How to get rich? This is one of the most commonly asked questions, not just today, but for many years in the past. Some people might say that the simplest way to get rich and become a billionaire is to invent something new, but there are people who disagree. They claim that it’s easier to try to copycat other rich people to succeed.
The fact is that only a handful of people come up with revolutionary ideas even after a relatively long period of time. On the other hand, there are business ideas that are not saturated yet, which means that with the right approach, people can still make money based on these ideas. Thanks to the Internet, we can now analyze the lives of billionaires in details and this information can help us achieve our goals. This guide is all about that.
- Find out what helped these billionaires get rich
- Learn more about their lives
- Learn what you can do to follow their steps
This list includes billionaires that come from different countries and have different backgrounds. In other words, it should be easier to identify with at least one billionaire on this list and try to copy their success. Check this list of 14 billionaires you can (try) to copycat to get rich.
1. Ingvar Kamprad
Country: Sweden
Born: 1926 (died 2018)
Education: High school
Net worth: 53.7 billion Euros
Company: IKEA
If you want to become a billionaire, you will probably need a vision. Of course, you will also have to be a hard-working individual and a disciplined one. There was an entrepreneur spirit in Ingvar Kamprad even when he was a young boy. As a matter of fact, IKEA, his world-renowned company, was founded when Ingvar was just 17 years old. Ingvar was selling pieces of furniture based on the furniture he has seen at home and at his uncle’s home. This means that he was also using other people’s ideas.
Today, IKEA is a multinational business that creates and offers ready-to-assemble pieces of furniture, home accessories, kitchen appliances and other items used at home. The annual revenue of this company exceeds 32 billion Euros. If you have a thing for furniture, you can get rich and one of the ways to do this is to copy Ingvar Kamprad.
- Ingvar founded IKEA at the age of 17
- He had a lot of experience when it comes to furniture
- IKEA is a company present in dozens of countries around the world today
2. Bill Gates
Country: USA
Born: 1955
Education: college dropout
Net worth: 94.2 billion Euros
Company: Microsoft
For many years, William Henry Gates III (Bill Gates), is one of the top 5 richest persons in the world. Bill Gates doesn’t come from a poor family, but it was his ability to come up with innovative business ideas that have helped him become a millionaire, not his family’s background.
Instead of finishing college, Gates has decided to team up with Paul Allen back in 1975 and create Microsoft. As we all know, Microsoft is one of the most successful tech companies of all time. He used minimal resources to start this company, but thanks to his inventive products he grabbed the attention of consumers. Some say that Bill Gates didn’t hesitate to purchase other people’s inventions for a small amount of money and sell them for much more, but that’s how business works. If you think that you have a good business idea, it might be a good time to stop thinking about and take action. Of course, remember to create a good business plan if you want to become a billionaire like Bill.
- Bill Gates left college and founded Microsoft
- Microsoft has a co-founder – Paul Allen
- Bill Gates is among the richest people in the world for many years now
3. Warren Buffet
Country: USA
Born: 1930
Education: business administration at the University of Nebraska
Net worth: 75 billion Euros
Company: Berkshire Hathaway
Every billionaire has a unique story about how they got rich, but most of them agree that without discipline and faith, one cannot get rich. Warren Buffet is an interesting billionaire and a respected businessman, investor and philanthropist. His main focus is on investments.
Warren Buffet has always had a sense when it comes to buying and selling stocks. He is one of the rare investors that know exactly when to buy stocks and when to sell them. What’s interesting is that he has a small company where every employee is treated as a part of his family. The same people are part of his team for years. Another thing that is worth mentioning is that Warren Buffet prefers to conduct the same routine when it comes to everyday activities. He wakes up at the same time, checks the newspapers and eats breakfast at the same place.
- Warren Buffet is a famous American investor
- He made his fortune by buying and selling stocks
- Warren Buffet follows an everyday routine that helps him stay focused
4. Markus Persson
Country: Sweden
Born: 1979
Education: high school dropout
Net worth: 1.46 billion Euros
Company: Mojang
It’s hard to believe that a video game can change your life, but Markus Perrson, the guy behind Minecraft, which is one of the most popular games in the world can confirm that. He is now a billionaire and if you want to get rich you might want to follow his steps.
We are not sure whether you want to follow his steps when it comes to education because Markus didn’t finish high school. He was a little bit introverted and preferred to stay at home where he was playing games and coding. His father bought him a Commodore 128 console when he was just a kid and that’s when Markus became focused on games and development. Due to his controversial opinions about society, Markus was forced to leave Mojang and his name was removed from Minecraft’s About section. Yet, he is still a billionaire.
