Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.
Last Updated on July 16, 2021 by Work In My Pajamas
No two paths in business are going to be the same. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from others who are successful, and model your own efforts around the type of characteristics that they demonstrate. Here are five leaders that have succeeded in business and that you can learn from as you work on your own ventures.
1. Steve Jobs
Innovative, creative and daring. That’s what Steve Jobs set out to be whenever he put his hands on a business. Of course the entire world knows Jobs for the success he had with Apple and how he reinvented how people use personal computers, phones and music players. But that’s not to say that he didn’t come across his fair share of hard times. He was told countless times that personal computers would never make it into people’s homes. He was ousted from his own business on two separate occasions. And he was diagnosed with a deadly cancer that would ultimately lead to his passing. But through it all, he kept going and believing in himself, making a major impact on consumers.
2. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey not only came from nothing as a child, but she also was raised in a time when people of color didn’t get nearly the same type of opportunities as their white counterparts. However, that didn’t stop her from succeeding in college and landing a job in radio, which began the transition into one of the wealthiest women in the world. Even once she reached a level of success that no other woman before her had, she kept pushing herself and expanding her brand.
3. Frank VanderSloot
Frank VanderSloot is a jack of all trades who shows just what you can do with a variety of different entrepreneurial ventures. VanderSloot rose to prominence with his company Melaleuca Inc. He has also gone on to be a reputable rancher and radio network owner. All of his successes have also allowed for him to become a major player in political contributions, which he demonstrated with massive funding of Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign. VanderSloot wasn’t born into wealth or given anything in his early years. However, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and began working on a variety of jobs in college. It was then that a variety of different moves in the business world landed him into his success at Melaleuca Inc. VanderSloot proves that even if you don’t have all of the tools given to you upfront, you can still work hard to get where you want to be.
4. Phil Knight
Phil Knight began by selling tennis shoes out of the back of his car. Now he is one of the most wealthy men in the world after growing his company into what we now know as Nike. Knight’s journey took him all over the world to meet with a variety of different shoe makers, before finally finding a resource in Japan that would create the foundation of Nike shoes. Knight shows that hard work and effort will prevail if you are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.
5. Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison left his mark on history with over 100 patents to his name, and all of this was after he was told by a teacher in his youth that he wouldn’t amount to anything and that he wasn’t very intelligent. The lesson to learn from Edison is that you shouldn’t let anyone tell you what is normal or expected. Instead, it’s business leaders that think outside the box that can make a lasting mark on history.
The way that you take your own path in business is up to you. These five individuals show that it takes plenty of hard work, effort, drive and determination if you want to truly make an impact. It’s important that you never give up and reach for things that others may think you’re crazy for. But when things pan out, soon they’ll be talking about you the way they talk about these five leaders mentioned here.
