Robert Toru Kiyosaki

Robert Toru Kiyosaki is a successful entrepreneur, investor, writer and a teacher. He was born in 1947 into a family of educators. His father had degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Besides, he also was Minister of Education of Hawaii where Robert Kiyosaki was born and raised. Robert T. Kiyosaki is a representative of the fourth generation of Japanese-Americans. After receiving education in New York, he joined American Marine Corps where he served as helicopter gunship pilot during the Vietnam War. However, his desire for knowledge and something new never left him during those years of his life. He has always aspired to become a successful entrepreneur and wanted to do everything in his power to achieve that goal. When his service in Marine Corps ended, Robert became a salesman in Xerox Corporation. It should be pointed out that career of a salesman didn’t last for a long time. In 1977 Robert T. Kiyosaki turned into an entrepreneur and started his own company which was the first to sell nylon and “surfer” wallets. 

 The company was rather successful, however, not enough to remain competitive. After all it went bankrupt and Robert Kiyosaki was urged to look for another source of income. He has always been an insistent person and knew that sooner or later he would become successful again. And his aspirations realized. In 1985 Kiyosaki dropped his business career and plunged thoroughly into his teachings. He began writing books on business and investment giving some recommendations on how to become a successful entrepreneur.  There is no doubt about the fact that this is the occupation that brought him world-wide popularity.

Robert T. Kiyosaki began his writing career when he was already 47 years of age. At that time he decided to share his experience in sphere of entrepreneurship hoping that it would help lots of people to start a business and make it profitable. And he wasn’t wrong. Robert Kiyosaki is best known for his book Rich Dad Poor Dad . In the author’s opinion some people simply waste their time trying to get financial independence. They cannot reach their goal because they are unaware of the main laws according to which money works. The book is based on two different educational principles dealing with money. The adherents of those principles were Robert’s farther and his friend’s farther who subsequently became a successful entrepreneur in Hawaii.
Later on Robert T. Kiyosaki wrote such books as Rich Dad's Guide to Investing , Rich Kid Smart Kid , Rich Dad's Prophecy and many others. The author hopes that his instructions will be useful to most people who aspire to achieve success in life. He says that financial literacy is extremely important in order to be able to make any business profitable. He also emphasizes the fact that there are many things not taught at school because they can be understood through personal experience only. The main idea of Robert Kiyosaki’s educational books is to teach people how they can become rich and where to get the necessary knowledge to be able to do that. He is also known as an inventor of some board games that are intended for the player who aspires to learn the principles of investing and therefore become a successful entrepreneur.

Phineas Taylor Barnum

"THERE IS A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE "

Is a phrase credited to Phineas Taylor Barnum said this,however,he also said  that "every crowd has a silver lining," and acknowledged that "the public is wiser than many imagine."

