Five CEOs That Made It To The Top And Started With Nothing

Anita Ginsburg

April 11, 2014


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The rags to riches story fascinates and inspires ordinary Americans. Being successful in business takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and it doesn't always mean being given the right tools and resources. The following list presents successful American CEOs that started out small.

Larry Ellison

Given up for adoption as a toddler, Larry Ellison grew up in a modest middle class household. He dropped out of University of Illinois to pursue his own ventures in the computer industry. With only a few thousand dollars, he founded a small software company. That company would ultimately became Oracle Corporation, one of the largest software enterprises in the world. With a net worth of more than 48 billion dollars, Larry Ellison is one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Mark Cuban

Although he grew up in an upscale suburb, Mark Cuban started out doing various odd jobs during his school years. Cuban's first business venture was MicroSolutions, a small software company that sold for several million dollars. Since then, Mark Cuban has acquired tremendous wealth in the internet, software and entertainment industry. To most Americans, Mark Cuban is known as the flashy outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

Frank Vandersloot

Growing up on a ranch in Idaho, it was tough to imagine that the young Frank Vandersloot would become a successful businessman. His humble beginnings include working at local laundromats and milking his family's cows. After graduating from Brigham Young University, Frank Vandersloot worked his way towards the CEO position of Melaleuca, a company that focuses on promoting green products.

Howard Schultz

Growing up in poverty in Brooklyn, Howard Schultz never dreamed of becoming the CEO of the largest coffeehouse chain on the planet. His first experience in the coffee industry was working for Hammarplast, a Swedish company that offers specialty drip coffee making appliances. Howard Schultz first started out in the marketing department of Starbucks, of which he became CEO. His other major business ventures include owning the Seattle Supersonics.

Lloyd Blankfein

Growing up in housing projects of New York City, the young Lloyd Blankfein was heavily influenced by the tremendous opportunities in the "Big Apple." A successful graduate of Harvard, Blankfein returned to NYC and joined Goldman Sachs in the early 1980s. More than two decades later, he secured the CEO position for this major multinational investment firm.

Some of America's most successful business people have humble beginnings. The American Dream is still very much alive thanks to such inspirational individuals.