List of the Richest
School Drop Out
Billionaires and
Successful
Entrepreneurs
1. Bill Gates: He is the
billionaire co-founder of
Microsoft Corporation, the
world largest software
company. Dropped out of
Harvard to focus on
building Microsoft.
According to Forbes
magazine, Bill Gates has
held the position of the
world richest man for
thirteen consecutive years
and he not showing a sign
of letting go that position.
“To win big, you
sometimes have to take
big risks.” – Bill Gates
“We were young, but we
had good advice good
ideas and lots of
enthusiasm.” – Bill Gates
2. Thomas Edison:
Thomas Edison was
labeled dumb and
scatterbrain by his school
teachers but he went on
to become one of the
world’s greatest inventors
and founded General
Electric; one of the most
powerful companies in the
world.
“Many of life’s failures are
people who did not realize
how close they were to
success when they gave
up.” – Thomas Edison
3. Orji Uzor Kalu: He is
one of the richest men on
the soil of Africa. This
young billionaire was
rusticated from college for
his participation in a
student’s protest. Instead
of lamenting over his
predicament; he started
trading on palm oil and
from that humble
beginning, he grew his
business into a
conglomerate “Slok
Group.” Though he was
later pardoned by the
school authorities, he
rejected the amnesty offer
thereby refusing to return
to school.
“A good businessman
must have nose for
business the same way a
journalist has nose for
news. Once your eyes,
ears, nose, heart and brain
are trained on business,
you sniff business
opportunities
everywhere.” – Orji Uzor
Kalu
4. Li Ka Shing: Billionaire
owner of Hutchinson
Whampoa; one of the
largest conglomerates in
Hong Kong, with
operations that span over
fifty countries and more
than 220,000 staff
worldwide. Dropped out
of school at the age of 15
and started out by selling
watch bands.
“The first year, I didn’t
have much capital so I did
everything myself. I had to
keep my overhead low by
learning everything about
running a business, from
accounting to fixing the
gears of my equipment. I
really started from
scratch.” – Li Ka Shing
5. Richard Branson: Best
known for his
adventurous spirit and
outrageous business
tactics. He dropped out of
school at the age of 16 to
start his first successful
business venture; Student
Magazine, bought his own
79-acre Caribbean island
when he was just 24 and
he was knighted in 1999.
He is the billionaire
founder of the Virgin
brand and its 360
companies. His companies
include the famous Virgin
Atlantic Airways.
“I wanted to be an editor
or journalist. I wasn’t
really interested in
becoming an
entrepreneur, but I soon
found I had to become an
entrepreneur in order to
keep my magazine going.”
– Richard Branson
6. Lawrence J. Ellison:
Larry Ellison dropped out
of college twice and was
told by his adoptive father
that he would never
amount to anything but
he went on to become a
billionaire by building
Oracle, the world’s second
largest software company.
“I have had all the
disadvantages required for
success.” – Larry Ellison
7. Michael Dell: He
dropped out of college at
the age of 19 to start PC’s
Limited; later renamed
Dell Computers Inc. Dell
became the most
profitable PC manufacturer
in the world making
Michael Dell a billionaire.
“I had to give it a full go
and see what happened.”
– Michael Dell
8. Steve Jobs: Billionaire
co-founder of Apple Inc
and Pixar; dropped out of
Reed College to start
Apple.
9. Henry Ford: This
automobile billionaire was
born in abject poverty. He
never saw the four walls
of school but he went on
to build Ford Motor
Company and become one
of the richest men that
ever lived.
“Thinking is the hardest
work to do, that’s why so
few people are engaged in
it.” – Henry Ford
10. Walt Disney: Walt,
regarded as the most
influential animator
because of his creativity
with cartoons. He dropped
out of high school at 16
and founded Walt Disney;
a company which now has
an annual revenue of
about $30billion.
“If you can dream it, you
can do it.” – Walt Disney
11. Ray Kroc: Billionaire
Ray Kroc never saw the
four walls of school and
spent most of his life
working as a salesman. He
bought McDonald’s in
1961 for $2.7m and grew
it into a multi billion dollar
company.
“Press on. Nothing in the
world can take the place
of persistence. Talent will
not; nothing is more
common than
unsuccessful men with
talent. Genius will not; the
world is full of educated
derelicts. Persistence and
determination alone are
omnipotent.” – Ray Kroc
12. Debbi Fields: A 20
year old housewife with
no education and business
experience started Mrs.
Fields Chocolate Chippery
and became the most
successful cookie company
owner. She later renamed,
franchised, and then sold
Mrs. Field’s Cookies.