In his 80 years, Barnum gave the wise public of the 19th century shameless hucksterism, peerless spectacle, and everything in between -- enough entertainment to earn the title "master showman" a dozen times over. In choosing Barnum as one of the 100 most important people of the millennium, LIFE magazine dubbed him "the patron saint of promoters."
Barnum was born on July 5, 1810, in Bethel, Connecticut. The oldest of five children, he showed his flair for salesmanship at an early age, selling lottery tickets when he was just 12 years old.
When he was 25, Barnum paid $1,000 to obtain the services of Joice Heth, a woman who claimed to be 161 years old and the nurse of George Washington. "Unquestionably the most astonishing and interesting curiosity in the world!" read one of Barnum's handbills. Barnum exhibited her in New York and New England, raking in about $1,500 per week.
In 1841, Barnum purchased Scudder's American Museum on Broadway in New York City. He exhibited "500,000 natural and artificial curiosities from every corner of the globe," and kept traffic moving through the museum with a sign that read, "This way to the egress" -- "egress" was another word for exit, and Barnum's patrons would have to pay another quarter to reenter the Museum!
A year later, he exhibited "The Feejee Mermaid," ostensibly an embalmed mermaid purchased near Calcutta by a Boston seaman. Belief in the mermaid's authenticity was mixed, but nobody doubted Barnum's ability to capture the imagination of the public.
Later in 1842, Barnum hired Charles Stratton, who became world-famous as General Tom Thumb. The two became close friends, and so successful that, in 1844, they had an audience in England with Queen Victoria.
While Barnum's name will forever be connected with the great American circus, it is often said that his greatest success came in 1850, when he presented European opera star Jenny Lind to the American public. "The Swedish Nightingale" sang 95 concerts for Barnum.
In 1854, Barnum wrote and published his autobiography: The Life Of P.T. Barnum, Written By Himself. Sixteen years later, his association with the entertainment form that still bears his name would begin.
Barnum was 60 years old when P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Circus made its debut. At the time, it was the largest circus venture in American history. "We ought to have a big show," Barnum said. "The public expects it, and will appreciate it." Appreciate it they did: Barnum grossed $400,000 in his first year of operation.
By 1872, Barnum was already referring to his enterprise as "The Greatest Show On Earth" -- and it was! "P.T. Barnum's Traveling World's Fair, Great Roman Hippodrome and Greatest Show On Earth" covered five acres and accommodated 10,000 seated patrons at a time ... and, to reach more people, took to the rails.
In 1881, Barnum joined promotional forces with James A. Bailey and James L. Hutchinson. The result was "P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United." It soon became known as the "Barnum & London Circus."
One of Barnum's biggest successes -- literally! -- came in 1882 with his acquisition of Jumbo. Dubbed "The Towering Monarch of His Mighty Race, Whose Like the World Will Never See Again," Jumbo arrived in New York on April 9, 1882, and attracted enormous crowds on his way to his name becoming a part of the language.
Barnum and Bailey went their separate ways in 1885, but rekindled their business relationship once again in 1888. That year, the "Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show On Earth" first toured America.
Several weeks before he died in his sleep, on April 7, 1891, Barnum read his own obituary: The New York Sun newspaper, responding to Barnum's comment that the press says nice things about people after they die, ran his obituary on the front page with the headline, "Great And Only Barnum -- He Wanted To Read His Obituary -- Here It Is."
Appropriately, it is reported that Barnum's last words were about the show, which was appearing in New York's Madison Square Garden at the time: "Ask Bailey what the box office was at the Garden last night."
Following a funeral service that Barnum himself had planned and the singing of "Auld Lang Syne," the great showman was laid to rest at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Donald J. Trump

Donald J. Trump started his business career in an office he shared with his father, Fred, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. He worked with his father for five years, where they were busy making deals together. Mr. Trump has stated, “My father was my mentor and I learned a tremendous amount about every aspect of the construction industry from him.” Likewise, Fred C. Trump often stated that “some of my best deals were made by my son, Donald….everything he touches turns to gold.” Mr. Trump then entered the very different world of Manhattan real estate.