- Markus Persson is a high school dropout
- He is the inventor of Minecraft, the most popular sandbox video game of all time
- His net worth is over 1.4 billion Euros
5. Daniel Ek
Country: Sweden
Born: 1983
Education: college dropout
Net worth: 2 billion Euros
Company: Spotify
While the name Daniel Ek might not mean a lot to many people, Spotify is a brand name that’s familiar to people around the globe. The music streaming service that has made high-quality music available to people all over the world on different devices was created by Daniel Ek, a Swedish inventor, and billionaire.
Of course, he was not always a billionaire, yet he started making money online since he was 13. He was actually making websites for different clients. After his initial success, he started charging more for his work, which allowed him to generate significant capital. Even though he dropped out of college, he was investing in his coding knowledge and he already had experience. Just when he made a great fortune, he got an idea to create a music streaming service and that music streaming service made him a billionaire.
- Daniel Ek is a Swedish programmer, businessman, and billionaire
- He created Spotify, a leading music streaming service
- He started making money over the Internet as a web developer since he was 13
6. Mark Zuckerberg
Country: USA
Born: 1984
Education: computer science and psychology at Harvard University
Net worth: 67.3 billion Euros
Company: Facebook
Let’s be clear – Mark Zuckerberg was not poor when he was growing up, but he was not a billionaire either. This is a perfect example of how bold decisions made at specific points in our lives can turn us into celebrities and billionaires. Ever since he was at college, Mark was focused on creating something inventive. He used the help of his friends to create Facebook, a page that was nothing about making money, but more for getting students closer to each other with the help of the Internet.
After ten years, Facebook has become a global phenomenon used by over one billion people of all ages around the world. It’s worth mentioning that this idea was not new. There were relatively successful social media sites of this format in the past like Hi5 or MySpace, but Mark was focused on creating a better version of these platforms and he was obviously successful. What can we learn from his story? Well, it’s good to have some coding/programming skills, follow the latest trends and understand the psychology of regular people. In addition, you should also keep adding new changes to your invention to keep people satisfied.
- Mark Zuckerberg turned his college invention into a multi-billion project
- He is one of the youngest billionaires in the world
- He used his knowledge in psychology and computer science to create a social media platform
7. Sara Blakely
Country: USA
Born: 1971
Education: communication at Florida State University
Net worth: 1 billion Euros
Company: Spanx
Who would’ve thought that underwear can turn a person into a billionaire after a short period of time? So, it seems that you don’t have to come up with a great tech idea these days to get rich. All it takes is a little bit of fashion sense and good marketing to start making money.
Sara Blakely is a billionaire with an inspiring story behind her success. She was working as a salesperson and even as a stand-up comedian after graduation. But, she decided to invest all her savings in one thing – an interesting new kind of underwear designed for women. She started the brand from her home, but after less than a year her products were sold across the United States. If you have an idea related to underwear or clothing in general, it might be a good idea to start working on its realization.
- Sara Blakely invested all her savings when she was 27 to start an underwear brand
- This businesswoman’s net worth is around 1 billion Euros
- She owns and operates Spanx and she’s one of the owners of the Atlanta Hawks
8. Amancio Ortega
Country: Spain
Born: 1936
Education: High school dropout
Net worth: 64 billion Euros
Company: Inditex
You don’t need formal education in order to get rich and Amancio Ortega can confirm this. Of course, this Spanish businessman was young in a different time, but you can always find business opportunities if you have experience and you are persistent.
Even though he left high school, this man was always focused on work. After years spent in different clothing-related companies, he created his first company. In 1975 he opened a shop called Zara. Today, Zara, as well as a few other brands created by Ortega, are globally renowned brands present in dozens of countries and more than 6000 stores. Ortega’s fortune is almost equal to the fortune created by Zuckerberg although these two have completely different lives.
- Ortega left school at the age of 14
- He is the founder of Zara
- Amancio Ortega is the richest person in Europe
9. Mukesh Ambani
Country: India
Born: 1957
Education: chemical engineering at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Matunga, India
Net worth: 49.4 billion Euros
Company: Reliance Industries Limited
In order to copycat this billionaire, you will need parents that have a well-established business. That’s right, we sometimes need our parents’ business connections to get rich. To be honest, Mukesh Ambani was a humble man when he was young and he improved and upgraded his father’s business.
He is the owner of Reliance Industries Limited a company focused on petrochemicals, energy, retail, natural resources, telecom, and textiles. This is also the most valuable company in India today. It’s also worth mentioning that he is the richest person in Asia.
- Following Mr. Ambani’s story would be smart for those that have experience in the petrochemical industry
- He is the richest person in Asia
- He upgraded his father’s business
10. Ma Huateng
Country: China
Born: 1971
Education: computer science at Shenzhen University
Net worth: 34.5 billion Euros
Company: Tencent
There’s no doubt that running a business related to technology and the Internet can be profitable and Ma Huateng’s story can confirm this. This Chinese billionaire was not born in a rich family, but thanks to his education and talent he managed to establish the most successful Asian company – Tencent. This is a company that is part of the Internet and tech sector.
