Struggles and failures are a part of everyday life. However, it is how you deal with the failures which makes you a great person. Every great entrepreneur has had their fair share of lows before they rose up stronger than before. From Richard Branson to Dhirubhai Ambani and to Steve Jobs, every great success story started off with nothing. Here is our list of entrepreneurs who went through major failures before becoming some of the most famous people in the world!

1. Arianna Huffington

Picture credits: huffingtonpost.com

Arianna Huffington had one dream in life and one major drawback for achieving the dream: she didn’t know how to speak the English language. Everyone around Huffington thought her dream was going to be just that. Language was a major hindrance for her and even when she got into Cambridge, life wasn’t easy. She had to learn the language by reading and listening to everything in English and slowly, by speaking in the language she wasn’t sure of, Huffington started overcoming her fear.

While not a direct failure, her lack of the knowledge definitely acted as a major roadblock. Coming from a life where she and her mother had to work to make ends meet, Huffington led a constant life of struggle. Despite working through the day, Arianna still wanted to overcome her inabilities by working on her English pronunciation skills. From not knowing the language to mastering it so much that she could write her first book, The Female Woman, Huffington’s life saw an inspirational rise.

Even through all the roadblocks and mind blocks, Huffington pushed past her struggles to become the CEO and founder of the extremely famous Huffington Post. Even after that, the struggles just refused to stop. From fainting out of sheer exhaustion to realising sleep was important, Huffington addressed very issue with skill and talent. A woman who has grown through all the hurdles thrown at her in life, Arianna Huffington has shown that no block is too great and every barrier can be overcome!

2. Steve Jobs

Picture credits: medium.com

More than a decade ago, when Jobs released the first ever iPhone, he changed the way the world used smartphones. While the average audience was quite taken in by this cool new toy, there were more skeptical people than those who were in favour. How can a  company which didn’t have any experience in dealing with the production of phones, make waves with something like an iPhone? However, the success of the phone was greater than what people would have expected and overnight, the future of Apple and Jobs changed forever.

Before Jobs made Apple the massive success it is today, he had more than his fair share of failures. Dropping out of college and with no formal education, he led quite an exciting life. Despite all the rejections he faced in various phases of his life, Jobs never stopped working on making his dream come true.

From hiring John Sculley as the CEO of Apple (a move which brought the Company down,) to launching various failed products and to not knowing where to market the Next Computer, Jobs led an interesting journey to the top. Today, Apple has a valuation of more than a trillion dollars and with one impressive innovation after another, everything produced by Apple is one of a kind. Ironically, the fact that he was ousted from Apple didn’t stop Jobs from growing. He took this so hard, he considered this as one of the major failures in his life. However, despite all the things which went wrong, Jobs always said he was who he was because of the failures.

3. Walt Disney

Picture credits: lifecredits.com

When Walt Disney started his journey as a caricature artist, a lot of people told him he just didn’t have it in him to make a mark in the world. However, he stuck through with his creations and started weaving stories with the creations he made. While Mickey Mouse was the first ever caricature he designed that became famous, his other creations became just as famous in the coming years.

Despite being fired by only a junior editor from his first job, Disney worked on his skills so much, he slowly but surely started making a mark. Did you know that when Walt Disney first created Mickey Mouse as a character, he wanted to name it Mortimer Mouse? Mickey Mouse was also drawn as an aftermath of a deal gone wrong. One of the first animated series Disney was working on, called Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, fell through as a result of a disagreement between Universal Studios and Disney.)

The only way Disney knew to deal with the situation was by drawing out his pain! However, had it not been for his wife’s timely intervention, the world would not have fallen in love with one of the most adorable characters of Disney’s history, Mickey Mouse! When Walt Disney died, his personal valuation stood at a whopping $ 35 million, making him one of the richest men in the world, without the shadow of a doubt.

4. Richard Branson

Picture credits: twitter.com

Richard Branson, a serial entrepreneur and now the 5th richest man in the world, also had his fair share of troubles. Branson had the business selling streak from a very young age. At the age of 16, he started his own magazine called Student. While the magazine did really well, it also set the stone for his record label, Virgin Records. However, despite the record label taking off in the first few years, trouble started brewing. Without giving up, Branson kept thinking of how to make the most of what he had.

It was only when a flight of his got cancelled on the way to Virgin Island, that inspiration struck Branson. From selling tickets worth $ 29, to redefining the way people flew, a cancelled flight was quite literally Branson’s ticket to freedom. With people not liking the clothes offered by his clothing brand and a record label which failed to succeed, Branson refused to give up. Everything Branson did over the years was to ensure that nothing he did was without enthusiasm. So much so that he wanted the entire world to experience what he felt when he lost his virginity!

Failure is a part and parcel of life. There is nothing that is truly stopping you from achieving your dreams. Stop thinking about what was done and lost and start thinking about how to make a difference in your life. If you think we missed out on any other stories like these, comment and let us know!