Of course it wasn’t always easy. They had families to juggle, educations to finish, and some were even homeless during the early years of their company, sleeping in vans and on the floors of their offices. What these four entrepreneurs have in common is a fierce belief in themselves and their visions for a better life. Let’s take a look at how these four entrepreneurs in diverse industries ranging from a media mogul to a t-shirt designer lived their own rags to riches stories… Catherine Hughes Age: 66 Occupation: Founder and Chairperson, Radio One Net Worth: $460 million Cathy Hughes is a true rags to riches American success story.
In a recent interview on Bloomberg Markets, Singh shared the story of a prospective home buyer who approached him to facilitate the deal using bitcoin as payment rather than traditional currency. Eventually, a final price of about $4 million worth of bitcoin was agreed on, at which time the exchange rate had it worth about $750 per bitcoin. But in the short time that passed before payment was to be made, the value of the buyer’s bitcoin had gone up to $1000, a 25 percent increase that essentially translated as a $1 million windfall for the buyer thanks to appreciation on the value of the house.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you may not be familiar with Ice Cube’s hit 1993 single, “It Was a Good Day”. In the song, Cube describes a series of lucky events that made combined to create a particularly good day. Things like the Lakers beating the SuperSonics, getting laid, and not having to use your AK 47. Recently, a group of rap fans (with way too much free time) used the events Ice Cube describes to determine that the exact date of his “Good Day” was precisely 20 years ago today, January 20th, 1992.
He has invented recipes for soft-centered Scotch eggs and triple-cooked chips. He has been featured on several television series and won many awards. Blumenthal has authored the books Family Food: A New Approach to Cooking, In Search of Perfection, Further Adventures in Search of Perfection, The Fat Duck Cookbook, Total Perfection: In Search of Total Perfection, Heston’s Fantastical Feasts, Heston Blumenthal At Home, and Historic Heston.
Livingston graduated from Harvard in 2009 and went to work for an investment bank after graduation. However, her interest in investing started when she was 12-years-old and her dad gave her a copy of the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. That book got her interested in money management and in starting her own business. While at Harvard, Livingston became enamored with living a minimalist lifestyle, after a summer spent in a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan.
In addition to live views of the surrounding skyscape and colorful sunsets, the Infinito ceiling can be converted to project images of a starry night sky, allowing passengers to sleep under the stars without risking a loss of cabin pressure. Interactive maps and other content can also be projected onto the ceiling using the Infinito technology, according to Airbus at the plane’s unveiling in Geneva, as part of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition.
Before we get into the business move, here is some backstory: Late last year, Jay Z purchased Champagne brand Armand de Brignac, famous for its ‘Ace of Spades’ logo. Jay Z famously rapped about Cristal Champagne throughout the first decade of his career, before the manager of the company that makes Cristal made what was interpreted to be a racist comment back in 2006. The manager, named Frederic Rouzaud, was asked what his thoughts were about Cristal’s popularity among rappers.
Since then, they’ve undergone a brand transformation. The team moved to Miami, building a $639 million stadium that was mostly funded by taxpayers. The rebrand has helped breathe some life into the franchise and make it more valuable. In fact, Loria claims to have a “handshake deal” worth $1.6 billion. While no deal has been finalized, if the amount holds up, the Marlins would be the second-most expensive sale in baseball, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were purchased for $2 billion.
She then went on to appear in the documentary, “Jennifer Ellison Does Thailand”, and on various variety shows, including “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Dancing on Ice”. She launched her recording career in 2003, but decided not to pursue it, even though both of her singles reached the Top 20 on the UK charts. She has appeared in a number of musicals in the West End and on tour in the UK, and also played Meg Giry in the film adaptation of, “Phantom of the Opera”.
Not only is Boehner a somewhat infamous pack-a-day or more smoker (current House Speaker Paul Ryan told The New York Times he had to sit as far as he could from his former House co-worker because “I just hate getting that smell in my clothes,”), but his favored brand is reported to be Camel Ultra Lights, making this a doubly swell job for this particular tobacco enthusiast. It’s a plum upgrade in the financial department too, since in addition to all the free cigarettes CNN reports that the salary for a job on the Reynolds American board of directors can pay between $300,000 and $1 million – a tidy sum compared to Boehner’s Speaker of the House salary of $174,000.
