"When
looking at the most successful people and organizations, we often imagine
geniuses with a smooth journey straight to the promised land."
says Kashmir Hill of Forbes. "But
when you really examine nearly every success story, they are filled with
crushing defeats, near-death experiences, and countless setbacks". Interestingly enough, be it from the times of
Albert Einstein, to the current Steve jobs era, successful
people have been, at one time or another, labelled as a misguided
dreamers rather than future captains of industry. Here are some of the world
renowned successful people or organizations and their humble beginnings.
1. Eminem dropped out of high school at age 17, held a minimum-wage job of cooking and dish washing at a restaurant, took care of his daughter while battling with dugs and alcohol abuse. After 10 years of attempt Eminem finally released his first major studio album, The Slim Shady LP that went on to be one of the most popular albums of 1999, going triple platinum by the end of that year
2. Hewlett Packard started in 1939 with Bill Hewlett and William Packard operating from Packard's garage with a bare minimal capital investment of US$538. HP eventually became the symbolic founder of silicon valley and till today is one of the renowned top companies in the world.
3.Dyson Vacuum Cleaners was created by James Dyson who failed 5,126 prototypes
before perfecting his revolutionary masterpiece. It took him 5 years of attempt throughout that time, he was partly supported by his wife's salary as an art teacher. Dyson first launched his vacuum cleaner in Japan through catalogue sales, and later went on to winning the 1991 International Design Fair prize in Japan. Today, Dyson is a multi-billion dollar internationally renowned organization
4. Angry Birds, the incredibly popular game, was software maker
Rovio’s 52nd attempt. They spent eight years and nearly went bankrupt
before finally creating their massive hit.Angry Birds has become iPhone’s most popular app, the game has been downloaded 50 million times, and the game notches up 200 million minutes of play time every day,
5. Pinterest is one of the fastest-growing websites
in history, but struggled for a long time. Pinterest’s CEO
said recently that it had “catastrophically small numbers” in its first year
after launch and that if he had listened to popular startup advice he
probably would have quit. Pinterest is now the number three most-popular social network in the U.S., behind Facebook and Twitter, according to Experian Hitwise.
6. Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times before he successfully invented the first long lasting practical light bulb. Thomas Edison is also well known for his invention of phonograph, the motion picture camera, as well as the fourth most prolific inventor in history, holding 1,093 US patents in his name. Edison originated the concept and implementation of
electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and
factories – a crucial development in the modern industrialized world.
His first power station was on Manhattan Island, New York.
7. Nelson Mandela served 27 years in prison over the anti-apartheid cause he believed in. Even in jail, Mandela's reputation grew and he soon became widely known as the most significant black leader in South Africa. Following his release from prison , at the age of 76, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to democracy in 1994
8. Richard Branson has dyslexia and had poor academic performance as a student but that didn't stop him from starting his Virgin Empire through Virgin records at the age of 16 which he eventually sold to EMI for 500 Million pound sterling . He formed Virgin Atlantic Airways and is now one of the richest and most successful man in the world
9. Oprah Winfrey grew up in a very poor surrounding, consequently sexually
molested by
male relatives at a young age and endured
the hardship till her teenage years. However that didn't stop her dreams. At the age of 19, she became the first black
African American woman television news anchor
to work in Nashville on the WTVF-TV station
. It turned into a huge hit and soon became known as 'the Oprah Winfrey Show'. The Oprah Winfrey Show went on to become
one of the most successful and highest ranked
television talk show programs in history.
10. The ubiquitous WD-40 lubricant got its name because the first 39
experiments failed. WD-40 literally stands for “Water Displacement--40th
Attempt. Today, WD-40, created to prevent rust and remove grease from high technology components, is sold in over 160 countries. The product has over 2,000 uses can be spotted in any local grocery store.
The article is contributed by Pam C, a member of our blogging community who expresses her views alone.
