The 17 billionaires profiled come from disparate backgrounds, work in different industries, have very different personalities and superficially appear to have different upbringings. However they all have one thing in common – they are all “outsiders”.
What happened to these people at and before they left school is, Taylor believes, the key to understanding their success. Home life was frequently a trial; academic performance was mixed. Some were, indeed brilliant, others merely adequate and the rest appalling.
Microsoft’s Bill Gates had an apparently normal beginning and became the world’s richest man with more than $50 billion.
By contrast television’s Oprah Winfrey weighs in at only $1.5 billion – still a phenomenal amount of money for one person.
It’s impressive, considering her background – a dirt poor, abandoned and abused African-American from the rural United States.
Taylor says Gates plays games with the world. He gained valuable programming experience with geeky friends at school. Dropping out of Harvard he joined up with Paul Allen and they set out to have a computer on every desk and in every home. Gates’ was a technical guru and Microsoft’s marketing face. He is said to be tough and uncompromising.
Ingvar Kamprad (US$33 billion) is an outsider from the backblocks of Sweden. He developed IKEA while at school from the mail order business he operated out of a shed.
IKEA advertised furniture first in 1948. He cut out the middleman by having people order from him and factories delivering direct to customers. He innovated his way out of trouble and developed an almost invincible formula.
School was bad for Kamprad. He was not interested in sport and like many of the billionaires in Taylor’s book was dyslexic and bullied.
Then there’s Oracle’s Larry Ellison (US$212.5 billion). He seems to have a compulsive need to appear the hero. He was illegitimate and raised by adoptive Jewish parents. One of Ellison’s particular “skills” is telling jokes and tall stories.
George Soros’ specialty is hedge funds. He may have been the world’s richest man, but he had a compulsive need for philanthropy. During World II in Hungary his covert trading saved many Jewish people from the Nazis.
Taylor also examines Steve Jobs (Apple) who became a considerable source of annoyance and inspiration in the company. At school he was bright but already a social misfit.
Fashion guru Ralph Lauren is portrayed as a Jewish wannabe WASP. His mother wanted him to be a rabbi. Instead he founded the classic Polo brand.
In the entertainment industry there’s David Geffen—very powerful in Hollywood; George Lucas (Star Wars), who made toys as a child; and Stephen Speilberg, a remarkable director.
Other billionaires include Warren Buffet (investing); Carl Icahan (investment/takeovers); Charles Schwab (stockbroking); Frank Lowy (Westfield shopping centres worldwide); Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines, a man who loves to party and play); and John Sperling (education).
Taylor believes from his insightful research that being outsiders was the common factor that gave them their edge. It developed in them a drive and determination to succeed in their chosen field (making money was just a sideline).
If you have ever wondered why these people are so wealthy New Zealand born Taylor’s book will reveal why.
