Never give up……. At age 16, this kid started a local music magazine called 'Student' in his hometown. At 17, he was a failure in the Christmas Tree business. At 18, he was a failure as a pet bird salesman. At 19, he started a mail order record business out of a Sunday school room at his family church. This time, he found mild sucess selling records marked for export only at a highly discounted rate. At 20 years old, he tried to help Mike Oldfield, a musician he knew and liked, get a record deal, but nobody would sign him. At 21, he started a record label so he could sign Mike Oldfield himself. He names the company Virgin because none of them had any experience in the record industry. At 33, when his flight was canceled, he chartered a plane and sold all the seats to pay for the charter. At 34, he bought a plane and started Virgin Air. At 50, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. At 54, he went into space on his own Virgin Galactic Spaceship. Today, at 74, Sir Richard Branson spends most of his time on his private island. He doesn't have to do it all himself anymore. Now-a-days, when he says he believes in a young artist and thinks they should get a record deal, it happens without having to fight. Richard Branson will tell you himself, he's not a particularly smart man, and he's not the best in business, but he has one quality that is more important. He doesn't take no for an answer, and he doesn't give no for an answer. He doesn't quit. He takes on challenges and finds a way. There's a lot to be said for that! You can not beat a person who won't quit. Y'all have a good day!
Then there was the bloke who from the age of seven who worked in the nearby coal mines, leaving at 16 to become an apprentice bricklayer. Later, working for an engineer, he progressed to being foreman before starting to work on his own account at the age of 22. He had no capital other than that he could earn himself and his first contract involving the employment of other men had to be financed by borrowing £11 from the butcher. Well done Sir Robert McAlpine.
That’s what it said. Though by the time he started you had to be ten, before 1842 there was no age limit.There is another major company, can’t remember which, where a lad was due to go to sea at 14 and missed the ship. He got a job with a local to get some money whilst waiting for another ship and decided he could do things more efficiently and instead of going back to sea saved up and started his own business.
Let's not forget this young fella that went from being a humble binman to a multimillionaire overnight.
Andrew Carnegie was a prime example, of starting with nothing and doing well, though saying he did well is somewhat of an understatement. Even more inspiring is what he did with his money. One example of his philanthropy can be seen every time you visit the MKM from Anlaby Road side. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie
No mention there of mummy and daddy bailing him out from his tax dodging. The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.
Was going to mention that, he's not quite the self made man as some times portrayed. In saying that he has certainly made the most of his life and made many other people very rich in the process. When starting new enterprises as he often didn't have money so gave the workers share deals in the new companies.