In New York City, the Trump signature is synonymous with the most prestigious of addresses. Among them are the world-renowned Fifth Avenue skyscraper, Trump Tower. Luxury residential buildings include Trump World Tower at the United Nations Plaza, Trump Park Avenue at 59th Street and Park Avenue, Trump Place on the Hudson River, and Trump Palace. In 1997, Trump International Hotel & Tower opened its doors to the world, a 52-story super luxury hotel and residential building designed by the famed architect Philip Johnson. The property is one of only three in the country to have received a double Mobil Five-Star rating for both the hotel and its restaurant, Jean- Georges. In 2008, the 92-story Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago opened and was touted by Condé Nast Traveler as the “hottest new hotel in North America.” The Trump Hotel Collection has projects going up around the world and met with tremendous success.
Mr. Trump is also known as a world-class golf course developer, with award-winning courses in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles (Trump National Golf Clubs), Palm Beach (Trump International Golf Club), Canouan Island in the Grenadines and one in development in Aberdeen, Scotland (Trump International Golf Links) as well as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Mr. Trump is an avid golfer and his passion is evident in the spectacular courses he has developed and continues to develop worldwide. His latest acquisitions are Trump National Golf Club, Colts Neck, N.J, and Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C. which fronts the Potomac River for three miles.
As an accomplished and best selling author, Mr. Trump has had numerous best sellers including: The Art of the Deal, which is considered a business classic, The Art of the Comeback, The America We Deserve, How To Get Rich, Think Like a Billionaire, Trump 101, Why We Want You To Be Rich, Think Big, Never Give Up, and Think Like a Champion.
In a departure from his real estate acquisitions, Mr. Trump and the NBC Television Network are partners in the ownership and broadcast rights for the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants. In January of 2004, Mr. Trump joined forces with Mark Burnett Productions and NBC to produce and star in the television reality show, "The Apprentice". The show quickly became #1 on television and is currently in its tenth season. Mr. Trump’s production company, Trump Productions, is based in Los Angeles. Mr. Trump also had a successful radio program on Clear Channel for several years.
Donald J. Trump is the very definition of the American success story. He has continually set new standards of excellence while expanding his interests nationally and internationally. Mr. Trump is personally involved in everything that his name represents. This commitment has made him the pre-eminent developer of quality real estate known around the world, and in all his endeavors the Trump gold standard is apparent. He is the archetypal businessman—a deal maker without peer and an ardent philanthropist.

Sir Richard Branson

Known best for his successful companies under the “Virgin” brand name and their products. He is also famous for his extreme world record breaking attempts.






Richard Branson was born on July 18, 1950, while attending school he started a magazine called “Student” at 16 years of age. Branson started a Student Advisory Center at when he was just 17, with the aim of helping young people. At the tender age of 20 he also started a company called “Virgin” which operated as a mail order record store.

Soon after he opened a Virgin record store in Oxford Street, London and then a recording studio in Oxfordshire in 1972. Mike Oldfield was the first artist to sign with Virgin records creating the album "Tubular Bells" which was released in 1973. The album sold more than five million copies.

At 27 Branson signed another known band called “Sex Pistols” to Virgin Records after the band were turned down by every record label in England. During his ownership of Virgin Records Branson turned it into a major success signing big names including Steve Winwood, Paula Abdul, Belinda Carlisle, Genesis, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds, The Human League, Bryan Ferry, Culture Club, Janet Jackson, and The Rolling Stones. In 1992 Richard Branson sold the Virgin Music Group record labels, music publishing and recording studios to Thorn EMI in a $1 billion deal.

In 1984 Branson moved into the airline industry starting “Virgin Atlantic Airways” which has become the second largest English long haul international airline and operates a fleet of aircraft to New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, and Tokyo.

Since 1985, he has been involved in a number of record-breaking land and air speed and distance attempts In 1986, with his boat, "Virgin Atlantic Challenger II," he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the fastest recorded time ever. One year later, the hot air balloon called the "Virgin Atlantic Flyer" was the first hot air balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and was the largest ever flown at 2.3 million cubic feet capacity, reaching speeds in excess of 130 mph. Again In 1991, Branson crossed the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Arctic Canada, breaking all existing records with speeds of up to 245 mph in a balloon measuring 2.6 million cubic feet.

He has guest starred, playing himself, on several TV shows, including “Friends”, “Baywatch” and “Only Fools and Horses”. He is also the star of a show called “The Rebel Billionaire”.

In addition to his business activities Branson is also a trustee of a number of charities, including The Healthcare Foundation. He became Sir Richard Branson after being knighted by the Queen in 1999 for his business ability and enthusiasm for the spirit of Britain. He lives in London and Oxfordshire and is married with two children.

