $50 million grant to The University of Texas at Austin to be used for children's health and education in the city.
Barry Diller. Fox Broadcasting Company was started by a college dropout, Barry Diller. Diller is now chairman of Expedia, and CEO of of IAC/InterActiveCorp which includes Home Shopping Network and Ticketmaster.
Walt Disney. Having dropped out of high school at 16, Walt Disney's career and accomplishments are astounding. The most influential animator, Disney holds the record for the most awards and nominations. Disney's imagination included cartoons and theme parks. The Walt Disney Company now has annual revenue of $30 billion.
Debbi Fields. As a young, 20 year old housewife with no business experience, Debbi Fields started Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. With a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies, this young woman became the most successful cookie company owner. She later renamed, franchised, then sold Mrs. Field's Cookies.
Henry Ford. At 16, Henry Ford left home to apprentice as a machinist. He later started Ford Motor Company tomanufacture automobiles. Ford's first major success, the Model T, allowed Ford to open a large factory and later start the assembly line production, revolutionalizing the auto-making industry.
Bill Gates. Ranked as the world's richest person from 1995-2006, Bill Gates was a college drop out. He started the largest computer software company, Microsoft Corporation. Gates and his wife are philanthropists, starting The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a focus on global health and learning.