Ma Huateng is responsible for the creation of a few apps that are quite popular in China including a communication app. In addition to being a businessman, Ma is also a politician, an investor, and a philanthropist.
- Ma Huateng is the richest man in China
- He owns the most valuable company in China
- The company he runs is part of the Internet and tech sector
11. Jack Ma
Country: China
Born: 1964
Education: English language at Hangzhou Normal University
Net worth: 32.5 billion Euros
Company: Alibaba Group
Jack Ma is one of the most famous and richest businessmen in China. It’s interesting that Jack Ma started his career as an English teacher, but it was obvious that he cannot become a billionaire by keeping this job. On the other hand, Jack had many business ideas and decided to turn one into reality. He co-founded the Alibaba Group. It didn’t take much time before this business became one of the biggest eCommerce businesses in the world.
Jack Ma didn’t stop at Alibaba Group. He has also invested in many other companies in China including Beijing Enlight Media and Huayi Brothers, two big Chinese entertainment industry companies. In fact, Jack Ma appeared in a kung fu short movie called Gong Shou Dao. It’s also good to know that Jack Ma is a philanthropist that often donates large amounts of money to people in need.
- Jack Ma was working as an English teacher
- His Alibaba project has revolutionized eCommerce in China
- He’s known as a philanthropist too
12. Guy Laliberte
Country: Canada
Born: 1959
Education: High school
Net worth: 1 billion Euros
Company: Cirque du Soleil
Even joining a circus can make you a billionaire today. Of course, this is true if you follow the steps of Guy Laliberte. After finishing high school, Guy decided to try his luck as a street performer. It was this decision that led him to his fortune which is now estimated at around 1 billion Euros. After meeting other talented street artists, he formed the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil. This circus has delivered shows that were watched by over 90 million people around the globe.
It’s interesting that Guy Laliberte is a passionate poker player too. He has participated in many tournaments with mixed success. Overall, we can’t say that he’s a good poker player, but he definitely has enough money to try his luck over and over again. Finally, Guy is one of the first space tourists and owns an atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
- Guy Laliberte runs the world’s most famous circus at the moment
- He was a street perform himself when he was young
- Guy was the first space tourist from Canada and enjoys playing poker
13. Howard Schultz
Country: USA
Born: 1953
Education: Communication at Northern Michigan University
Net worth: 3.4 billion Euros
Company: Starbucks (not a founder)
There are cases when people have managed to make a lot of money on a market that seemed saturated when they were starting. Their secret was to add something new to an old concept. This is exactly what Starbucks did in the 1970s. They’ve started selling coffee to people who wanted to try something different and people that were usually interested in getting coffee fast and on the go.
Howard Schultz was not part of the team that has established Starbucks, but he definitely contributed to the rise of this brand. He was Chairman and Chief Executive there for about 25 years. In the past, Schultz owned the Seattle SuperSonics and he was one of the directors at Square. From his earliest days, this billionaire was focused on sales and worked for different companies before he gained enough experience to start his own business and grow other people’s businesses for a significant amount of money. If you want to get rich and follow the steps of Howard Schultz, you have to start working right away.
- Howard Schultz was one of the people that have made Starbucks so popular
- He once owned Seattle SuperSonics
- Howard Schultz is among the 250 wealthiest individuals in the United States
14. Jan Koum
Country: Ukraine/USA
Born: 1976
Education: College dropout
Net worth: 9 billion Euros
Company: WhatsApp
A change of scenery can definitely help you unleash your creativity and Jan Koum can confirm that. Of course, in his case, it was more than just a change of scenery that helped him get rich. Even when he was in high school in Ukraine he was a great fan of programming. That’s why he moves to California when he was just 16. Jan enrolled at San Jose State University and he was working on his programming skills at the same time. What’s interesting is that he met a few interesting people online like the founders of Napster for example and he turned these virtual friendships into real-life friendships.
Jan realized that the app market will explode in the 2010s, and that’s why he was focused on the creation of a communication app. Jan Kroum and his business partner Brian Acton have invented WhatsApp in 2009, an app that was not quite popular in those days, but with a few changes this app became a hit in 2009 and in 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp. He sold his shares, but still has shares in Facebook worth millions of dollars. In the last couple of years, Kroum has decided to invest in real estate.
- Jan Kroum (and Brian Acton) have founded WhatsApp, the popular communication mobile app
- He migrated from Ukraine to the USA when he was 16 years old
- Jan Kroum has shares in Facebook and few other tech companies
