Top Ten (10) Entrepreneurs in the World - The Unmissable List!

Top 10 Entrepreneurs in The World

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes but one thing that seems to run through all of them like a common vein is their ability to overcome adversity and create something out of nothing.We've all seen and heard of the lifestyles of entrepreneurs and for many of us, the dream of becoming a successful business owner is inspired by those stories.

If you have a voice inside of you telling you that you are an entrepreneur stuck in a 9 to 5 existence then perhaps this article will offer you some inspiration or maybe give you the kick up the ass you need to get your act together and put your life on track in 2011.

The list of famous entrepreneurs below is just one example of what can be achieved with the right vision, a little bit of luck and a lot of dedication. If you've been asking the question "how do you become an entrepreneur?" here is a little help to get you started.

Here is my list of the top 10 entrepreneurs;

1. Lawrence Page – reputed to be worth a staggering $17.5bn – at 37 years old, Larry is the co-founder of Google Inc .

With his parents guidance Lawrence was groomed for success in the IT industry and from the beginning Page was destined to be successful one way or another. But it was his collaboration with his soon to be co-founder, Sergey Brin, whilst studying at Stamford that was the turning point for the young Page. After struggling to hit it off as friends initially the pair started working on a project together that evolved into what we now know to be the Google search engine. Failing to sell the plan as they had wanted to at the outset, the pair were able to bring in enough funding to set up the business themselves and in September 1998 Google Inc opened in Menlo Park, California. The rest as they say was history.

I've grouped the next addition together with the previous one as the two seem to go pretty much hand in hand...a pair of web entrepreneurs who have made millions online!

2. Sergey Brin – again reputed to be worth more than $17.5bn – Brin is also the co-founder of Google and high on our list of famous entrepreneurs.

Okay, so the Google guys have kicked this list off in good style. Next, we're staying with the entrepreneur online theme but moving into slightly different territory...

Our next entrepreneurs are still part of our online world and possibly more famous than the boys behind Google above!

3. Jeffrey Bezos – estimated to be worth in the region of $12.3bn – Bezos was born to a teenage mother in Albuquerque, New Mexico and later became known as the man who set up Amazon, amongst other things. He is also known for his acute attention to business process details and is described as an executive who wants to know about everything and anything, from contract details to what he is quoted to have said in each Amazon press release.

So, from online tradesmen (okay, maybe Bezos is a little more than just that) we move on to someone who is synonymous with the internet as we know it...

4. Bill Gates-Bill - Gates is widely thought of as the World’s richest man and has become in many ways a household name due to his enormous wealth and yet few people know what goes on behind the face of Microsoft. Gates was born in Seattle, Washington on October 28, 1955. He eventually went to Harvard and while there co-wrote Altair BASIC, later to become Microsoft’s first product offering. Now here's one to make you think; Gates is estimated to earn around $250 a second; or $20 million a day give or take. If he were to drop a thousand-dollar bill, he could leave it to lay on the ground and walk on by because in the few seconds it might take to bend down and pick the bill up, he would already have earned it back in interest. Now, that's what you call a passive income.

Looking for entrepreneur development? Our next two might just inspire you..

The internet has given us quite a few millionaires and billionaires but as we know, riches are made in many different ways. Our next addition is one of those people who seem to have been able to see the future and have made their fortune through forecasting the gains and losses of various businesses over the years. Leaving internet entrepreneurs behind for a while let's take a walk down Wall Street...

5. Warren Buffett - Warren Edward Buffett is known as an American investor, industrialist and philanthropist and is accepted as one of the most accomplished investors around today. Buffett was born in 1930 and it's said that even as a young boy he was aware of money and more importantly how to make it. He bought his first shares when only 11 years old. Later, still in school, he is reported to have invested into a business that his father owned and by the time he had completed his college education, Buffett had acquired today's equivalent of $90,000 plus in savings. Buffett became the world's richest man, kicking Bill Gates from the throne in 2008 with an estimated worth of $62 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

Buffet has become something of a philanthropist in later life and our next addition stepped into that role too after his own business success allowed him to.

