Tips From 21 Self-Made Billionaires That Will Improve Your Life

Taking risks, being passionate, inspiring others, recognizing opportunities, learning from mistakes…these are all traits of the most successful, rich, and famous folks. It takes an extra special person to have that “it” factor to become a billionaire tycoon. Here are some tips from some of the world’s billionaires that will improve your life.

 Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

What started as a small online shopping site where you could purchase the digital reader called a Kindle, has skyrocketed the world into the online mega-giant Amazon. Founder and CEO explain that failing and failing big is necessary to be successful.

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He compared it to a baseball game. “You really should be swinging hard, and you will fail, but that’s okay. When you swing hard in baseball, the maximum number of runs you can get is four. When you swing hard in business, you can get 100 runs. So you really should swing hard, and you are going to fail a lot, and you need a culture that supports that,” said Bezos.

Berkshire Hataway’s Warren Buffett

Mega business mogul, known as an American business magnate, Warren Buffett knows a thing or two about keeping it real…a really big portfolio. He states that you should treat your career as a business, and you are the main product.

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Appeal to customers, invest in yourself, and stay marketable. “Think of ways that will help you become more marketable, and do them for just five hours a week. Take classes, obtain a certification or degree, get that power suit, or learn a helpful language. Any enhancement gets you closer to your dreams,” Buffet says.

Media Celebrity, Oprah Winfrey

It takes motivation and dedication to become one of the most beloved celebrities in the world. Oprah Winfrey started with nothing and has grown her career into a huge Hollywood dreamworld, helping and encouraging others along her mega-successful company, Harpo, (Oprah spelled backward), Even though she doesn’t have her talk show anymore, she continues to be successful, living by this message, success is not a goal.

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“What I know for sure is that if you want success, you can’t make success your goal. The key is not to worry about being successful, but to instead work towards being significant, and the success will naturally follow, Oprah shares.

Apple Founder, Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs left this earth way too early, but his accomplishments during his lifetime were immeasurable. He was a visionary who saw things different compared to the average person. If it weren’t for his risk-taking nature, innovation, and dynamic leadership, technology as we know it today would surely not be the same. Jobs was the ultimate example of an entrepreneur.

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He worked day in and day out thinking, dreaming, and creating. He believed that you should love what you do and not waste valuable time on things you don’t enjoy. “If you don’t love something, you’re not going to go the extra mile, work the extra weekend, challenge the status quo as much,” he said. The bottom line is to give your best effort with anything you do.

Google’s co-founder, Larry Page

Today, it’s an everyday word, but a few years ago, Google didn’t mean anything to anyone. That is why Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, one of the largest and most successful internet search engines believes that if you are working on important things, you’re excited to get up in the morning. Page is also the inventor of PageRank, a search ranking algorithm for Google making him one of the richest men in the world.

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His leadership style is a tip that we should all aspire to. “My job as a leader is to make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, and that they feel they’re having a meaningful impact and are contributing to the good of society,” said Page.

Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates

It’s hard to believe that Microsoft started in a small garage by a Harvard drop out, but it was the forward-thinking, innovative nature of mega-billionaire, Bill Gates that made this Fortune 500 company a household name. He has many tips to share with those wanting to follow in his billionaire footsteps but one of his most interesting is, “Be nice to nerds. Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.”

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More seriously, Gates wants everyone to accept who they are and be proud of their abilities and accomplishments. “Don’t compare yourself to anyone in the world…if you do, you are insulting yourself,” shares Gates.

Facebook Phenom

Billionaires come in all ages these days, and Mark Zuckerberg (31) is one of them. As the founder and creator of Facebook, one of the largest and most successful social media platforms, he is happy to share his tips for success with all his friends and fans out there. He explains that entrepreneurs should explore their options and come up with ideas before committing to a single way of doing things.

Furthermore, he urges them to “test everything because there is no such thing as a sure thing. “Companies need to test to make sure that what they’re doing is working, connecting with their target audience and achieving the desired result,” he said. And that is what he continues to do each day with his Facebook team. Creating, testing, and meeting his giant audience’s needs with a big thumbs up.

Samsung CEO, Lee Seo-Huyn

Samsung C&T’s fashion division (Korea’s largest apparel group) is no newbie to women chief executive officers. Like her mother before her, 43-year-old Lee Seo-Huyn is head of this Korean industry giant and moving the company forward into a new generation. Samsung also owns multiple theme parks, resorts, and different hospitality businesses offering Lee power, wealth, and success.

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This billionaire executive understands the importance of younger consumers and wants her colleagues to take notice of them. She explains, “At the center of the fast-moving digital age are the Millennials — a new generation of tech-savvy consumers who extensively make use of social media and share fashion trends and product knowledge in real-time. As these Millennials move into their prime spending years, the luxury and high-end fashion sector must quickly embrace inevitable changes in the way they market their goods and communicate with consumers.”

