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Who are some successful entrepreneurs that came from humble beginnings with small businesses?

May Rakestraw

There are numerous successful entrepreneurs who started from very humble beginnings with small businesses. These individuals have inspired others and proved that success is attainable with hard work and determination. Here are just a few examples:

1. Oprah Winfrey - Oprah was born into poverty in rural Mississippi and was raised by her grandmother before moving to live with her mother in Milwaukee. She started her career in media by hosting a local radio show and eventually went on to become one of the most influential talk show hosts in the world. Today, she is a billionaire and media mogul with her own television network.

2. Dhirubhai Ambani - The founder of Reliance Industries, Dhirubhai Ambani was born into a lower-middle-class family in Gujarat, India. He started his career by working as a gas station attendant and later went on to found his own textile company. Under his leadership, the company grew into one of India's biggest conglomerates.

3. Richard Branson - Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, a conglomerate that includes Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Media. He started his first business at the age of 16 by selling records from the trunk of his car in London. Today, he is worth billions of dollars and has been knighted by the Queen of England.

4. Jan Koum - Koum is the co-founder of WhatsApp, the hugely popular messaging app that was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion. He grew up in Ukraine and moved to the United States in 1992 with his mother. They lived on food stamps and struggled to make ends meet. He started working as a security tester for Yahoo before co-founding WhatsApp.

5. Sara Blakely - Blakely is the founder of Spanx, a brand of shapewear that has become a household name. She started the company with just $5,000 in savings after cutting the bottom off a pair of pantyhose to create a smoother look under a pair of white pants. Today, Spanx is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

These individuals have all proven that success is possible, no matter where you come from or what your background is. Their stories are a testament to the power of hard work, perseverance, and the entrepreneurial spirit. It's inspiring to see how they have used their small businesses to create huge empires and make a positive impact on the world.