15 Self-Made Immigrants Who Struck It Rich To Prove Everything Is Possible

Lowell Hawthorne – Jamaica

The Caribbean is never an easy area to grow up in. Despite the brochures, postcards, and documentaries, it’s not all beaches and tropical resorts. Lowell Hawthorne knew this when he first decided that he deserved a better life. In 1981, with suitcases and a green card, he moved to the Bronx in search of a better opportunity. His first job on American soil was the one he got with the NYPD, as an assistant stock handler.

In spite of working hard, he was still able to earn a degree in accounting at the Bronx Community College. After the degree, he was able to find even more opportunities for better work gigs. But Lowell always had that entrepreneurship gene within himself and he just couldn’t settle making something of his own. He was enamored with the Jamaican tradition, so he wanted to create something that will honor his country, and just like that – the Golden Krust, a family eatery was born. It was only an idea at first and he immediately pitched it to his seven brothers and sisters.

Despite the amazing concept, banks were hesitant to give out loans to small restaurants because of an astonishing failure rate. Statistics didn’t stop the Hawthorne family and they struggled to find every possible cent. They collected a cool $107.000 and were able to open up the first Golden Krust restaurant in 1989. Due to a clever business plan and perseverance, their business was booming and Lowell was finally able to quit his NYPD job.

Nowadays, there are more than 100 Golden Krust restaurants in nine states. Only in 2011, the company generated $150 million of revenue. Even after that amounts of success, Lowell still isn’t content and is always thinking of new ideas to expand and better himself and his company.

Arnold Schwarzenegger – Austria

Behind the always smiling former governor of California is an incredible life story. He began his life in the small town of Thal, in Austria. He was sent to the army, but he hated it there. Arnold knew his fate was to be a bodybuilder and he refused to listen to the naysayers. The urge to succeed was so big that he fled to several bodybuilding competitions during his time at the army. He was punished severely, but it only made the determined young man even more determined. An escape to the US was imminent.

As a 21-year-old who barely knew English, Arnold arrived in California in 1968. He quickly made friends with like-minded individuals and started conquering the bodybuilding world. Years later, we have a 5-time Mr. Universe and 7-time Mr. Olympia champion, something that is still a feat to behold. One would be content with these accomplishments, but Arnold only saw it a start of his reign. The sport’s success only opened the door for his movie career. The Terminator, Conan, The Expendables – these are all the legendary movies in which we can see Arnie dominate the scenes.

His other ventures include the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, the Arnold Sports Festival (which is held on four continents) and a plethora of gyms, magazines and other sports-related ventures. To top it all off, the Austrian muscle machine ran for governor of California and served two terms. The boy who struggled with English and worked hard became the leader of the most powerful state.

His story serves as a beautiful reminder that perseverance knows no limits and that his will forever be immortal in the heart of every man or woman who wants to succeed. He truly is one of a kind.

Shama Kabani – India

Sometimes, the most beautiful ideas can form in the heads of those who don’t have the means to make them into reality. What makes the difference between a statistic and a success story is the will to find those means. Shama Kabani did just that. She had every reason to fail and give up, using her immigrant status as an excuse. When her parents arrived from India into the US, in 1994, they wanted a better future for their beloved child. With a taxi driver dad and a café owner mom, Shama had a perfect example of hard work that she could use to her advantage.

As a result of her parents’ hard work and lack of giving up, she started her first business at the age of 10. It was a gift-paper selling scheme. Her only employee and assistant was her younger sister. Her life continued in that same direction, as she graduated from the University of Texas, Austin with a degree in organizational communications. Her studies were the final step in shaping her mind and will to succeed. Shama even wrote her master thesis on the impact of Twitter and other forms of social media. After a series of decisions, she decided that is the direction in which she wants to go.

Because social media was a growing profession even then, finding a job was hard. After a series of rejections, she decided that she wants to earn her bread with her own mind. Thus, the Marketing Zen Group, an online marketing, and PR firm were born. It created a boom on the market, reaching $3 million in sales in 2012. She has since been featured in Forbes and many other prominent national publications. More and more people are looking for the services of her company. The sky is the limit basically.

Sergey Brin – Russia

Being a Jew in Moscow in the 1970s was not easy. Due to a rising wave of anti-Semitism, many families were forced to seek refuge in Europe and “across the pond”. The latter option was the choice of the Brin family. They settled in Adelphi, Maryland with their young son, Sergey. Sergey’s father had a degree in mathematics and economics, giving his son an idea and an example for future life. At the age of 22, Brin earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science. However, his story really begins when he decided to go Stanford.

