These Are The Stories Of The 5 Most Successful People In The Digital Era Thanks To Hard Work And Failure

Female billionaire Sophia Amoruso is successful after launching Nasty Gal Vintage on eBay. (photo: instagram)

JAKARTA - The world has seen the names of big successful entrepreneurs in the media. Starting from Ellon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and the list goes on. But what makes these entrepreneurial leaders so successful?

Behind every entrepreneur, there is a story with lots of hard work and lessons that shaped them into the most powerful people today. By digging into their history, you can steal their superpowers and apply them to your own life, bypassing all the trials and tribulations they have to go through.

1. Travis Kalanick: Uber

Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles, but dropped out without a degree. He then co-founded two different tech startups before Uber: Scour and RedSwoosh. When Scour was sued for copyright infringement, he had to file for bankruptcy.

Kalanick's super strength is persistence: Kalanick keeps pushing forward. He didn't let his failed college career or the bankruptcy of his first company stop him. While everyone else gave up, Kalanick knew he had something bigger, which eventually led him to create Uber, the app that is changing the way people get from one place to another.

2. Elon Musk: SpaceX and Tesla

Elon Musk has a long history of entrepreneurial ventures. He co-founded the company that is now PayPal, which paved the way for secure online money transfers. He founded Zip2, co-founded Tesla, founded SpaceX and bought SolarCity.

For Musk, this is more than just money. "Why would I want to dedicate my life's work?" He landed on a vision in his life: "to enable the future of mankind." Through all his efforts, we can see this ultimate goal. From launching the first commercial flights into space, enabling people to switch to electric cars, and developing SolarCity to becoming the largest solar-powered company in the US.

3. Sophia Amoruso: Nasty Gal

At the age of 22, Sophia Amoruso launched Nasty Gal Vintage on eBay, selling vintage clothing. She does it all: buying products, cleaning, styling, taking photos, copywriting, and handling logistics. His shop was a huge success, and he eventually launched his own website, removing "Vintage" from the shop's name.

Amoruso pays close attention to detail, and this sets it apart from its competitors on eBay. He won't sell anything if it doesn't meet his high standards. Then, he carefully photographed and advertised the pieces. To be successful, entrepreneurs must be detail-oriented, and they must believe in their product with all their heart, as Amoruso did.

4. Brene Brown: research professor, author, and CEO

Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, never aspired to be an entrepreneur. His work studying shame, vulnerability, worthiness, and courage led him to write two New York Times Bestsellers. From there, the business skyrocketed. He now contributes and has been profiled in major publications. He is the CEO and chief learning officer of The Daring Way.

Brown adheres to taboos. Many entrepreneurs are successful because they have gone where no one else has. They think beyond the status quo. Brown studied taboo topics because he knew there was much to be learned. Without realizing it he became a very successful writer and entrepreneur.

5. Jeff Bezos: Amazon

Jeff Bezos is the No. 1 in the world according to Forbes, with a wealth of 193.4 billion US dollars (Rp. 2805 trillion). Amazon's founders weren't always successful. He went through many failures in his entrepreneurial endeavors. He started his business in the garage of his Seattle home in 1994, and has grown from there.

Jeff Bezos has always had a clear vision, with a plan for his ambitions. For example, he once claimed that one day he would have every book ever written at your fingertips within 60 seconds.

Today, the Amazon Kindle is one of the most popular e-readers on the market, and it lives up to its promise. From his garage in 1994 to being one of the most successful people in the world, Bezos is a man of very clear goals and always follows his vision.