Spanx Creator, Sara Blakley

Sara Blakley had an idea that would eventually change the landscape of the hosiery industry. She pitched her idea to the leaders of an industry run by men who didn’t understand or believe her product idea would work. She ignored the naysayers, believed that comfortable, footless pantyhose was a fabulous idea and launched one of the biggest and successful women startups in history. She called her product line, Spanx and thanks to her consistency and persistence, she is now a billionaire with women loving her story and product line.

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Sara says that honesty is one of her keys to success. The other is don’t be afraid to fail. “Most of the reason we don’t do things is because we’re afraid to fail. I just made a decision one day that I was not, not going to do things in my life because of fear.”

Hewlett Packard’s Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman is a member of the world’s billionaire club. She is a business executive, political activist, and philanthropist who served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hasbro, Quibi, and eBay. She even ran for governor of California. She didn’t inherit her riches; she worked extremely hard to earn every penny of it. Now in her 60’s she is doing something good with her fortune, helping others who need it most.

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She says that being successful isn’t just about money; it’s about making a real impact on the world for the values that you believe in the most. “I want to spend 100 percent of my time focused on what I think I can make the biggest difference,” she said.

 Facebook CEO, Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg is more than a pretty face. She is the CEO of Facebook, author of the best-selling book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, and a former executive at Google. Not to mention, she sits on the board of Walt Disney and meets with world leaders. Side note: Her book spent a year on the New York Times Best Selling list and more than 4.2 million copies.

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In an industry dominated by men and the onset of the #metoo movement, Sandberg is an inspirational, positive role model to women who want to make a lasting impact in their world. She believes that the ability to learn is a positive attribute of a leader. “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change,” she said. She also believes that leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good and make the world a better place.

Google’s Handsome Sergey Brin

College buds, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founded Google and created one of the biggest and most popular search engines in the world. It happened fast, too, only eight years to the big b worth word. Sergey is a computer scientist, which makes him extremely smart and an entrepreneur that has makes him extremely wealthy. He sounds like a nice guy, too. He said, “I would like to see anyone be able to achieve their dreams, and that’s what this organization (Google) does.”

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Brin has more than just business success on his mind. He wants others to enjoy their work and make our world better. “I want to be looked back on as being very innovative, very trusted and ethical and ultimately making a big difference in the world, he said. We could all strive to have those aspirations, but only on a smaller bank account scale.

 Facebook’s Boy Genius, Sean Parker

Known as “the billionaire boy genius, Sean Parker has a reputation that will go down in history as anything but normal. After recovering from a new failed positions and getting fired a few times, he co-founded Napster that revolutionized how we enjoy music. His impressive resume includes being the first president of a well known social media platform, Facebook and is the president of a little company, Spotify. You know you’ve made it when you are portrayed by A-lister, Justin Timberlake in the blockbuster movie, The Social Network that tells your story. That means Sean Parker has made it.

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He understands the power of networking and encourages newbies to get out of their comfort zone. “One of the quickest ways to take your company to the next level is to partner up and connect with others… Don’t be afraid – do it now. You never know what the future holds,” he says. And he knows what he is talking about. He turned an unknown Swedish company named Spotify into the music giant it is today. He also says, “Use everything you’ve learned to help yourself by helping those around you.”

Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban

Mogul and self-made billionaire, Mark Cuban is best known for his investment strategies on the popular television show, Shark Tank. He also owns the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks as well as many business interests in between. His celebrity has helped many wannabe entrepreneurs not only with investment capital but with wise advice. In his book, How to Win at The Sport of Business, he offers “Twelve Cuban Mantras for Success,” to help his readers.

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This successful billionaire (we suppose any billionaire is successful) believes that you must take time for yourself and have fun once in a while, be nice to others along your journey and use adrenaline rushes to be more competitive. “When adrenaline flows through your veins when you’re confronted with a crisis or significant challenge, you can frame that rush with an anxious mindset or a determined one. Use that fear to become more competitive, he said.

Yuengling Brewery’s Owner, Richard Yuengling, Jr.

It took about 190 years to transform the oldest brewery in America, Yuengling Brewery into a huge family-owned success. Cheers to Pottsville, PA native Dick Yuengling who bought the struggling business from his Dad in 1985 and turned it into a thriving operation, a billion-dollar operation that is. Yuengling is best known for his hometown, low profile personality who wakes up early and heads straight to his Pottsville location for a full workday. Some consider him a lone-wolf manager who jumps on forklifts, helps in the warehouse and is visible throughout the brewery and town.

