10 Curious Facts About Millionaires Before They Were Famous

Before fame and fortune, many millionaires lived lives that were far from glamorous.

Some worked odd jobs, faced rejection, or struggled financially.

These 10 curious facts about millionaires reveal surprising truths about who they were before the world knew their names.

Jeff Bezos Worked at McDonald’s

Before founding Amazon, Jeff Bezos held a typical teenage job that taught him valuable lessons in responsibility.

At 16, he worked at McDonald’s during the summer—an experience that helped shape his work ethic.

Age: 16 years old when he worked the breakfast shift.
Role: Cook at McDonald’s in Miami, Florida.
Skills Learned: Efficiency, customer service, and the importance of systems.
Lesson Shared: Bezos later said that automation fascinated him even back then, as he watched how processes were optimized in the kitchen.
Impact: The structured environment gave him a deeper appreciation for scalable systems—a concept that later influenced Amazon’s logistics model.

Before leading companies like Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk showed signs of innovation at an early age.

His first tech success happened when he was just a kid with a computer and an idea.

Age: Sold his first game, Blastar, at 12 years old.
Platform: Coded the game using a BASIC computer he taught himself to use.
Earnings: Sold it to a magazine for around $500.
Game Type: A simple space-themed shooting game.
Early Sign: This early sale revealed his passion for coding, tech, and problem-solving.

Oprah Winfrey’s childhood was marked by extreme poverty.

Long before becoming a media mogul, she faced ridicule and hardship that shaped her resilience and empathy.

Background: Grew up in rural Mississippi in a poor household.
Clothing: Her family couldn’t afford proper clothes, so her grandmother made dresses out of potato sacks.
Result: Oprah was mocked by other children for her clothing choices.
Emotional Impact: These early experiences fueled her drive to succeed and connect with others through shared struggles.
Long-Term Effect: She often cites her upbringing as the root of her compassion and determination.

Before becoming a global pop star and fashion mogul, Rihanna had a disciplined start.

As a teenager in Barbados, she trained as a military cadet—a lesser-known chapter of her early life.

Location: Barbados, where she was born and raised.
Program: Enrolled in a sub-military cadet program during school.
Trainer: Her drill sergeant was fellow Barbadian singer Shontelle.
Discipline: The program emphasized physical training, obedience, and a structured approach to discipline.
Influence: Rihanna later said it helped build her focus and determination.

Before co-founding Apple, Steve Jobs lived with very little.

After dropping out of college, he found creative ways to support himself while continuing to pursue his interests.

Education: Dropped out of Reed College in Oregon after one semester.
Auditing: Continued to sit in on classes he liked, such as calligraphy, without being enrolled.
Income: Collected and returned soda bottles for spare change.
Meals: Walked seven miles each Sunday to a Hare Krishna temple for a free meal.
Mindset: He focused only on learning what he found valuable, even without a formal degree.

Long before becoming one of the wealthiest investors in the world, Warren Buffett demonstrated business talent early on.

As a young boy, he found creative ways to earn and save money.

Before publishing Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling faced years of hardship.

She was unemployed, raising a child alone, and relying on government support to get by.

Living Situation: Lived in a small apartment in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Income: Survived on welfare benefits while searching for stable work.
Writing Routine: Wrote early drafts of Harry Potter in cafés, often while her baby slept beside her.
Rejections: Faced multiple rejections from publishers before being accepted.
Persistence: Continued writing despite financial stress and emotional challenges.

Before fame, Lady Gaga performed in small venues with few resources and little recognition.

She worked hard to build her image and sound while using her real name.

Real Name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.
Early Performances: Played piano and sang in bars and clubs across New York City.
Venues: Often performed in Lower East Side bars and open mic nights.
Style: Mixed rock, pop, and theatrical elements, even in early shows.
Breakthrough: Her unique style caught the attention of record executives, leading to a record deal and eventual rebranding as “Lady Gaga.”

Richard Branson’s school years were challenging due to learning difficulties.

However, instead of holding him back, they encouraged him to pursue entrepreneurship from an early age.

Learning Struggle: Diagnosed with dyslexia, which made traditional schooling difficult.
Education: Dropped out of school at age 16.
First Venture: Started a magazine called Student shortly after leaving school.
Mindset: Believed that his different way of thinking was a strength, not a weakness.
Result: Went on to create the Virgin Group, starting with a mail-order record business.

Before founding Spanx, Sara Blakely dreamed of becoming a lawyer.

But after failing the LSAT twice, she had to change direction—and that choice led to her breakthrough.

Initial Goal: Wanted to pursue a legal career.
Setback: Took the LSAT twice and failed both times.
Career Shift: Took a sales job selling fax machines door-to-door.
Idea Spark: Cut the feet off her pantyhose to create a smoother look under white pants.
Result: Used $5,000 in savings to start Spanx, eventually becoming a self-made billionaire.

Many millionaires faced major setbacks before finding success.

Instead of quitting, they used those failures to adjust their path and make smarter choices moving forward.

Jeff Bezos: Learned the value of systems and hard work at McDonald’s, which later influenced Amazon’s efficiency model.
Elon Musk: Sold a video game at 12 after teaching himself to code—early proof that failure didn’t stop him from learning fast.
Oprah Winfrey: Being mocked for wearing potato sacks built her emotional strength and fueled her drive to uplift others.
Rihanna: Military cadet discipline helped her develop the focus and resilience needed for a demanding entertainment career.
Steve Jobs: Dropping out of college pushed him to explore his interests deeply, which shaped Apple’s design philosophy.
Warren Buffett: Early experience delivering papers taught him to value consistency and reinvestment.
J.K. Rowling: Rejections and poverty made her more determined to finish and publish Harry Potter.
Lady Gaga: Struggling for recognition while performing under her real name helped her develop a strong, unique identity.
Richard Branson: Dyslexia and struggles in school led him to focus on hands-on ventures and trust creative solutions.
Sara Blakely: Failing the LSAT twice forced her to shift direction, which led to the creation of her billion-dollar brand.