Top 100 entrepreneurs that never received a college degree.

Here is a list of the top 100 entrepreneurs that never received a college degree. Many of them you will know while others decided to remain slightly under the radar.

1. Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, U.S. president. Finished one year of formal schooling, self-taught himself trigonometry, and read Blackstone on his own to become a lawyer.

2. Amadeo Peter Giannini, multimillionaire founder of Bank of America. Dropped out of high school.

3. Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and philanthropist, and one of the first mega-billionaires in the US. Elementary school dropout.

4. Andrew Jackson, U.S. president, general, attorney, judge, congressman. Home-schooled. Became a practicing attorney by the age of 35 – without a formal education.

5. Andrew Perlman, co-founder of GreatPoint. Dropped out of Washington University to start Cignal Global Communications, an Internet communications company, when he was only 19.

6. Anne Beiler, multimillionaire co-founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Dropped out of high school.

7. Ansel Adams, world-famous photographer. Dropped out of high school.

8. Ashley Qualls, founder of Whateverlife.com, left high school at the age of 15 to devote herself to building her website business. She was more than a million dollars by 17.

9. Barbara Lynch, chef, owner of a group of restaurants, worth over $10 million, in Boston. Dropped out of high school.

10. Barry Diller, billionaire, Hollywood mogul, Internet maven, founder of Fox Broadcasting Company, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corp (owner of Ask.com),

11. Ben Kaufman, 21-year-old serial entrepreneur, founder of Kluster. Dropped out of college in his freshman year.

12. Benjamin Franklin, inventor, scientist, author, entrepreneur. Primarily home-schooled.

13. Billy Joe (Red) McCombs, billionaire, founder of Clear Channel media, real estate investor. Dropped out of law school to sell cars in 1950.

14. Bob Proctor, motivational speaker, bestselling author, and co-founder of Life Success Publishing. Attended two months of high school.

15. Bram Cohen, BitTorrent developer. Attended State University of New York at Buffalo for a year.

16. Carl Lindner, billionaire investor, founder of United Dairy Farmers. Dropped out of high school at the age of 14.

17. Charles Culpeper, owner and CEO of Coca Cola. Dropped out of high school.

18. Christopher Columbus, explorer, discoverer of new lands. Primarily home-schooled.

19. Coco Chanel, founder of fashion brand Chanel. A perfume bearing her name, Chanel No. 5 kept her name famous.

20. Colonel Harlan Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Dropped out of elementary school, later earned law degree by correspondence.

21. Craig McCaw, billionaire founder of McCaw Cellular. Did not complete college.

22. Dave Thomas, billionaire founder of Wendy’s. Dropped out of high school at 15.

23. David Geffen, billionaire founder of Geffen Records and co-founder of DreamWorks. Dropped out of college after completing one year.

24. David Green, billionaire founder of Hobby Lobby. Started the Hobby Lobby chain with only $600. High school graduate.

25. David Karp, founder of Tumblr. Dropped out of school at 15, then homeschooled. Did not attend college.

26. David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue airlines. Dropped out of college after three years.

27. David Ogilvy, advertising executive and copywriter . Was expelled from Oxford University at the age of 20.

28. David Oreck, multimillionaire founder of The Oreck Corporation. Quit college to enlist in the Army Air Corps.

29. Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. Later renamed, franchised, then sold Mrs. Field’s Cookies.

30. DeWitt Wallace, founder and publisher of Reader’s Digest. Dropped out of college after one year. Went back, then dropped out again after the second year.

31. Dov Charney, founder of American Apparel. Started the company in high school, and never attended college.

32. Dustin Moskovitz, multi-millionaire co-founder of Facebook. Harvard dropout.

33. Frank Lloyd Wright, the most influential architect of the twentieth century. Never attended high school.

34. Frederick “Freddy” Laker, billionaire airline entrepreneur. High school dropout.

35. Frederick Henry Royce, auto designer, multimillionaire co-founder of Rolls-Royce. Dropped out of elementary school.

36. George Eastman, multimillionaire inventor, Kodak founder. Dropped out of high school.

37. George Naddaff, founder of UFood Grill and Boston Chicken. Did not attend college.

38. Gurbaksh Chahal, multimillionaire founder of BlueLithium and Click Again. Dropped out at 16, when he founded Click Again.

39. H. Wayne Huizenga, founder of WMX garbage company, helped build Blockbuster video chain. Joined the Army out of high school, and later went to college only to drop out during his first year.