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Three facilities produce about two million barrels of beer, the oldest in Pottsville, a small rural city in eastern Pennsylvania. One tip that Dick shares is to remember where you came from. “Remember your back yard,” he said. “We depend on our local community and those who’ve supported us throughout the years.”

Academy Award-Winning Director, Steven Spielberg

Renowned in Hollywood and the world for creating some of the most beloved classic films in America, Steven Spielberg is a billionaire and then some. He will go down in history as one of the New Hollywood era’s pioneers and one of the most popular directors and producers in film history. Some of his films are Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Indiana Jones, to name a few.

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His tip to those on their journey to achieving success is to remember the value of friendship. “It is important to know who your friends are and to stay, remain loyal to your friends, despite what you hear, despite the mistakes that are made in friendships and misunderstandings that commonly occur, to be able to forgive and to move on,” said Spielberg.

Star Wars Creator, George Lucas

George Lucas is a Hollywood legend, most famous for the success of the Star Wars movies that eventually were franchised. His billionaire status was solidified when Star Wars skyrocketed into popularity. The deal he made with Fox Studios after the first movie was in lieu of a pay raise, he negotiated to retain all the movie’s merchandising rights and the rights to any sequels. Nice going, George. That deal added up to him joining membership in the billionaire’s club.

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George says not to be afraid of your fears. “Train yourself to let go of the things you fear to lose, he said. He also stresses the importance of not giving up on your dreams. “If you want to be successful in a particular field, perseverance is one of the key qualities,” he said. One of his most infamous Star Wars characters, Yoda said it well, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

President and Business Tycoon, Donald J. Trump

Three cheers for the red, white and blue and billionaire and President Donald Trump, the leader of the free world. He’s always been a colorful character with a lively personality and an interesting past. This author of, The Art of the Deal (that he has compared to the Bible) and Hollywood celebrity has been a business tycoon for much of his life, long before politics came knocking on his deal-making door. He has won big, lost big, and this billionaire claims that if you’re going to do anything, make sure you do it in a big way! After all, that is the attitude that has catapulted him into fortune and infamous fame.

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It’s no secret that he likes to win and win big in any situation. His leadership style is confident, clear, and concise, and he isn’t afraid of making a mistake or two. “To me, it’s very simple: if you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big. Most people think small because they’re afraid of success, afraid of making decisions, afraid of winning,” said Trump.

Loreal’s Francois Bettencourt Meyers

Cosmetic giant, Loreal’s longtime slogan, “Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s L’Oréal,” says it all about one of the richest people in the world. Heiress, Francois Bettencourt Meyers is the granddaughter of Loreal’s founder and is worth an amazing $49.3 billion dollars. That’s a whole lot of mascara and lipstick. Meyers lives in France with her family and works in the company and for their philanthropic foundation, which encourages French progress in the sciences and arts.

Her tip to others is to value your time. “Your time is the greatest resource and one thing you can’t get back. To execute at the top level, you have to understand the full gravity of time. It’s imperative to prioritize your life and business in a way that lines up with what you value most,”, she explained.

Media Mogul, Michael Bloomberg

Billionaire, entrepreneur and politician, Michael Bloomberg says, not looking back is one of the keys to success. At the age of 39, he remembers getting fired from a job he loved. “But I never let myself look back, and the very next day I took a big risk and began my own company based on an unproven idea that nearly everyone thought would fail: making financial information available to people, right on their desktops,” he said.

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This was long before everyone had a desktop computer or mobile devices like we do today. He believes that In order to succeed, you must first be willing to fail – and you must have the courage to go for it anyway.

Steve Jobs wife, Lauren Powell Jobs

Just because your late husband tech tycoon left you his billions, doesn’t mean you can’t continue to do great things too. Lauren Powell Jobs is Apple founder, inventor, and entrepreneur, Steve Jobs’s wife and is carrying on his giving back legacy by leading Emerson Collective, a social justice advocacy group, that helps disadvantaged high school students prepare for college.

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Her desire to make the world a better place for everyone no matter what their zip code is apparent in her life’s work. “Regardless of zip code, talent and IQ are evenly distributed, so we need to make sure that opportunity is evenly distributed, too,” she said.

Chocolate Giant, Giovanni Ferrero

A jar of Nutella is sold every 2.5 seconds, and this popular hazelnut spread is one of the many products that Ferrero brings to the world. Who knew that making sweets and treats could make you a billionaire? Italian businessmen Giovanni Ferrero, inherited and now controls Ferrero SpA, the Italian company known for making delicious Nutella, Ferrero chocolates, famous Kinder chocolates, and the popular little breath mints, Tic Tacs. And it gets even sweeter.

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n January 2018 he scored a deal with Nestle to acquire the company’s entire U.S. confections business for $2.8 billion. His tip to anyone looking to stand out in the world is, “always do something different than the others.”