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The First Jobs Of The World’s Richest People
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By Hugh Fort in Spotlight, posted July 20, 2024
A lot of the world's richest people weren't born that way.
Some were given a helping hand by their equally rich families, but some of the most well-known names in land of the super-rich started with humble beginnings.
Like most people, the world's billionaires have done their share of the sort of menial jobs most people do in their youths.
Here the first jobs of 10 of the world's richest people.
Jeff Bezos Worked In McDonald's
The Amazon founder is always in the conversation over the richest people in the world, having started the company in his garage in 1994.
However, his first job was far more modest.
Bezos had a summer job working as a McDonald's cook before starting the road to his vast wealth.
Warren Buffett Was A Paper Boy
The 93-year-old Berkshire Hathaway owner is known as the Oracle of Omaha.
He is best known for his investment prowess and has become one of the richest people on earth.
He also has a slightly odd diet.
In an early sign of having a lot of drive, aged 13 he woke up at 4.30am to deliver copies of the Washington Post.
He found ways of tracking when the houses on his route had magazine subscriptions expiring and sold new subscriptions and calendars.
By the age of 15, he'd made $2,000 - a considerable sum in 1945.
He invested $1,200 of it in a 40-acre farm where he had a profit-sharing scheme with a Nebraskan farmer.
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Oprah Winfrey Sold Groceries
Oprah Winfrey is one of the richest women in the world.
The media mogul and billionaire is an incredibly recognizable face and beloved by a lot of the U.S.
Before becoming a TV star, Oprah worked in a grocery store next to her father's barber's shop.
Elon Musk Cleaned Boilers
Elon Musk seems to combine tweeting, losing and regaining the title of world's richest person and speaking with lawyers over the many lawsuits his companies are involved in.
The billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and X, formerly Twitter, is gifted with obsessive drive.
He main have been inspired by a desire not to have to return to his first job, which was cleaning boilers in the roof spaces of a lumber mill.
Richard Branson Bred Budgerigars
Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, and the owner of one of business's most famous beards.
He started his career in a range of roles including selling Christmas trees and breeding budgerigars, before launching a magazine aged just 16.
Indra Nooyi Was A Receptionist
Indra Nooyi is the CEO of PepsiCo, and one of the most powerful women in the business world.
She was a student at the prestigious Yale University, where she worked as an overnight receptionist.
Michael Bloomberg Was A Car Park Attendant
The founder of Bloomberg, who is also a former Mayor of New York City, is not a man who's short of money.
He has worked his way up from his modest beginnings working as a car park attendant.
Howard Schultz Sold Printers
Howard Schultz has played a huge role in revamping Starbucks, and arguing with unions, in his two stints as CEO.
Before reaching the top, he worked for Xerox selling computer hardware.
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