This country has seen more than its fair share of entrepreneurs, and though not all 100 famous entrepreneurs are from the United States, imagine where the country would be without their influence. These men and women have risen above the average business owner to leave their mark on the world. There is much you can learn from their endeavors.
100 Famous Entrepreneurs
Here are the top 100 entrepreneurs:
- Robert S. Abbott
- Thomas Adams
- Alvin Ailey
- Giorgio Armani
- Mary Kay Ash
- Steve Ballmer
- P.T. Barnum
- Warren Bechtel
- Jeff Bezos
- Clarence Birdseye
- Michael Bloomberg
- Richard Branson
- William Boeing
- Warren Buffett
- Andrew Carnegie
- Steve Case
- Jim Clark
- Walter Chrysler
- Michael Dell
- Fred DeLuca
- Walt Disney
- Arthur Dorrance
- George Eastman
- Thomas Edison
- Larry Ellison
- Debbi Fields
- Edward Filene
- David Filo
- Donald and Doris Fisher
- Steve Forbes
- Henry Ford
- Ernest & Julio Gallo
- Frank Gannett
- Bill Gates
- P. Giannini
- Samuel Goldwyn
- Walt Goodridge
- Leo Goodwin
- Barry Gordy
- Andrew Grove
- Joyce Hall
- William Randolph Hearst
- Richard A. Henson
- Fernando Hernandez
- Milton Hershey
- William R. Hewlett
- James J. Hill
- Conrad Hilton
- George A. Hormel
- Wayne Huizenga
- Steve Jobs
- Robert L. Johnson
- John Johnson
- Henry J. Kaiser
- Herb Kelleher
- Calvin Klein
- Ray Kroc
- Ralph Lauren
- William Levitt
- Henry Luce
- John Mackey
- J. W. Marriott
- Louis B. Mayer
- William McGowan
- Vince McMahon
- Scott McNealy
- Judi Sheppard Missett
- Gordon Moore
- Andrew Morrison
- Rupert Murdoch
- Pierre Omidyar
- David Packard
- William S. Paley
- Ross Perot
- T. Boone Pickens
- Jay Pritzker
- Ralph Roberts
- John D. Rockefeller
- Carlos Santana
- David Sarnoff
- Howard Schultz
- Charles Schwab
- Richard W. Sears
- Colonel Sanders
- Eric Schmidt
- Russell Simmons
- Fred Smith
- Charles C. Spaulding
- Gloria Steinem
- Martha Stewart
- Dave Thomas
- Donald Trump
- Ted Turner
- Madam C. J. Walker
- Sam Walton
- Thomas Watson, Sr.
- Jack Welch
- Meg Whitman
- Oprah Winfrey
- Steve Wynn
Importance to Economy
Large corporations contribute greatly to a country's economy. Without them, people would not have access to many products they want and need. The entrepreneur is equally important, and for many reasons. If it were not for people like Bill Gates, can you imagine where the world would be? Innovation is one of the greatest benefits of entrepreneurship, and though Microsoft is now a multibillion-dollar enterprise, it started out as a project in the basement! Along with great computers and myriad software inventions, this entrepreneur created immeasurable wealth for employees of his company and users of his products.
Leadership
There are thousands of businesses started around the world every year but many of them will fail within the first five years of operation. What is the difference between the men and women who start these companies and the 100 famous entrepreneurs listed above? In a word, leadership! If you aspire to the heights of people such as Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Jack Welch you need the ability to motivate and lead others even when you encounter opposition.
Passion
In order to be a successful entrepreneur like Donald Trump, Oprah or Warren Buffet you need an absolute passion for what you do. Do you think that any of these famous individuals overcame adversity and rose to their current status without a serious dose of determination and passion? Donald Trump grew up around the real estate industry but his vision or passion if you will was for grandiose architecture and not the standard housing his father succeeded with, he faced many nay sayers in the beginning, but his passion held him to his purpose.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt about it, the entrepreneur is important to the world and all her people. They create jobs, products and wealth and teach us all that through determination, imagination and passion anything is possible. Thousands if not millions of jobs are created each year by individuals like the 100 famous entrepreneurs listed above and you can learn a great deal from their stories.