“You don’t have to be
superhuman to do what
you believe in.” – Debbi
Fields
13. Cosmos Maduka:
Nigerian Elementary
school drop out and
billionaire founder of the
Coscharis Group.
14. Ingvar Kamprad:
Billionaire founder of IKEA.
He dropped out of high
school at the age of 17 to
start IKEA; now the top
home furniture retailer in
the world, with over
90,000 employees
working in its 200-plus
stores, and annual
revenues in excess of $10
billion.
“I’m not afraid of turning
80 and I have lots of
things to do. I don’t have
time for dying.” – Ingvar
Kamprad
15. Carl Lindner:
Billionaire investor and
founder of United Dairy
Farmers. He dropped out
of high school at the age
of 14 to deliver milk for
his family diary.
16. Simon Cowell:
Famous for his
involvement in American
Idols, he dropped out of
school at age 16 and
started his own record
label “Fanfare” at the age
of 23.
“Good is not enough;
you’ve got to be great.” –
Simon Cowell
17. Mary Kay Ash:
Founder of Mary Kay Inc
and best known as the
most outstanding business
woman in the 20th
century. Mary never saw
the four walls of school.
“When you reach an
obstacle, turn it into an
opportunity. You have the
choice. You can overcome
and be a winner, or you
can allow it to overcome
you and be a loser. The
choice is yours and yours
alone. Refuse to throw in
the towel. Go that extra
mile that failures refuse to
travel. It is far better to be
exhausted from success
than to be rested from
failure.” – Mary Kay Ash
18. Coco Chanel: Fashion
magnate and founder of
the Coco Chanel brand, she
never saw the four walls
of school.
19. Wayne Huizenga:
Wayne is the only person
in history to build three
Fortune 1000 companies
practically from scratch:
Waste Management Inc,
Blockbuster Entertainment
and AutoNation. He is the
only person to have
developed six NYSE-listed
companies. He also owns
the Miami Dolphins and is
previous owner of the
Florida Marlins baseball
team and the Panthers
hockey team, making him
the only person ever to
own three pro teams in a
single market, two of
which won national
championships. He
dropped out of college to
join a friend in a garbage
collection business.
20. Barry Diller: This
billionaire media magnate
dropped out of college to
start Fox Broadcasting
Company. He is chairman
of Expedia, and was once
the CEO of IAC/
InterActiveCorp which
includes Home Shopping
Network and
Ticketmaster.
“There’s a world in which
reasons are made up
because reality is too
painful.” – Barry Diller
21. Andrew Carnegie:
Founder of Carnegie Steel
Company and one of the
richest men that ever
lived. Born in abject
poverty, Andrew never
saw the four walls of
school.
“I shall argue that strong
men conversely know
when to compromise and
that all principles can be
compromised to serve a
greater purpose.” –
Andrew Carnegie
22. Sir Philip Green:
Billionaire retail mogul
and owner of the Arcadia
brand, he dropped out of
school at the age of 16.
After four business
failures, Philip Green made
his first million at the age
of 33.
“If you’ve got a natural
talent, I think it’s fantastic.
If I wasn’t in retail, being a
singer or a tennis player
would be a better idea.” –
Sir Philip Green
23. Madame C. J. Walker:
She was born into the
family of ex-slaves and
farmers. Despite being
widowed at the age of 20
and faced with extreme
hardship, she started a
cosmetics business and
went on to become the
first American self made
female millionaire.
“I had to make my own
living and my own
opportunity! But I made
it! Don’t sit down and wait
for the opportunities to
come. Get up and make
them” – Madam C.J. Walker
24. Mark Zuckerberg: The
youngest billionaire in the
world, dropped out of
Harvard to promote his
social networking
platform; Facebook. As at
2010, he was 23 years and
worth $4billion.
25. Ted Turner:
Billionaire drop out media
mogul and founder of
CNN; pledged a billion
dollars to the United
Nation.
“All my life, people have
said that I wasn’t going to
make it.” – Ted Turner
“Over a three year period,
I gave away half of what I
had. To be honest, my
hands shook as I signed it
away. I knew I was taking
myself out of the race to
be the richest man in the
world.” – Ted Turner
26. Cornelius Vanderbilt:
Dropped out of school at
the age of 11, began
operating his own boat at
the age of 16 and became
one of the richest men in
history.
“If I had learned
education, I would not
have had time to learn
anything else.” -Cornelius
Vanderbilt
27. Mayer Amschel
Rothschild: was born in a
ghetto; started business as
a money lender and built
the largest private fortune
in history. He never saw
the four walls of school.