6. Pierre Omidyar – estimated to be worth in the region of $5.2bn – Pierre came to light as the founder of eBay auction site when he was just 28 years old. In 1998 when eBay later became a public company, Pierre along with his wife co-founded the Omidyar Foundation to support nonprofits which later grew into the Omidyar network a micro financing facility. Omidyar joins our list of famous entrepreneurs as another internet success story. I like Omidyar! From business entrepreneur to social entrepreneur in a few short years!

When you think of a successful brand you tend to think of Coke, Harley Davidson or one or two other big players. The next addition is responsible for what many accept is one, if not the, most successful branding campaigns in modern history and joins our list of successful entrepreneurs in his own outspoken way. Does our next success story have the true characteristics of an entrepreneur?

7. Steve Jobs - Talking of internet success stories let's take a look at Steven Paul Jobs. Jobs is an American business magnate and inventor better known for being the co-founder and CEO of Apple computers. Jobs has an interesting past, previously serving as CEO of Pixar Animation Studios. A lot has been said of Jobs' demanding and aggressive style and Fortune magazine reported that he "is considered one of Silicon Valley's leading egomaniacs". Personality disorders aside, Jobs is considered one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time and in November 2009 was ranked number 57 on Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People.

Okay, now we're down to the last few places in our team of ten and this next entrepreneur is one you would have in your list even if he was rock bottom right now and wasn't making a dime in business. If you need to know how to become an entrepreneur then our next name might just help you.

8. D. Trump- Our next contender is one who is as familiar for his private life as he is his business life and much of this is his own doing. Donald John Trump is an American businessman, entrepreneur success stories, socialite, author and TV celebrity. His company, The Trump Organization, is a US-based real-estate developer and his wealth in the main has come from property with a long list of acquisitions to his name. His father, Fred Trump, was also a wealthy real estate developer so Trump had a head start when it came to making his fortune but despite that he has taken the usual rollercoaster ride of losses and gains over the last few decades. He is known for his distinctive hairstyle and in recent times his catch phrase "You're Fired" through his TV series The Apprentice.

In case you missed it, this list is running in the direction of an old boys club. There are many women entrepreneurs out there I know for sure and I intend to write about them in more detail but for now we'll stick with the male boardroom and move on.

Back online for the next kid on the block and this penultimate powerhouse has literally taken the world by storm in recent years. Not a day goes by without talk of him or his company. This new entrepreneur is one who will continue to grow in value for many more years to come.

9. Mark Zuckerberg – today Zuckerberg is reputed to be valued at somewhere close to $4.0bn – At 25 this is pretty good I guess and as Zuckerberg occupies this list as the youngest of our billionaires, I guess this is testament to the power of the internet. If you don't already know, (have you been asleep for the last five years?) Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook, which launched back in February 2004 and is today recognized as the webs fastest growing social networking site.

So, a long list and finally we've arrived at the bottom of it and as the saying goes, we've saved the best while last (in my humble opinion at least). If you're looking for style, innovation, entrepreneurial class and an eye for the unexpected then look no further than our last famous entrepreneur stories.

10. Richard Branson - Bringing up the rear in pretty good style is Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson. Branson is a British businessman, entrepreneur and all round nice guy, recognized as the founder and CEO of the Virgin Group of over 400 companies in recent years. As a child, Branson has dyslexia and is reported to have struggled academically, before discovering his ability to connect with and influence people. in 1984 Branson formed Virgin Atlantic Airways. He also launched Virgin Mobile in 1999 and later Virgin Blue in 2000 in Australia . According to the Sunday Times Rich List his net worth was just over £3 billion in 2009; not too bad for a guy who can't spell.

At the end of all that, I have to ask YOU...

Are you still asking the question "how to become an entrepreneur?" or have you convinced yourself that opportunity has been taken away from you and given to someone else?

Entrepreneurs get up when they are knocked down and move forward even when their only way appears to be back.

Some people believe we are born into wealth and success can only be achieved from a position of prosperity and abundance. Some believe their lot is fixed in life. I believe anyone can become an entrepreneur and take life in the direction they choose.

I recently read Robert Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad Poor Dad and after reading it I came to one conclusion;

Inside each one of us there is an entrepreneur. Sometimes it just takes a little piece of opportunity to bring him or her to the surface.