While studying for his Ph.D., Sergey met and befriended Larry Page. The two brainstormed in order to give birth to Google, the legendary search engine, in 1998. Business wasn’t always blooming and going public with their shares in 2004 was a risky move. Google opened at $85, making the duo billionaires over a short time period. After a series of investments, transactions and other endeavors, Sergey Brin are now sitting on a cool $22.5 billion. This is simply astonishing for anyone, let alone a Russian Jew who was basically purged out of his country.

When asked about his success, Sergey often cites simplicity as the ultimate tool. Google didn’t become famous because of focusing on everything. Their focus was on a few projects and they gave it all in order to maximize them. Thus, Google became an indispensable part of our day to day lives. We use it for literally everything, as the ultimate tool for browsing the internet and gaining knowledge.

Sergey too had every excuse to quit and not make his dreams into reality. Instead of doing so, he gave it his all and used his intellect in a unique way.

Carlos Castro – El Salvador

El Salvador was a war-torn country in the 1970s. There were many killings, kidnappings and drug dealing gangs basically running the streets. Carlos Castro knew he deserved better than that. When he was at the age of 26, he made the move to California from his Central American homeland. No matter how beneficial the move was, he could only enter the country illegally on his own. Bringing his wife and young children with him was a risk he could take. Carlos told them to wait as he was determined to turn his life around. Even in California, the crime was overwhelming and Carlson had his eyes on a Washington D.C. move.

Before becoming a citizen in 1986, Carlos worked as a cook and janitor in order to make ends meet. The jobs were grueling, his back was hurt and his arms were wrinkled from all the water but his eyes were shining. They were shining with hope because every hour of work was to find a way for his family to come over. When his wife Gladis arrived, he opened a construction business of his own. It was going well, so well that it gave Carlson more ideas about conquering the business world. One day in 1988, he thought up the idea of opening a Hispanic grocery store. It was a risky venture, but there was no better man for the job than Carlson

In 1990, he and Gladis opened the first Todos Supermarket in Virginia. Like with every great plan, the first part was really tough. They were barely surviving on their first-year profits. The next year, things turned around and he was able to open new stores right away. Nowadays, Carlson is making approximately $20 million on a yearly basis. He went through hell and is reaping the benefits of his hard work.

Jose Wilfredo Flores – El Salvador

It’s often that those who are the most successful hold the most pain in their hearts. Such is the case with Jose Wilfredo Flores. He was living in the hell of the Salvadorian chaos before deciding enough was enough. It took him a month to arrive from El Salvador to Philadelphia by truck. He was crammed with the other immigrants in inhumane conditions. One night, already in the U.S., Jose was one inch away from failure.

The police stopped the truck and arrested the majority of the immigrants. Who was the only one they didn’t arrest? That’s right, Mr. Flores. They felt pity when they saw the 14-year-old boy starving and wanting to reach his uncle and brother in Washington D.C. When he arrived there, he had to work hard jobs in order to make ends meet. He made the decision of quitting school at the age of 15, in order to work in construction. With a fake ID, he managed to fool everyone and earn money at a young age.

At the age of 25, he made strides in the business and was a supervisor of a big crew, earning around $70.000 a year. Despite this success, he knew that wasn’t the entirety of his capabilities. More than a decade ago, he started the W Concrete company. Due to connections in the industry, he managed to strike deals and sign big contracts. Nowadays, he is still hustling, despite earning upwards of $7 million on a yearly basis. Truly inspirational.

Jerry Yang – Taiwan

It seems that California is the magnet for all foreign-born people. With the amazing prosperity it has, it’s no wonder that this amazing country provides so many opportunities to those in search of a better life. When it comes to Cali, there is a number of Asian immigrants that have found their home there. Because it is the most multicultural state, they feel the most welcome there. One of these people from across the pond was Jerry Yang, the founder of one of the most influential companies of all time – Yahoo. Jerry was born in Taiwan in 1968, but as soon as his father died, his family had to move.

They chose California as their goal on the North American continent. When he arrived in San Jose, he was only eight years old and knew a single word of English – “shoe”. Many people would give up and come to terms with their disadvantages, but Jerry simply refused to give up and succumb to the unpleasant circumstances. He quickly became proficient in the English language and was the best student at a school. Attending Stanford was the next logical step in his quest for a better life. He graduated with excellent marks and began pondering about possible business solutions.

All of a sudden, he thought of a brilliant search engine idea and he named it “Yahoo”. The brand slowly took off before exploding in the 2000s. Yang ran the company masterfully, but decided to step down a few years ago. During his time with Yahoo, he accumulated $1.15 billion. The money is just one part of his success. Yahoo revolutionized technology and the way we look at information. If it weren’t for Jerry Yang, we would have Google nor any similar information collection device. Hats off to this great man.