H. Ross Perot

Ross Perot was born June 27, 1930 in Texarkana, Texas. He grew up in Texarkana where he attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College. Perot's parents, Ross and Lulu May Perot, have been major influences in both his and his sister Belle's lives.
Although the family lived in modest circumstances, Perot has repeatedly stated that he was born rich because of his parents. Beginning at age seven, Perot worked at various jobs throughout his boyhood, including: breaking horses, selling Christmas cards, selling magazines, selling garden seeds, buying and selling bridles and saddles, buying and selling horses and calves, delivering newspapers, collecting for classified ads.
He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1949 and graduated in 1953. While at the Navel Academy, he served as class president, chairman of the honor committee, and battalion commander. After graduation, Perot served at sea for four years on a destroyer and an aircraft carrier.
In 1956, he married Margot Birmingham from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, whom he met while a midshipman at the Naval Academy.
Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1957, Ross and Margot settled in Dallas where he went to work for IBM's data processing division as a salesman. Margot taught school during the early years of their marriage. In 1962, she loaned Perot $1,000 from her savings account to start a one-man data processing company. He named the company Electronic Data Systems. Today, EDS is a multi-billion corporation employing more than 70,000 people.
Ross and Margot have been married for 38 years. They live in Dallas and have five children -- Ross Jr., Nancy, Suzanne, Carolyn and Katherine. The Perots currently have eight grandchildren.
In 1969, the U.S. government asked Perot to determine what action might be taken to improve the brutal treatment our POW's were receiving in Southeast Asia. He worked on this project for the next four years, placing himself and his family at considerable personal risk, until the prisoners were released in 1972 at the end of the Vietnam War. In recognition of his efforts, Perot received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest civilian award presented by the Department of Defense.
When two EDS employees were taken hostage by the Iranian government in 1979, Perot directed a successful rescue mission composed of EDS employees and led by Colonel Arthur "Bull" Simons. Perot personally went into Iran, and inside the prison where his associates were held. Noted author, Ken Follett, wrote a best-selling novel, On Wings of Eagles, about the rescue. An NBC-TV miniseries was later made about the event.
Later that same year, the governor of Texas requested Perot's help in dealing with the growing problem of the use of illegal drugs in the state. Perot led the Texans' War on Drugs Committee that proposed five laws to make Texas the least desirable state for illegal drug operations. All five bills were passed by the legislature and signed into law.
In 1982, another Texas governor asked for Perot's assistance to improve a deteriorating situation -- the quality of public education in the state. Recognizing that a first-class educational system is the foundation for economic improvement, Perot led the effort to reform the school system. This program resulted in major legislative changes and improvements in Texas public schools.
Perot accepted another challenge that same year when he sold EDS to General Motors for $2.5 billion. The ownership that he retained in the company made him GM's largest individual stockholder and a member of the board of directors. After major disagreements over the quality of GM automobiles, Perot resigned from the GM board in 1986. In 1988, he started a new computer service company, Perot Systems. Today that company operates in the United States and Europe.
Perot has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including:

• The Winston Churchill Award,
• The Raoul Wallenberg Award,
• The Jefferson Award for Public Service,
• The Patrick Henry Award,
• The National Business Hall of Fame Award,
• The Sarnoff Award,
• The Eisenhower Award,
• The Smithsonian Computerworld Award
• and The Horatio Alger Award.

In 1984, Perot purchased the only copy of the Magna Carta that has been allowed to be taken out of Great Britain. It has been placed on loan to the National Archives in Washington, DC, where it is displayed alongside the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Perot family is actively involved in charitable and civic activities. They have given over $100 million to various causes.

Ray Kroc

Founder of McDonald's Corp.
Founded: 1955
"The definition of salesmanship is the gentle art of letting the customer have it your way."-Ray Kroc

When Ray Kroc was a child, his father took him to a phrenologist-a practitioner who claimed he could predict the future by reading the bumps on a person's head. Kroc's chart revealed that his future would be in the food-service industry. Whether through psychic power or sheer luck, the phrenologist proved to be correct. Uniquely adroit at identifying popular trends, Kroc would go on to lay the foundation for the modern fast-food industry and champion the world's No. 1 fast-food chain.
Like many entrepreneurs, Kroc began working early in life. While still in grammar school, the would-be fast-food king started a lemonade stand in front of his home in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, he worked in a grocery store, and he spent a summer behind the soda fountain in his uncle's grocery store. Through these early experiences, Kroc began to view the world as one big place to sell to.