Lester pitched for the Red Sox from 2006 to 2014 and won World Series championships in 2007 and 2013. He was a three-time All-Star in 2010, 2011, and 2014. Lester pitched for the Oakland Athletics in 2014 and for the Chicago Cubs since 2015. In May 2008 he pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox. In 2009 Lester signed a five year deal worth $30 million. In 2014 he signed a six year deal with the Cubs for $155 million.
Some would describe the mansion used as the exterior façade for Kris and Caitlyn Jenner’s as a bit over the top, but the Italianate style property has been a bit of a rare gem on the real estate market. While it was briefly listed in 2014 for $6.25 million, the home has largely remained off the market and was last sold in 2005 for $5.225 million. Tucked within Studio City’s gated Fryman Estates community, the home is nearly invisible from the street thanks in part to some smooth landscaping and an oversized hedge.
In 1982, the BBC approached him, and invited him to create a Chinese cooking show. The show, “Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery”, was a huge success, and spawned a bestselling cookbook that is still widely used today. Since then, he has appeared on multiple shows, and hosted various food related specials for channels around the world. He has written twenty cookbooks, and has his own line of packaged foods and woks.
During his college years at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, Bush connected with the local music scene in Atlanta. Though Bush experienced some moderate success during his time performing with Andrew Hyra in a duo they called Billy Pilgrim, it wasn’t until Bush met Jennifer Nettles and they form Sugarland that Bush became well known. Sugarland was signed to Mercury Nashville in 2003 and their first album’s first release, Baby Girl, catapulted the band to stardom.
Brandt served as senior producer for Jim Rome on Showtime from 2012 to 2014 and as a producer on Rome Is Burning in 2008. He was also featured on the MTV reality TV series Real World in 2002. In 2016 Brandt became a host of the NFL Network series Good Morning Football. In 2005 he was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Triangle for Days of Our Lives.
His album Strange Animal in 1985 reached #5 in Canada and his album Great Dirty World in 1987 reached #4. Gowan has also released the solo studio albums Lost Brotherhood in 1990, …but you can call me Larry in 1993, and The Good Catches UP in 1995. Gowan joined Styx in 1999 taking over for Dennis DeYoung on lead and backing vocals and keyboards. He has been featured on the albums Brave New World in 1999, Cyclorama in 2003, and Big Bang Theory in 2005.
Little Anthony and the Imperials have released several albums and their single “Tears on My Pillow” reached #2 on the US R&B chart and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2009 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after 23 years of eligibility. Little Anthony and the Imperials have had 17 hits on the pop charts and 12 more on the R&B charts.
From 1991 to 1992 she starred as Patricia Baynes in the television series Casualty. Since 2014 Friedman has starred as Elaine Peacock in the TV series EastEnders. She has also appeared in episodes of the TV series Red Dwarf and In Deep. Friedman has starred in stage productions of The Woman in White, Chicago, The Witches of Eastwick, Blues in the Night, Lady in the Dark, April in Paris, Ghetto, Sunday in the Park with George, Merily We Roll Along, and The King and I.
Hartley starred as Liz McVay on the television series WIOU from 1990 to 1991. She has also had recurring roles on the TV series including To Have & to Hold, One Life to Live, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Comeback Kids, and Fireside Chat with Esther. Hartley won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for The Incredible Hulk in 1979. In 1987 she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7020 Hollywood Blvd.
Most recently, Vaughn got the chance for a do-over on an X-Men movie with the critical and audience hit X-Men: First Class. The movie showed unprecedented levels of visual acuity for Vaughn, who treated the 60s comic book visuals with style and class. It’s not known what Vaughn’s next project will be, but one thing is known: That it will be a treat for mass audiences, serious film fans, and critics alike.