40. Henry Ford, billionaire founder of Ford Motor Company. Did not attend college.

41. Henry J. Kaiser, multimillionaire & founder of Kaiser Aluminum. Dropped out of high school.

42. Hyman Golden, co-founder of Snapple. Dropped out of high school.

43. Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, one of the richest people in the world, dyslexic.

44. Isaac Merrit Singer, sewing machine inventor, founder of Singer. Elementary school dropout.

45. Jack Crawford Taylor, founder of Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Dropped out of college to become a WWII fighter pilot in the Navy.

46. Jake Nickell, co-founder and CEO of Threadless.com. Did not graduate from college.

47. James Cameron, Oscar-winning director, screenwriter, and producer. Dropped out of college.

48. Jay Van Andel, billionaire co-founder of Amway. Never attended college.

49. Jeffrey Kalmikoff, co-founder and chief creative officer of Threadless.com. Did not graduate from college.

50. Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo! Dropped out of PhD program.

51. Jimmy Dean, multimillionaire founder of Jimmy Dean Foods. Dropped out of high school at 16.

52. John D. Rockefeller Sr., billionaire founder of Standard Oil. Dropped out of high school just two months before graduating, though later took some courses at a local business school.

53. John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods. Enrolled and dropped out college six times.

54. John Paul DeJoria, billionaire co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, founder of Patron Spirits tequilla. Joined the Navy after high school.

55. Joyce C. Hall, founder of Hallmark. Started selling greeting cards at the age of 18. Did not attend college.

56. Kemmons Wilson, multimillionaire, founder of Holiday Inn. High school dropout.

57. Kenneth Hendricks, billionaire founder of ABC Supply. High school dropout.

58. Kenny Johnson, founder of Dial-A-Waiter restaurant delivery. College dropout.

59. Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com. Dropped out of college during his second year.

60. Kirk Kerkorian, billionaire investor, owner of Mandalay Bay and Mirage Resorts, and MGM movie studio. Dropped out eighth-grade.

61. Larry Ellison, billionaire co-founder of Oracle software company. Dropped out of two different colleges.

62. Leandro Rizzuto, billionaire founder of Conair. Dropped out of college. Started Conair with $100 and hot-air hair roller invention.

63. Leslie Wexner, billionaire founder of a Limited Brands. Dropped out of law school. Started the Limited with $5,000.

64. Marc Rich, commodities investor, billionaire. Founder of Marc Rich & Co. Did not finish college.

65. Marcus Loew, multimillionaire founder of Loews theaters, co-founder of MGM movie studio. Elementary school dropout.

66. Mark Ecko, founder of Mark Ecko Enterprises. Dropped out of college.

67. Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Inc. Did not attend college.

68. Michael Dell, billionaire founder of Dell Computers, which started out of his college dorm room. Dropped out of college.

69. Michael Rubin, founder of Global Sports. Dropped out of college in his first year.

70. Micky Jagtiani, billionaire retailer, Landmark International. Dropped out of accounting school.

71. Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate. 4th grade education.

72. Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable.com at the age of 19.

73. Philip Green, Topshop billionaire retail mogul. Dropped out of high school.

74. Rachael Ray, Food Network cooking show star, food industry entrepreneur, with no formal culinary arts training. Never attended college.

75. Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s. Dropped out of high school.

76. Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobile, and more. Dropped out of high school at 16.

77. Richard DeVos, co-founder of Amway. Served in the Army and did not attend college.

78. Richard Schulze, Best Buy founder. Did not attend college.

79. Rob Kalin, founder of Etsy. Flunked out of high school, enrolled in art school for a time, faked a student ID at MIT so he could take classes. His professors subsequently helped him get into NYU, they were so impressed.

80. Ron Popeil, multimillionaire founder of Ronco, inventor, producer, infomercial star. Did not finish college.

81. Rush Limbaugh, multi-millionaire media mogul, radio talk show host. Dropped out of college.

82. Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam records, founder of Russell Simmons Music Group, Phat Farm fashions, bestselling author. Did not finish college.

83. S. Daniel Abraham, founder of Slim-Fast, billionaire. Did not attend college.

84. Sean John Combs, entertainer, producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Never finished college.

85. Shawn Fanning, developer of Napster. Dropped out of college at the age of 19.

86. Simon Cowell, TV producer, music judge, American Idol, The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent. High school dropout.

87. Steve Madden, shoe designer. Dropped out of college.

88. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, billionaire. Did not complete college.

89. Ted Murphy, founder of social media company Izea Entertainment. Dropped out of college.

90. Theodore Waitt, billionaire founder of Gateway Computers. Dropped out of college to start Gateway – one semester before graduating.

91. Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, phonograph, and more. Primarily home-schooled, then joined the railroad when he was only 12.

92. Tom Anderson, co-founder and “friend” of MySpace. Dropped out of high school.

93. Ty Warner, billionaire developer of Beanie Babies, real estate investor, and hotel owner. Dropped out of college.

94. Vidal Sassoon, founder of Vidal Sassoon, multimillionaire. Dropped out of high school.

95. W. Clement Stone, multimillionaire insurance man, author, founder of Success magazine. Dropped out of elementary school. Later attended high school, graduating. Attended but did not finish college.

96. W.T. Grant, founder of W.T. Grant department stores, multimillionaire. Dropped out of high school.

97. Wally “Famous” Amos, multimillionaire entrepreneur, author, talent agent, founder of Famous Amos cookies. Left high school at 17 to join the Air Force.

98. Walt Disney, founder of the Walt Disney Company. Dropped out of high school at 16.

99. Wolfgang Puck, chef, owner of 16 restaurants and 80 bistros. Quit school at the age of 14.

100. Y.C. Wang, billionaire founder of Formosa Plastics. Did not attend high school.

Paul Hudson 

via Young Entrepreneur

http://elitedaily.com/news/business/100-top-entrepreneurs-succeeded-college-degree/

Replace your Defeated mentality with a Warrior mentality.

There is nothing worse than a defeated mentality.  We manage to convince ourselves that nothing can get better, that we will never improve.  We believe we do not deserve or are meant for better.
When this happens we dig our hole even deeper, with every negative word we speak over our lives, we go deeper into our darkness.  Those that want to motivate us will try to speak light into our lives, yet we are so blinded by the darkness that we will push them away.  We will think ill of them, we will get vicious with our words because after all "It is clear we are defeated and anyone that can't see it must be blind or stupid".

Well, they're not, they are not blind or stupid, they are just seeing our issues from an outside perspective.

They are not consumed by pain so they are trying to lift us up and cheer us on toward a better path.  Yet for us to accept that motivation we must believe that we deserve better.  You might be thinking, "You don't know me, no one will come to motivate me".  You might be right, not everyone has someone on their side cheering them on and in that case you need to be your biggest cheerleader.  How? You must believe you deserve better, you must know in your heart that you can do more.  You must tap into your inner strength and choose to move forward even if you do not have all the answers or a clear path.
Think about this.....when we allow ourselves to be defeated, we give up.  When we give up, we not only give up on ourselves, we give up on our loved ones.  Now, let me ask you, if you give up on your loved ones, who will be there for them?  If you are not around to create the change that can get yourself and your loved ones back on track, who will?

We all go through problems, we all have heartache and fears.  Yet we all have the potential of doing a little more.  I can't tell you what you need to do, how you need to do it or what you need to aim for. Only you can define it and only you can decide to fight for it.  But I am here to tell you that you deserve much more.  You were not meant to live defeated, you are not meant to live broken.  You were meant to succeed.  Success?  Yes, you are meant for success and success is defined by you.  It is not what I think or what anyone else thinks or wants....it's what makes you happy, what fulfills you and empowers you to create the life you envisioned for you and your loved ones.

Do yourself a favor, push aside that defeated mentality, reclaim your life.   A warrior can't get into the ring if he already believes he lost the fight.  A warrior must go in with all he has, he must give it all for the shot at success

Replace your defeated mentality with a warrior mentality.  You deserve better!

Time to Reinvent Ourselves!

http://www.lifeaccordingtome.biz 

Let's face it, unemployment, divorce, financial stress and even physical limitations can push us in a path we never expected to be on.  These things have the ability to knock us off our feet.  When we look at our current unemployment situation, millions of unemployed adults from all walks of life, from top professionals to entry level.....everyone is trying to get back in the game, yet it's not as easy.

One thing that makes it more difficult especially for the seasoned employee is that at times we spend years doing the same type of job.  Some are current with new skills and training's, however some are not given the opportunity for continued education, training & development.  This puts us at a disadvantage in a job market in which there is more unemployed candidates than available jobs.  The employer is able to pick & choose thus requiring or demanding that a candidate have more skills than previously necessary for the same job.  All who are unemployed today can attest to this, the requirements have increased while the salaries have decreased.

What can one do?  Well, for many, accepting pay cuts is a must even though that will keep them broke. This will leave them having to require help from the government or working 2 or 3 jobs which not only is a burden to their families, it also takes a toll on our health.