“Give me control over a
nation’s money supply
and I don’t care who make
the laws.” – Mayer
Amschel Rothschild
28. Ty Warner: Billionaire
real estate investor, hotel
owner, sole owner, CEO,
and Chairman of Ty, Inc. Ty
Warner is a savvy, yet
private business man. Ty,
Inc; made $700 million in
a single year with the
Beanie Babies craze
without spending money
on advertising. He has
since expanded to include
Ty Girlz dolls, directly
competing with Bratz
dolls.
29. Howard Hughes:
Dropped out of California
Institute of Technology
and Rice University;
founded Hughes Aircrafts
and Co and went on to
become a billionaire.
“I intend to be, the richest
man in the world.”
Howard Hughes
30. Giorgio Armani:
Billionaire founder of the
fashion brand; Giorgio
Armani S.P.A. Dropped out
of medical school at the
University of Bologna
because he couldn’t stand
the sight of blood.
“Remain true to yourself
and your philosophy.” –
Giorgio Armani
Successful Entrepreneurs
and World’s Richest School
Drop Out Billionaires
31. Asa Candler: Founder
of the Billionaire company
and world’s most popular
brand; Coca Cola. He
dropped out of school at
the age of 10.
32. Jenny Craig: With no
college degree, this
woman started Jenny
Craig Inc from scratch and
grew it to become one of
the largest and most
recognized companies in
the weight management
industry.
“If I make a commitment
to something, I will stick
to it no matter what.” –
Jenny Craig
33. Rachael Ray: Despite
having no formal training
in culinary arts, Rachel Ray
made a name for herself in
the food industry. With
numerous shows on the
Food Network, a talk show
and cookbooks, high-
energy Rachael never
slowed down. She has also
appeared in magazines as
well has having her own
magazine debut in 2006.
34. Milton Hershey: With
only a fourth grade
education, Milton Hershey
started his own chocolate
company. Hershey’s Milk
Chocolate became the first
nationally marketed
chocolate.
35. Frank Lloyd Wright:
surpassed all odds to
become the most
influential architect of the
twentieth century. Frank
Lloyd Wright designed
more than 1,100 projects
with about half actually
being built. He never saw
the four walls of high
school.
36. David Geffen:
billionaire founder of
Geffen Records and co-
founder of DreamWorks.
“I never went to business
school. I was just
bumbling through a lot of
my life. I was like the guy
behind the curtain in the
Wizard of Oz.” – David
Geffen
37. Billy Joe (Red)
McCombs: founder of
Clear Channel media, real
estate investor.
38. Craig McCaw:
billionaire founder of
McCaw Cellular.
39. Dave Thomas:
billionaire founder of
Wendy’s.
“There’s no one to stop
you but yourself.” – Dave
Thomas
40. ay Van Andel:
billionaire co-founder of
Amway.
41. Micky Jagtiani:
billionaire retailer,
Landmark International
42. John Paul DeJoria:
billionaire co-founder of
John Paul Mitchell Systems
and Patron Spirits tequilla.
43. David Green:
billionaire founder of
Hobby Lobby.
44. Frederick “Freddy”
Laker: billionaire airline
entrepreneur.
45. Kirk Kerkorian:
billionaire investor, owner
of Mandalay Bay and
Mirage Resorts, and MGM
movie studio.
46. Leandro Rizzuto:
billionaire founder of
Conair
47. Leslie Wexner,
billionaire founder of
Limited Brands.
48. Marc Rich: billionaire
commodities investor and
founder of Marc Rich & Co.
49. S. Daniel Abraham:
billionaire founder of Slim-
Fast.
50. Theodore Waitt:
billionaire founder of
Gateway Computers.
51. Y.C. Wang: billionaire
founder of Formosa
Plastics.
52. Paul Allen: billionaire
co-founder of Microsoft
Corporation; dropped out
of Washington State
University.
53. Ralph Lauren:
Billionaire fashion mogul.
Studied business at Baruch
College for two years and
dropped out.
54. Dean Kamen:
Billionaire Kamen holds
more than 80 US patents;
famous for the Segwey PT,
Auto syringe and IBOT
robotic wheelchair;
dropped out of Worcester
Polytechnic.
55. Dhirubhai Ambani:
Famous founder of
Reliance Group and father
to two billionaires; Anil
and Mukesh Ambani.
Started Reliance Industries
from scratch and never
saw the four walls of
school.

Yes.
We learn through education, we get rich via working. As an enterpreneur or working under someone.
More to follow.