Indra Nooyi – India

Hard work is the staple of every immigration plan. You simply cannot count on succeeding in a foreign country without being willing to work much more than the rest of the people around you. Whoever embraces this mantra of being incessant in his own desires will find a lifetime of prosperity, success and good luck. Indra Nooyi, the CEO of Pepsi, certainly followed this role as she went through studies, persevered and went down in history as one of the most significant businesswomen of all time. But, she too had humble beginnings in her home country of India.

Even though her family wasn’t well-off, they always told her to study and she really listened to their advice. Soon, she became proficient in math, chemistry, and physics, which propelled her to a scholarship at Yale University. While she studied management there, she worked nights as a receptionist. She even refused to go to some job interviews because she had no good many for clothes, believe it or not. Despite the sad set of circumstances, she knew she was going to succeed and she didn’t lose faith in her possibilities or potential. When she got her degree, everything changed.

Her first job at the Boston Consulting Group was a success and year of experience brought her to Pepsi. After Pepsi was failing to beat Coca-Cola, they needed a new face. Indra was the ideal woman for the job, playing an instrumental role in reshaping the brand and helping her colleagues change the culture of the company. Because of her, Pepsi became one of the most significant and most profitable corporations ever. Her annual salary is around $20 million, which is completely deserved due to the amount of effort she displays. A true inspiration!

Andrew Ly – Vietnam

When the US invaded Vietnam, many people saw the conditions unfit for a proper life. Therefore, thousands of families seeking to escape the East Asian hell. One of those people was Andrew Ly, who brought us the wonderful Sugar Bowl Bakery. His beginnings were very humble, as he had a hard time finding money to escape Vietnam. For almost a year, he was stuck in Malaysian refugee camp, with no apparent hope of finding a way to go to the US. Then, one day, with the help of the US Catholic Charity, he and his eight family members found a way to get to San Francisco. The first few years were tough.

His first task was learning English by taking classes and immersing himself in the American culture. When he succeeded in that, he focused on developing his business ideas. In 1984, 5 years after arriving on US soil, he and his brothers invested their savings into the Sugar Bowl Bakery. The small business became a giant one, as he found himself at the head of a $400 million business. It was all deserved, as he went through a living hell in his early life.

The Ly Brothers Corporation soon became one of the most significant firms in the country, taking up many startups and independent businesses. Many employees find him to be the best CEO they worked for and one of the kindest and generous human beings they know.

Rupert Murdoch – Australia

It’s said that children follow in their parent’s footsteps, it seems this is exactly when happened with Rupert Murdoch’s career. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he inherited his father’s newspapers, the Sunday Times and the News. He didn’t stop there but over the years he continued buying other media outlets. In 1970, he changed his strategy and started buying American newspapers.

His father passed away in 1952 and left his Adelaide newspapers, the Sunday Mail and the News in his care to run. A 22-year-old Murdoch inherited the business after undergoing an apprenticeship under Lord Beaverbrook at the Daily Express in London. He got directly involved in the daily operations of the newspapers including writing headlines, redesigned page layouts and assisted in the typesetting and printing of the papers. He expanded his operations to the United States with the acquisition of a newspaper from Texas called San Antonio News in 1973.

He eventually bought the Star newspaper in 1974, followed by the New York Post in 1976. the News Corporation was founded in 1979. As they say the rest history, Murdoch continued to make acquisitions. He is the co-owner of Los Angeles Kings NHL franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers NBA franchise, Staples Center and Fox Sports Radio as well as FOX Sports.com.

They say good entrepreneurs see opportunities and utilize them, Murdoch diversified and went into the entertainment industry. He bought 20^th Century Fox Film Corp in 1985 and other television stations. Soon after, he started his own cable news channel that was named Fox News. Hugely encouraged by the success with his father, it’s not really very surprising that Murdoch went into the media industry. He admitted that after the age of ten or twelve he had already decided to make a career out of it.

Len Blavatnik – Ukraine

Leonid Valentinovich Blavatnik was born in Ukraine to the Jewish parents who were both academicians. The family relocated to the United State in 1978 where Leonid studied at Columbia University. He went on to work in the IT department at Macy’s. In 1986 he formed an investment company called Access Industries before studying an MBA at Harvard. He earlier on started investing in New York property

He made a substantial fortune during the collapse of communism in Russia. He used to provide financing for the takeover of state companies. He together with his partner Viktor Vekselberg managed to merge SUAL company with Russia’s largest company called Rusal. He also got involved in the Russian oil group known as TNK.

The disagreement with BP changed his fortunes as TNK was paid $7 billion from the 2013 sale of TNK-BP to Rosneft. This acted as a blessing as it allowed him to pursue other interests. He got involved in media investments including the Warner Music which possibly made him be put in the spotlight. He has also made several generous donations such as having Blavatnik School of Government in the United Kingdom. In 2013, he was named the richest man in the United Kingdom having a net worth of £13.7billion. He moved to London ten years prior to prior to this. He bought a house valued at £41m in Kensington Palace Gardens.