You might be reading this and you might not relate to any of this.  Yet you might know someone that does, or you might be hearing of possible layoffs at your own company.  That alone is a reason for many to feel uneasy.  So, let me ask you;  "Should we just wait around for things to maybe get better, or should we make a decision to reinvent ourselves and create more opportunity?"

Our skills may be outdated, our physical endurance, our "back" may not be as strong as it once was, a divorce might have forced us to change careers, it happens, yet these situations as hard as they may seem might also bring forth opportunity. It can force us to look at our situation and seek options that can take us on another path, a path of hope.

Assess your situation, look at your options.  Define things that you can do, which may include dreams you've had and you never dared pursue.  Look into those ideas, find out what is required from you to get started. Seek counsel from those that are doing what you are interested in exploring.   When things don't go your way, its not time to give up and feel sorry for yourself, it's time to re-assess your situation and reinvent yourself setting forth a new path that can open doors you never imagined were possible.

Just because what was changes, does not mean it's over.  It just means, it's time to expand!

Shame was my TRUE problem

http://www.eileengonzalez.net/

If I were asked to sum up my past mistakes or challenges, I would begin to write….I would list all the mistakes I have made, all the missteps, all the pain I caused myself and others and after looking at the list,  my biggest hurdle has been shame.  Shame for having known better yet chose poorly. Shame because I did things against my will just to not hear others.  Shame because the effects of the mess I either created or allowed be created got out of hand.  Shame because I let everyone off the hook and I stayed behind to clean it up.  Shame because I did this to myself and at the end I have no one else to blame. 

When I look at my life I see I have come very far, I have learned so much and I have changed who I am and how I do things.  As much as “shame” played a huge role in my life, I also must acknowledge that it is the driving force behind the fire in my heart.  Whenever I feel pain, whenever I feel fear, I think back at that shame as my enemy, as the enemy which I will never allow to take control again.  It was shame that kept me in fear, it was shame that made me withdraw, it was shame that kept me from my loved ones and it was shame that made me feel as a failure. 

I can’t undo the past, and the truth is that if given the chance I would probably not take it.  Why? because even though I still have ways to go, the person I am today is a much better version of the person I was.  The person I am today stands tall even in adversity while the old I could not take the pain. 

Why do I share this with you today?  I share this because my problems were financial issues, lack of confidence, overweight, relationships…….I had all the labels for my problems, yet they really all went back to SHAME. 

We need to understand our true pain, and use that pain to push ourselves toward recovery.  Until we face the TRUE problem, until we understand it, we are not able to create the change we so desperately need.   Things may never get back to normal, relationships may never be the same, we might not even recognize who we become, yet we must keep moving in faith knowing that we are on the journey of our lives…..the journey to fulfill our purpose, to make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others. 

Opportunity Monday

http://www.eileengonzalez.net/

Here we are....another Monday.

For some, Monday's are simply dreadful, we head back to work to the same job we don't enjoy and with the same expectations we had the prior week.   The truth is that when we look at Monday's in this light; we can't help but create more of the same.  We do so by preparing our minds to be uncomfortable.

How can we expect to have a good week, if we are mentally prepared to to see it go downhill?  How can we expect to do well, when we are already thinking, speaking and acting defeated?  If we want to see our week take off in the right direction we need to change how we feel about Monday's.

We need to look at it as a new opportunity.  Not only is it a new day, it's a new week.  Therefore no matter what went wrong or what did not happen the prior week, we get to start over on Monday.  We can create this new day according to our vision. We can decide that we will learn from failure, that we will think, speak and act in a positive light and that we will keep moving forward no matter what.

If we want to begin to change our lives and bring positive attention our way, we will need to do so with our actions.  Yet, our actions follow our words, which follow our thoughts.  Therefore change how you think and you will be on your way to change your life.

From now on refer to your Monday's as Opportunity Monday!  Your attitude toward this day, will set the path for the rest of your week.

Should I quit? Should I just give up and stop dreaming?

https://www.facebook.com/lifeaccordtome

Should I quit? 

Should I just give up and stop dreaming?

There are times that we can't help but wonder if we are doing the right thing or on the right path.  We wonder if we got what it takes to achieve our goals.  This is a common feeling, it's not limited to you.  In fact everyone at some point will be plagued with doubt of some sort.  It's OK to feel this way yet it's not OK to cave in to this negative chatter. This is why we must achieve clarity in life, because it will be that CLARITY which will guide us on our way when challenges arise.  

