Stories Poem by Matloob Bokhari

ICONS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The Rags-to-RichesStories




1. J.K.Rowling





She is one of the most successful authors of all time. Her name is literally synonymous with Harry Potter and has $1 billion. It is almost impossible to believe that only 20 years ago, Joanne Rowling was so poor that she and her child relied on government welfare to survive. After getting a meagre meal, Joanne would put her child to sleep and work voraciously on her first novel, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. Once this book was published, the world loved her work so much that it was developed into a series of blockbuster movies. J.K. Rowling's life turned around for the better and she is a legitimate billionaire.





2. Shahid Khan






Another name that might not ring bells is this one. Shahid is the owner of a massive auto parts enterprise and the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team. He is also an expert on how to build an empire slowly. Mr. Khan moved to the USA from Pakistan. When he arrived, he had to live at the local YMCA for $60 per month. It was not a glorious residence but Shahid made it. He washed dishes and saved up enough money to start an auto parts business. Thanks to great effort and dedication, he grew his small business into a billion dollar enterprise.
The steel tycoon who grew up in a one-room weaver's cottage: Andrew Carnegie




3. Andrew_Carnegie


Andrew_Carnegie
This American industrialist, the founder of Carnegie Steel - a company that produced more steel than all of Great Britain at one point - was born to a poor handloom weaver in Scotland.

He grew up in poverty, living in a one-room house, often sleeping to "forget the misery of hunger". To fight starvation, his family migrated to the US.His first job was at age 13 as a bobbin boy, changing spools of thread in a cotton mill 12 hours a day,6 days a week in a Pittsburgh cotton factory. In his spare time, he would read works of Robert Burns and historical Scottish heroes like Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, and Rob Roy. His next job was as a telegraph messenger boy. A true entrepreneur, he was a hardworker, and soon was promoted as an operator. Colonel James Anderson, who opened his personal library of 400 volumes to working boys each Saturday night, gave a good boost to Carnegie's education and passion for reading. He did a series of railroad jobs. There, he learnt about the industry and business in general. It was during this stint that he began making investments in steel and oil companies that earned him huge returns. By 1889, Carnegie Steel Corporation was the largest of its kind in the world. He went on to become become the richest man in the world.

Known as one of "builders" ofAmerica who helped shape the nation, in 1901, he sold Carnegie Steel to JP Morgan for $480 million and became a philanthropist. He donated millions to the New York Public Library, established the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, which is now known as Carnegie-Mellon University, created the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and formed the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Remember, the journey began in a one-room weaver's cottage in Dunfermline.


4. Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, which he started in his college dorm room in 2004 with roomates Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.

Zuckerberg is responsible for setting the overall direction and product strategy for the company. He leads the design of Facebook's service and development of its core technology and infrastructure. Mark studied computer science at Harvard University before moving the company to Palo Alto, California.

Earlier in life, Zuckerberg developed a music recommendation system called Synapse and a peer-to-peer client called Wirehog. However, he abandoned both to pursue new projects.

Zuckerberg attended Harvard University and studied computer science before founding Facebook.

While at Harvard, Zuckerberg created Facemash, a website that compared students' dorm photos side-by-side in a fashion similar to HOT or NOT. Harvard administration was not amused, and Zuckerberg faced subsequent disciplinary action. Less than three months later, he launched Facebook.

In September 2010, Zuckerberg donated $100 million to the Newark Public School System to help renovate and revamp the system.

Zuckerberg won the 2007 Crunchie Award for 'Best Startup CEO.' He was the Time Magazine 2010 Person Of The Year. He also won the 2012 Crunchie Award for CEO of the year.