100 Top Entrepreneurs Who Succeeded Without A College Degree

Successful Entrepreneurs

Who Succeeded Without Traditional Education

en•tre•pre•neur -noun Entrepreneur, translated from its French roots, means “one who undertakes.” The term Entrepreneur is used to refer to anyone who undertakes the organization and management of an enterprise involving independence and risk as well as the opportunity for profit.

Some of my favorites:

Historical Figures

  • Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, U.S. president. Finished one year of formal schooling, self-taught himself trigonometry, and read Blackstone on his own to become a lawyer.
  • Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and philanthropist, and one of the first mega-billionaires in the US. Elementary school dropout.
  • Andrew Jackson, U.S. president, general, attorney, judge, congressman. Home-schooled. Became a practicing attorney by the age of 35 – without a formal education.
  • Benjamin Franklin, inventor, scientist, author, entrepreneur. Primarily home-schooled.
  • Christopher Columbus, explorer, discoverer of new lands. Primarily home-schooled.
  • Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, phonograph, and more. Primarily home-schooled, then joined the railroad when he was only 12.

Business Pioneers

Tech Innovators

  • Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com. Dropped out of college during his second year.
  • Larry Ellison, billionaire co-founder of Oracle software company. Dropped out of two different colleges.
  • Michael Dell, billionaire founder of Dell Computers, which started out of his college dorm room. Dropped out of college.
  • Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable.com at the age of 19.
  • Shawn Fanning, developer of Napster. Dropped out of college at the age of 19.
  • Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, billionaire. Did not complete college.

Food & Lifestyle Entrepreneurs

  • Dave Thomas, billionaire founder of Wendy’s. Dropped out of high school at 15.
  • Jimmy Dean, multimillionaire founder of Jimmy Dean Foods. Dropped out of high school at 16.
  • John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods. Enrolled and dropped out college six times.
  • Rachael Ray, Food Network cooking show star, food industry entrepreneur, with no formal culinary arts training. Never attended college.
  • Wally “Famous” Amos, multimillionaire entrepreneur, author, talent agent, founder of Famous Amos cookies. Left high school at 17 to join the Air Force.
  • Wolfgang Puck, chef, owner of 16 restaurants and 80 bistros. Quit school at the age of 14.

Arts & Entertainment

  • Ansel Adams, world-famous photographer. Dropped out of high school.
  • Frank Lloyd Wright, the most influential architect of the twentieth century. Never attended high school.
  • James Cameron, Oscar-winning director, screenwriter, and producer. Dropped out of college.
  • Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Inc. Did not attend college.
  • Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam records, founder of Russell Simmons Music Group, Phat Farm fashions, bestselling author. Did not finish college.
  • Sean John Combs, entertainer, producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Never finished college.
  • Simon Cowell, TV producer, music judge, American Idol, The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent. High school dropout.

Education Paths

High School Dropouts

Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Wolfgang Puck, Ray Kroc

No College

Henry Ford, Mary Kay Ash, Rachael Ray, Richard Schulze

College Dropouts

Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Steve Wozniak, John Mackey

Home-Schooled

Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Edison

Join the Conversation

Which of these entrepreneurs do you find most inspiring? Are there others you would add to this list?

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