7 Inspiring Success Stories of Visionary Entrepreneurs

Do you know that nearly half of startups survive for only five years, and just 25% can carry on until 15? There are countless companies about which very few know. That does not mean that all is gloomy in the world of entrepreneurship. If the drive and determination are there within, you can rise above the challenges and achieve the desired success. Let us dive into some inspiring success stories of visionary entrepreneurs.

 

1.   Adi Dassler

 

Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas, began his shoe-making career in a tiny town in Bavaria, Germany. Dassler was undoubtedly a visionary who went all out to create shoes that were precisely what athletes wanted. He met with them and patiently listened to their concerns. His creations considered the pain points of the professionals, which led him to develop the most effective footwear.

 

Dassler’s vision became a reality in 1954 when Germany’s football team won the World Cup. All the footballers wore Adidas shoes. This made the brand a household name, leading to its astounding growth in the succeeding years.

 

2.   Do Won Chang

 

Most people will find it tough to believe that the founder of the fashion clothing brand, Forever 21 was once a janitor. After he immigrated to Los Angeles, the Korean-born businessman was actually living out of his car!

 

But the vision to make high-end fashion accessible for all always shone in his mind. With just $11,000 in savings, Chang and his wife opened a clothing store and named it Fashion 21.

 

Shortly, with commendable determination, he made his store achieve fame worldwide. Now, it is available in over 300 locations all over the world. Even today, being a billionaire, he still works all seven days a week!

 

3.   Oprah Winfrey

 

As the daughter of an unwed adolescent mother, Oprah’s childhood was spent in extreme poverty. But what was unique about her was her strong will to succeed and turn her life around.

 

Oprah enrolled in college and pursued a course in media. She wasn’t afraid to venture into unknown territories, which led her to grab many opportunities. With hard work and dedication, she achieved massive success in radio and soon transitioned to television.

 

Today, Oprah figures at the top of the list of highly successful businesswomen.

 

4.   J.K Rowling

 

J.K Rowling used to be a single mother who survived on welfare benefits during the 1990s. At this time, she started writing the Harry Potter book series. Most of her writing was completed in cafes because her home was devoid of a stable environment.

 

But her problems continued even after writing the interesting series. 12 major publishers rejected her work. But she did not give up. Finally, the 13th publisher accepted her manuscript.

 

It didn’t take long for her novel to sell rapidly worldwide. If she had given up and quit her dream of becoming an author, we wouldn’t have experienced the magical Harry Potter world.

 

5.   Melanie Perkins

 

Melanie Perkins’s journey to create Canva began while she was working as a part-time teacher in Perth, Australia. She taught about desktop design software but was always thinking about the complexity involved in learning it. Soon, she became determined to look for a less expensive and simpler solution.

 

Her aim to build an intuitive and affordable online design tool did not materialize easily. For three years, she received over 100 rejections. Only when she communicated the problems that Canva solved did the tool get its first investment.

 

Today, Canva has a user base of 60 million customers across 190 countries!

 

6.   Jan Koum

 

Jan Koum was born into an impoverished family in Ukraine. He witnessed the negative consequences of growing up under communist rule. It deeply affected his commitment to protecting privacy.

 

Despite the odd circumstances, Kou was not afraid of working hard. He taught himself computer programming and acquired hands-on learning in cyber security. His vision to enhance user experience and, in turn, facilitate better communication was influenced by his personal experiences as a teenager.

 

Communication during that time was very irregular and expensive. Koum thus developed a user-friendly, cross-platform Whatsapp. The app proved immensely successful and saw profits skyrocketing every year!

 

7.   Eric Yuan

 

Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom, grew up in a poor village in China. But he was determined to succeed. After his job at a local factory, he studied English through night school. Soon, he applied for a Visa to the US. After facing numerous rejections for it, he was finally able to enter America.

 

Here, he relentlessly worked to develop Zoom in 2011. Today, it’s a highly successful technology company in the US.

 

Conclusion

These inspiring stories of visionary entrepreneurs are bound to make anyone feel hopeless and cheerful. They show that the journey to fame and success is not without rejections and hard work. If you keep your resolve strong, conquering even the hardest circumstances is possible.