By the time he was a teenager, Kroc had no patience for school, so he quit to take a job as a salesperson for Lily-Tulip Cup Co. He was a natural. Young, ambitious and willing to work hard for long hours, Kroc quickly became the company's top salesperson. In the course of selling cups, Kroc met Earl Prince; a client who had invented a five-spindle milk shake-mixing machine called a Multimixer.
Fascinated by the speed and efficiency of the machine, and recognizing a cash cow when he saw one, Kroc, then 37, left Lily and obtained exclusive marketing rights to the machine. He spent the next decade and a half crisscrossing the country peddling the Multimixer to drugstore soda fountain and restaurant owners.
As Kroc approached his 50th birthday, however, sales began to drop. During the early 1950s people were leaving the cities for the suburbs, forcing many neighborhood soda fountains to close. Ray was losing customers by the dozens. But one small restaurant in San Bernardino, California, ordered eight machines. Intrigued by the order, Kroc left for California to see for himself what kind of restaurant needed to churn out 40 milk shakes at a time. There he found a small hamburger stand run by two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald.
The McDonald brothers' restaurant was unlike any Ray had ever seen. In contrast to the popular drive-in restaurants of the time, it was self-service, had no indoor seating, and the menu was limited to cheeseburgers, hamburgers, fries, drinks and milk shakes, all of which were produced in an assembly-line fashion that enabled customers to place their orders and receive their meals in less than a minute.
Kroc quickly calculated the financial rewards possible with hundreds of these restaurants across the country. But when he approached the McDonalds with the idea, they told him they weren't interested in doing it themselves. So Kroc offered to do it for them. The brothers agreed, and gave Kroc the exclusive rights to sell the McDonald's method.
Ray opened his first McDonald's in April 1955 in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines. He used the meticulously clean and efficient restaurant as a showcase for selling McDonald's franchises to the rest of the country. For each franchise he sold, Ray would collect 1.9 percent of the gross sales. From that he would give the McDonalds one-half percent. Kroc sold 18 franchises his first year in business but was shocked to discover he was barely making enough money to cover his expenses. In his haste to acquire the rights to the McDonalds' methods, he had made them a deal they couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, it was a deal on which he couldn't make any money.
Then Kroc met Harry Sonnenborne, a financial genius who showed Kroc how to make money-not by selling hamburgers, but by selling real estate. Under Sonnenborne's plan, Kroc set up a company that would purchase or lease the land on which all McDonald's restaurants would be located. Franchisees then paid Kroc a set monthly rental for the land or a percentage of their sales, whichever was greater. By owning the land the franchises were built on rather than just the franchises themselves, Kroc was guaranteed a profit. With his real-estate formula in place, Kroc set out to fulfill his goal-opening 1,000 McDonald's from coast to coast.
But there were problems. Kroc continually clashed with the McDonald brothers over changes he wanted to make in their original formula. Kroc became increasingly frustrated and decided he wanted control of McDonald's all to himself. So in 1961, he bought out the McDonalds for $2.7 million-cash. Kroc thought the deal included the original McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, but the brothers said it did not. Infuriated, Kroc confided to a long-time employee, "I'm not normally a vindictive man, but this time I'm going to get those sons-of-bitches." And he knew just how to do it. Without the rights to their own name, the McDonalds were forced to rename their restaurant The Big M. So Kroc opened a brand-new McDonald's one block away and put The Big M out of business.
With the McDonald brothers out of his way, Kroc was free to run the company as he saw fit. By 1965, he had opened more than 700 restaurants in 44 states. In April of that year, McDonald's became the first fast-food company to go public. Stock was issued at $22 per share. Within weeks it climbed to $49 a share, making Kroc an instant multimillionaire. By the end of the decade, Kroc had met and surpassed his goal, with nearly 1,500 McDonald's operating worldwide.
By the 1970s, McDonald's was the largest food supplier in the country and would remain so through the next two decades. At the time of his death on January 14, 1984, a new McDonald's was opening on average every 17 hours. Ten months later, McDonald's sold its 50-billionth burger.
Like many of the 20th century's most influential entrepreneurs, Ray Kroc was not a creator. When Kroc came onto the scene, convenience food already existed in many forms, from local diners to hot dog stands. But it was Kroc who had the cunning ability to grasp all the complexities of the fast-food concept and deliver it in the best possible way.