Challenges such as money, self doubt, lack of support, lack of schooling or training will come our way and can stop us on our tracks "IF WE LET THEM".  Yet for some, when these challenges arise, they simply get creative.  They look for ways to make ends meet while they continue to pursue their dreams. 

You might be thinking, "how are we going to pursue our dreams if we are broke and making ends meet? Simple,  most likely being broke did not happen all of a sudden, therefore it's not a new event.  Therefore rather than losing sleep over something that already existed, we lose sleep over the change we are looking to create.  You might think, "impossible".  Yet not so fast!  You see, when we focus on creating change, we are creating opportunity.  The same opportunity that can help us resolve those issues that have plagued us for so long.

I know about this topic very well, because the majority of my issues in life have been due to financial mistakes.  I know very well what it feels like to be broke, delay one payment to send another.  I know very well how it feels to not have enough money to buy groceries.   These are real, painful situations...yet I also know that I had two choices. I could have stayed doing the same and getting the same results or I could re-invent myself and create new opportunities that could help me put the past behind once and for all.

Am I there yet?   NOPE, but I am closer than I was.  Even though I still have ways to go, I am stronger, faster and more open to new things.  I welcome change, I invite new experiences and I crave expansion and growth.  When we choose to re-invent ourselves we are not choosing a path that is foreign to us. We simply accept the path that we have felt in our hearts and feared give life.  We simply choose to go for it and push our way to seeing how far we can go.

How far should we go before we quit?  We push, push, push and when we feel we can't push any further, WE PUSH SOME MORE.   Quitting is not an option, not on something so important as improving the quality of your life.

Eileen Gonzalez - Life According to Me
https://www.facebook.com/lifeaccordtome

The Stranger within - The Real Me!

When I look into the mirror I see a stranger, a strong, solid individual.  Someone who will stand up and face adversity, someone who is not fazed by much.  Yet how did this person appear. who let her out?  Why was this person not present earlier in my life?

This stranger was no stranger, in fact, this stranger was the real ME, the me from within, the person I was meant to be yet I feared to unleash.  The person who could create the life I was meant to live yet I had her locked up and forced her to conform to the ideas of others.   This stranger from within came to rescue me in my darkest moments, she broke free from the chains I had forged for her, she unsealed her lips and spoke up, she lifted me up and helped me rise from the ashes.  This stranger represents freedom, life, love, spirituality, this stranger is me....the real me.

When I look into the mirror I realize that it took hitting rock bottom and almost losing myself to force me to unlock the real me.......to find my strength. 

There is someone within you that is ready to come out.  This person is the real you, your strength, your rock. It is who can take you from where you are to where you want to be.   If you are feeling lost, you need to look within and allow yourself to be free.  It's time you unleash the real you, that you allow your voice to be heard, its time you start to live the life you were meant to live.

Today as I look into the mirror I can't help but wonder, who was the real stranger, the Me that emerged or the Me who I endured for so many years?

My Life Sucks!

My Life Sucks!  How many times have you heard someone say this, or have you said this out loud?  Life gets hard at times and it will test our endurance. It will push us against a corner and see how much fight we still have within us. Let's face it, there are times that crap just comes our way.  Yet, those are the times we need to make a conscious decision to fight for our lives.  To fight for our right to have peace and freedom.

When we cave into our pain, to our misery, we are making it easy for the evil to set in. We are making the job of the devil much easier as he does not have to do much to keep us at bay,  he just has to show a memory or two of our mistakes, or whisper a word of fear into our ear and we are stuck.....stuck in a prison tailor made for us.   Actually we made that prison for ourselves.  We built the walls every time we accepted defeat, every time we allowed ourselves to be victimized, every time that we felt sorry for ourselves.  For some of us that prison is built overnight...we put in overtime into the building of such.  For others that prison is built through years of struggling between good and bad feelings and ultimately losing the battle.    Yet this prison we built for ourselves is the worst prison of all, its that way because we can actually choose to walk out of it at anytime.  You see, there is no judge or jury, the cell is not even locked, all we have to do is push the gate open and out we go.  Yet we don't, we sit in the center of our cell feeling as a failure.  We feel that life can't get any worse. We question our existence, our purpose, we even question if God exists or even remembers us.

Life can be tough, and it will challenge us.  However through those challenges we are learning, we are growing. Through the pain we are getting stronger, faster and wiser.

My Life Sucks......only if I allow it too.   When life gets hard, I choose to get harder.....When life pushes me to a corner, I choose to push back.

How about you?