Virtually Yours Personal Assistants

While no one can deny the value of education, one should never use a lack of education as an excuse to defer a dream. Here’s an inspirational list of folks who didn’t receive their parchment but are still making paper!

Dave Thomas - High School Dropout, 15 - Thomas’s first job in the restaurant industry was at the age of 12 as a counterman. After a volunteer stint in the US Army he went to work with Col. Sanders and turned four failing KFC stores into million dollar successes. With the money he made there, he went on to open his first Wendys Old Fashioned Hamburgers. Wendy’s became the third most successful burger chain in the US.

Richard Branson - High School dropout, 15 - Branson made his first successful stint in entrepreneurship when he published Student magazine at the ripe old age of 15. His next venture was a record mail-order business in 1970 which evolved into a chain of record stores known as Virgin Megastores. The Virgin brand is now made up of over 350 companies including Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and Virgin Galactic.

Simon Cowell - College Dropout - Best know as one of the American Idol judges, Cowell’s career in music began in the mailroom at EMI Music Publishing. Several promotions, several companies, and a few failed ventures later, Cowell was able to combine his knowledge to successfully launch Syco Music Publishing, promote a number of recording artists, and several television franchises.

Peter Jennings - High School dropout, 10th grade - Jennings, the son of a radio broadcaster, started his career at the age of 9 hosting a Saturday morning kids radio show. After a short career as a bank teller, Jennings ventured back into broadcasting as a newscaster at a local radio station. By the age of 26, Jennings became to this day the youngest ever network news anchor. His career with ABC News would span 40 years.

John Mackey - Three time College Dropout - After dropping out, Mackey started a vegetarian health food store, with an initial investment of $45,000 borrowed from friends and family. After a slow start, he merged with a natural food store. This investment led to the country’s first supermarket style natural food store. The store which started in Austin, TX now has over 270 locations in the US, Canada, and the UK

Bill Gates - College Dropout - The chairman of the Microsoft Corporation and ranked the richest person in the world for the  last 12 years, Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the computer revolution.

The lesson to be learned from these famous dropouts is that dedication and hard work, whether in school or in the school of hard knocks, is vital in pursuing your passion and achieving your dreams.