5 inspirational rags to riches stories

For some the path to riches is set in stone. Oh to be born Ivy Carter, North West, Brooklyn Beckham or Apple Martin – their lives are going to be alright. For most though, the bottom step of the ladder is the first hurdle to overcome. Hard work, creativity and enthusiasm are the essential ingredients for success. It is the intensity with which this is injected into your career that will see how far you climb, and how fast.

For others though, this route is even harder, having faced adversities that, rather than quell their fight, have proved the finest spur to fuel a desire to prosper and achieve. Here are 5 men and women who epitomise rags to riches…

GUY LALIBERTÉ – NET WORTH $1.6 BILLION

It all started on the streets as a busker for Laliberté, playing the accordion, walking on stilts and eating fire. In 1897 he made for Los Angeles Art Festival from Quebec with a small group of performers. They impressed, and were eventually brought to Las Vegas, blossoming the world famous Cirque du Soleil as we know it today. In March 2012, Laliberté was said to be worth $2.6 billion.

URSULA BURNS – NET WORTH $2.8 BILLION

Brought up in the Lower East Side, at the time a hub for gangs, Burns lived with her mother, who ran a day-care centre out of her home and ironed shirts so that she could afford to send Ursula to Catholic school. From there she went to NYU, and from there became an intern at Xerox, where she is now CEO and chairwoman.

JON HUNT – NET WORTH £1.07 BILLION

Still only a teenager, Hunt borrowed £100 in order to buy a one-bedroom conversion for £4,500. This was to become his first dalliance of many in the world of property, and in 1981 he founded Foxtons with a school friend.

OPRAH WINFREY – $3 BILLION

To say Winfrey’s childhood was filled with adversities is an understatement. She spent her early childhood living with her grandmother on a farm in Kosciusko while her unwed teenage mother searched for work. She was reportedly sexually molested at an early age and worked as a housemaid. She got her first break, aged 17, when she won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant.

INGVAR KAMPRAD – NET WORTH $3.5 BILLION

IKEA is now such a powerhouse that it’s hard to believe that the founder, Kamprad, was bought up on a small farm in Sweden, from here he honed his knack for business by buying and selling matches, fish, Christmas decorations and pens.