You know what bugs me? Everybody is talking about how successful entrepreneurs in the world just magically became rich and everything. That’s completely false. They really messed up a long way before anything got better.
The reality of what goes on behind the scenes in real business struggles, stories of top entrepreneurs, is a bit more polished for the media. You see the fancy office, the nice suit, the TED talk. No one’s talking about being broke, crying, or thinking that they should quit and get a job.
Here are six people who failed so badly you’d think they’d never recover. Spoiler alert: they did.
Steve Jobs Got Fired From Apple
Jobs built Apple in his garage. Made it into a huge company. Then, in 1985, the board evicted him. His own company fired him. He was 30 years old.
Jobs had recruited this PepsiCo veteran to run the business—big mistake. The same CEO decided that Jobs was just too difficult to work with. They had a vote. Jobs lost. Out he went.
But Jobs started another computer company, NeXT, by investing $7 million of his own money. He was nearly broke within a year. The NeXT computer was finally released in 1990. Cost almost ten grand. Nobody bought it.
Jobs also purchased Pixar about that time. And that tiny little animation company went on to create Toy Story. Disney purchased Pixar years later for 7.4 billion dollars.
And then Apple went broke in 1997. They pleaded with Jobs to return. He did. Transformed Apple into the world’s most valuable company. Getting fired was probably the best thing that happened to him.
Howard Schultz Got Told No 217 Times
Schultz was eager to launch Starbucks coffee shops, and he needed $400,000 to get going. So he turned to investors for money.
Of 242 people he pitched, 217 said no. More than 200 people said his idea sucked. The trouble is, most of us give up after hearing no a third time. This guy persevered for more than 200 rejections.
Eventually, he found enough investors to open his first store in 1986. He then purchased the original Starbucks company in 1987. Now there are more than 30,000 Starbucks locations. All because one man could not accept no for an answer.
J.K. Rowling Was on Welfare
Pre-Harry Potter, Rowling was penniless. Rowling was a single mom on government assistance and could not afford to heat the apartment. She’d write in cafes because at least they were warm.
It took her two years to finish writing the first Harry Potter book. She typed it on an ancient typewriter, as she wasn’t wealthy enough to afford a computer. Sent it to publishers.
Twelve publishers rejected it. One publisher told her she shouldn’t give up the day job. She didn’t have a day job. She was that broke.
Finally, a little publisher called Bloomsbury said yes. They had not printed many, only 1,000 copies, because they thought it would not sell. The editor’s eight-year-old daughter read it and loved it. That’s the only reason they published it.
The book came out in 1997. Rowling became the first novelist billionaire. Not bad for a woman on welfare just three years before.
These unsuccessful entrepreneurs’ stories turned into massive wins that show you something. Rejection doesn’t mean your idea’s bad. It just means you haven’t found the right person yet.
Walt Disney Went Bankrupt
Disney’s first animation company went totally broke in 1923. Laugh-O-Gram Studio couldn’t even pay employees or rent. The company failed. Disney was 22 and had nothing.
Moved to Hollywood. Started over with his brother. Created a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It got popular. Then Disney lost the legal rights to its own character. Some other company took it. Most of his animators left, too.
Disney was crushed. Lost his business once and has now lost his most popular character. But he didn’t quit. Created Mickey Mouse in 1928 instead. Mickey became the most famous cartoon ever.
Disney went from bankrupt to building an empire worth hundreds of billions. Just had to start over a couple of times first. That’s how these failure stories of entrepreneurs usually go.
Arianna Huffington Got Rejected 36 Times
Huffington published a book early in her career. Got rejected by 36 publishers. Not 6. Thirty-six. That’s brutal. She persisted until someone printed it.
Then, when she launched The Huffington Post in 2005, detractors tore it apart. Described it as an “epic failure,” and the reviews were brutal. Huffington ignored them. Kept building.
The Huffington Post was sold to AOL for 315 million in 2011. She says that failure taught her more than success ever will. And being rejected so many times made her stronger. Sometimes the bad stuff that happens becomes the best lesson.
James Dyson Made 5,127 Broken Vacuums
Dyson spent 15 years trying to invent a better vacuum. Made 5,127 prototypes that didn’t work. Over five thousand failures before he got it right.
His family was running out of money. His wife had to teach art classes to help pay bills. They were struggling hard. By prototype 3,727, things looked really bad.
Finally made a vacuum he could patent. Called it the G Force. Then, no vacuum company in the UK would sell it. All turned him down. So Dyson had to start his own company.
It took several more years before it broke through. Had some success in Japan first. Eventually, Dyson became one of the biggest companies in Britain.
Over 5,000 vacuums that didn’t work before making one that did. That’s crazy persistence.
Why This Matters
These real business struggles of top entrepreneurs aren’t rare cases. Almost every successful person failed multiple times first.
The difference between people who make it and people who don’t isn’t talent. It’s that successful people kept going when everyone else quit. Got rejected, went broke, lost everything. Kept trying anyway.
Some reports from 2024 said that about 49% of people won’t even start a business because they’re scared of failing. That’s up from 44% a few years ago. More people are scared to try than ever.
But failure’s gonna happen whether you’re scared or not. Might as well try and fail than never try at all. At least you learn something.
Jobs could’ve stayed gone from Apple. Schultz could’ve stopped after rejection 50. Rowling could’ve burned her book. Disney could’ve quit after bankruptcy. Huffington could’ve stopped at rejection 20. Dyson could’ve quit at prototype 1,000.
They didn’t. Kept pushing through the crap until something worked. That’s what made them successful. Not some special talent.
So if you’re thinking about starting something, just do it. If it fails, start again. Keep going till something clicks. These people did. Look where they ended up.
Nobody successful got there on their first try. Remember that next time you’re about to quit.