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Henry Ford

Henry Ford, born July 30, 1863, was the first of William and Mary Ford's six children. He grew up on a prosperous family farm in what is today Dearborn, Michigan. Henry enjoyed a childhood typical of the rural nineteenth century, spending days in a one-room school and doing farm chores. At an early age, he showed an interest in mechanical things and a dislike for farm work.
In 1879, sixteen-year-old Ford left home for the nearby city of Detroit to work as an apprentice machinist, although he did occasionally return to help on the farm. He remained an apprentice for three years and then returned to Dearborn. During the next few years, Henry divided his time between operating or repairing steam engines, finding occasional work in a Detroit factory, and over-hauling his father's farm implements, as well as lending a reluctant hand with other farm work. Upon his marriage to Clara Bryant in 1888, Henry supported himself and his wife by running a sawmill.

The Engineer

In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. This event signified a conscious decision on Ford's part to dedicate his life to industrial pursuits. His promotion to Chief Engineer in 1893 gave him enough time and money to devote attention to his personal experiments on internal combustion engines.
These experiments culminated in 1896 with the completion of his own self-propelled vehicle-the Quadricycle. The Quadricycle had four wire wheels that looked like heavy bicycle wheels, was steered with a tiller like a boat, and had only two forward speeds with no reverse.
Although Ford was not the first to build a self-propelled vehicle with a gasoline engine, he was, however, one of several automotive pioneers who helped this country become a nation of motorists.

The Ford Motor Company


After two unsuccessful attempts to establish a company to manufacture automobiles, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated in 1903 with Henry Ford as vice-president and chief engineer. The infant company produced only a few cars a day at the Ford factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit. Groups of two or three men worked on each car from components made to order by other companies.
Henry Ford realized his dream of producing an automobile that was reasonably priced, reliable, and efficient with the introduction of the Model T in 1908. This vehicle initiated a new era in personal transportation. It was easy to operate, maintain, and handle on rough roads, immediately becoming a huge success.
By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model Ts. To meet the growing demand for the Model T, the company opened a large factory at Highland Park, Michigan, in 1910. Here, Henry Ford combined precision manufacturing, standardized and interchangeable parts, a division of labor, and, in 1913, a continuous moving assembly line. Workers remained in place, adding one component to each automobile as it moved past them on the line. Delivery of parts by conveyor belt to the workers was carefully timed to keep the assembly line moving smoothly and efficiently. The introduction of the moving assembly line revolutionized automobile production by significantly reducing assembly time per vehicle, thus lowering costs. Ford's production of Model Ts made his company the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

Aerial view of the Rouge Plant in 1930
Number of men on payroll at capacity: 81,000. Total floor space: 6,952,484 sq. ft. Total cost: $268, 991, 592.07. Dearborn, MI. Photo:

The company began construction of the world's largest industrial complex along the banks of the Rouge River in Dearborn, Michigan, during the late 1910s and early 1920s. The massive Rouge Plant included all the elements needed for automobile production: a steel mill, glass factory, and automobile assembly line. Iron ore and coal were brought in on Great Lakes steamers and by railroad, and were used to produce both iron and steel. Rolling mills, forges, and assembly shops transformed the steel into springs, axles, and car bodies. Foundries converted iron into engine blocks and cylinder heads that were assembled with other components into engines. By September 1927, all steps in the manufacturing process from refining raw materials to final assembly of the automobile took place at the vast Rouge Plant, characterizing Henry Ford's idea of mass production.