However, his business dealings have come under scrutiny when it was revealed that RBS had lost more than £1bn in loans to his company dealing in chemicals called Lyondell Basell. After years of litigation, he sued JPMorgan Chase for allegedly putting his money into volatile mortgage-backed securities. As it happened he won the case and his businesses continue to shine. There is nothing that can stop him!

Mortimer Zuckerman – Canada

This Canadian born businessman and media guru is a story of “hard work really pays off.” His grandfather was an orthodox rabbi, his father and mother run a tobacco and candy store. When he was 16 years, he went to McGill University, where he graduated with a BA degree in 1957. A few years later, he got a BCL degree.

He didn’t stop there because he went on to enroll at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he got an MBA. As if that was not enough, he eventually went to Harvard Law School, from which he got an LLM degree in 1962. He then went to Harvard to work as an associate professor for almost a decade while also holding a professor’s position at Yale University. He then decided to leave teaching, and joined Cabot, Cabot & Forbes real estate firm, working there for the next seven years, and reaching the position of senior vice president, while also working as their chief financial officer.

In 1970, he started his own firm and partnered with Edward H. Linde called Boston Properties. Today, the company has annual revenues that total to $2.5 billion. Speaking of the earlier investments, Mortimer also bought the Atlantic Monthly magazine which was sold in 1999 for $12 million. His other investment was the Fast Company which was sold in 2000 for $365 million. Being a known philanthropist, he donated $200 million when he opened the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia.

He has several honorary degrees including one from Colby College. He also sits on the board of several organizations including New York University, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and is a president of the board of trustees of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. This is an incredibly hard working man!

Thomas Tom Gores – Israel

They say good entrepreneurs always stay focused, Thomas Tom Gores’ case is a story of someone knowing what he wants in life. At the age of four years, he migrated to the United States with his family. He went on and attended Genesee High School and later attended Michigan State University where in 1986 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management. His career started at a software company and later he joined a private equity company that was being run by his brother. In 1995, he started his own firm called Platinum Equity.

Gores has stayed in Michigan since his migration from Israel. He has a home there and invested in Michigan companies such as Acument Global Technologies and Genmar Holdings. He is involved in many financial activities in his hometown and feels Michigan runs in his blood. The Platinum Equity firm has more than 35 companies in various industries including telecommunications, transportation, print newspapers and automatic parts and supplies. It can be said that he is a man who is on a move to utilize all the financial opportunities that are available.

As a show of recognition, the Michigan Growth Authority gave him an eight-year fund of $27.1 million state tax credit to his company Platinum Equity to assist to invest in Four Winns. This was going to help create 2,000 jobs that were greatly needed in the state. Possibly the most publicized acquisition he made was taking over a professional basketball franchise, the Detroit Pistons.

His passion for philanthropy has seen him make donations to several social causes. In 2002, he together with his brother Alec donated $250,000 to honor their uncle and aunt’s 50^th birthday anniversary to their old school, Genesee High School. In 2009, he with his wife donated $100,000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. His company is also greatly involved in supporting social causes including Children’s Institute, Conservation International, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of American History

Andreas von Bechtolsheim – Germany

Andreas was born in 1955 in Germany and was raised on a farm near the Alps mountains. His interest in technology, saw him experimenting with different electronics while in his early years. His family relocated to Rome in 1963, and then to Germany in 1968. His interest in electronics saw him early in his life designing an industrial controller on the Intel 8008 for a local firm.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that Andreas went to the University of Technology to study engineering. While as a student, in 1974, he entered the Jugend Forscht contest for young researchers and surely, he won the physics prize. In 1975, he moved to the United States where he attended Carnegie Mellon University and got his master’s degree in computer engineering in 1976. In 1977, he went to work in the Silicon Valley and later pursued a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

When he was a student at the Stanford University, he designed a workstation that had a complete networking and he called it the SUN workstation. When he left the University he founded the Sun Microsystems in 1982. their first product was a UNIX computer workstations and servers in 1982. The company achieved a $1 billion of sales revenue in 1998 after being listed in 1986.

Andreas finally, left Sun Microsystems and formed Granite Systems which was later acquired by Cisco Systems in 1996 for $220 million. Andreas, however, retained 60% of his shares. He, later on, became the Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Gigabit Systems Business but left it in 2003. He rejoined Sun Microsystems in 2004 and in 2005 he formed another firm called Arastra that was later renamed to Arista Networks. In 2008, he left Sun Microsystems to become the Chairman and Chief Development Officer of Arista. Andreas was one of the early investors in Google where he invested $100,000. The investments in several firms have given him returns amounting to $2 billion.