Growing up in poverty is often seen as a life sentence, but some of the world’s most successful people have proven this wrong. Their stories show that your childhood struggles don’t have to define your future success. From sleeping in cars and going hungry to working multiple jobs to help their families survive, these 15 millionaires faced challenges that many would find impossible to overcome.
Howard Schultz – From Public Housing to Starbucks CEO
Howard Schultz grew up in a Brooklyn housing project where his family struggled to pay basic bills. At age 7, he watched his father lose his job after breaking his ankle, leaving the family with no income or health insurance. This early experience pushed him to create better working conditions when he later built Starbucks, including health coverage for part-time workers. Starting as a coffee shop manager, he grew Starbucks from 60 shops to over 21,000 stores worldwide through a clear vision of bringing Italian coffee culture to America.
Oprah Winfrey – From Mississippi Farm to Media Queen
Oprah’s early years were spent on her grandmother’s farm in rural Mississippi, where she wore dresses made from potato sacks and faced severe abuse. At age 14, she moved to Nashville to live with her father, who made education her top priority and pushed her to excel in school. She landed her first job as a news anchor at 19 and slowly worked her way up through local TV stations. Through hard work and natural talent, she built a media empire worth billions, becoming North America’s first Black female billionaire.
Ralph Lauren – Bronx Boy to Fashion Icon
Lauren spent his childhood sharing a bedroom with two brothers in the Bronx, dreaming of a richer life while wearing hand-me-downs. He started working after school at age 12, using his earnings to buy stylish suits his family couldn’t afford. After a brief time in the army and working as a tie salesman, he convinced a clothing manufacturer to let him start his own tie line. That single tie line grew into the Ralph Lauren fashion empire, proving that style and success can come from anywhere.
John Paul DeJoria – Homeless Veteran to Hair Care Billionaire
DeJoria spent time in foster care as a child and later lived in his car while trying to sell hair care products. Despite being homeless twice, he never gave up on his dream of starting his own business. With just $700, he partnered with hairstylist Paul Mitchell to create a revolutionary hair care line. His determination led him to build both the Paul Mitchell hair empire and Patrón Tequila, making him worth over $2.7 billion today.
Larry Ellison – Adopted Child to Oracle Founder
Ellison was given up for adoption as a baby and raised by his aunt and uncle in a poor Chicago neighborhood. He dropped out of college twice and worked odd jobs while teaching himself computer programming. After working on a CIA project, he saw the potential in database software and started Oracle with $1,200. His company became essential to the digital revolution, making him one of technology’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Shahid Khan – Dishwasher to NFL Team Owner
Khan arrived in America from Pakistan at age 16 with just $500, sleeping in a YMCA room and washing dishes for $1.20 an hour. He studied engineering while working at the auto parts company Flex-N-Gate, learning every aspect of the business. Using his knowledge, he started his own auto parts company, eventually buying out his former employer. His success in business led him to purchase the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team, showing how far determination and smart business sense can take you.
George Soros – Nazi Occupation Survivor to Finance Guru
Soros survived Nazi occupation in Hungary by posing as a Christian child. After fleeing communism, he worked as a railroad porter and waiter in London while studying economics. His first job in finance was painting house numbers on curbs for a real estate agency. Through determination and brilliant investment strategies, he built one of the most successful hedge funds in history, famously “breaking the Bank of England” with a single trade.
Sam Walton – Farm Boy to Walmart Founder
Walton milked cows and delivered newspapers during the Great Depression to help his family survive. He borrowed $20,000 from his father-in-law to buy his first variety store, working long hours to make it successful. His vision of bringing affordable goods to rural America led him to create Walmart, revolutionizing retail with his everyday low prices strategy. His small-town values and focus on customer service built the world’s largest retail company.
Jan Koum – Food Stamp Recipient to WhatsApp Creator
Koum immigrated from Ukraine at 16, sweeping floors at a local store while his mother worked as a babysitter. He taught himself computer programming using manuals bought from a used bookstore, saving money by using the free computers at the library. His hard work led him to create WhatsApp, which he later sold to Facebook for $19 billion. Even after becoming a billionaire, he signed the WhatsApp deal at the same social services office where he once collected food stamps.
Roman Abramovich – Orphan to Oil Magnate
Abramovich lost both parents by age 4 and was raised by relatives in Russia’s cold Komi region. He started his business journey selling rubber ducks from his apartment during the fall of the Soviet Union. Through smart investments in oil companies during Russia’s privatization period, he built an enormous fortune. His business sense helped him turn Chelsea Football Club into one of the world’s most successful teams after buying it in 2003.
Ursula Burns – Housing Project Girl to Xerox CEO
Burns grew up in a New York City housing project, raised by a single mother who ran a daycare center and did ironing to pay for her Catholic school education. She excelled in math and engineering, earning an internship at Xerox through a special program. Starting from the bottom, she worked her way up through various roles, eventually becoming the first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Her rise from poverty to power shows how education and hard work can break barriers.
Kevin Plank – Basement Entrepreneur to Under Armour Founder
Plank grew up watching his mother struggle to run a real estate business while raising five kids. He started his first business selling bracelets at Grateful Dead concerts to pay for his college expenses. While playing football in college, he noticed how uncomfortable cotton shirts became during practice. Using his grandmother’s basement and his savings, he developed the first Under Armour moisture-wicking shirt. His innovation turned into a billion-dollar sportswear company that competes with Nike and Adidas.
Kirk Kerkorian – Boxer to Casino King
Kerkorian dropped out of school in eighth grade and learned to box, fighting for quarters in Los Angeles. He later became a pilot during World War II, using his flying skills after the war to start a small charter airline service. He invested his airline profits in Las Vegas land when it was still mostly desert, seeing the potential that others missed. His smart investments in Vegas hotels and casinos made him a billionaire and helped transform Las Vegas into the entertainment capital it is today.
Li Ka-Shing – Factory Worker to Hong Kong’s Richest
Li fled China as a refugee and started working in a plastic factory at age 16 to support his family after his father’s death. He learned everything he could about manufacturing while working 16-hour days at the factory. With his savings, he started his own plastic flower manufacturing company, catching the trend of artificial flower exports. His business sense helped him expand into real estate, retail, and technology, becoming one of Asia’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Jim Carrey – Factory Janitor to Comedy Legend
Carrey’s family lost everything when his father lost his job, forcing them to live in a van and later a tent. At age 15, he worked as a janitor in a factory while trying to support his family and pursue his dream of comedy. His determination to succeed led him to move to Los Angeles with nothing but his talent. Through persistence and countless rejections, he became one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, proving laughter really can come from pain.
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