18 Brutal Business Failures by Wildly Successful Entrepreneurs (Infographic) Even Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates made mistakes before making it big.

By Matthew McCreary •

Inga Kjer | Getty Images

Some people like to say that entrepreneurs are born, not made -- that you either have the talent to start a billion-dollar company or you don't. But some of the most famous and successful entrepreneurs in the world struggled to find their way.

For example, J.K. Rowling had difficulty finding anyone to publish the Harry Potter series, and while she worked on the books, she lived as a single mother on welfare. Tim Ferriss received 25 rejection letters for The 4-Hour Workweek. Even geniuses such as Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos had business failures.

This infographic from Pound Coffee breaks down 18 great examples, which you can use for inspiration in the low moments of your pursuit of entrepreneurship. Whether you've gotten rejected, faced failure or just lost a little steam, this list might remind you why you ought to keep moving forward.

18 Brutal Business Failures From Billionaire Entrepreneurs - An Infographic from Pound Coffee

Embedded from Pound Coffee

Wavy Line
Matthew McCreary

Entrepreneur Staff

Associate Editor, Contributed Content

Matthew McCreary is the associate editor for contributed content at Entrepreneur.com.

Editor's Pick

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Franchise Ownership Made Easy: Best Practices for Managing and Growing Your Business
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Entrepreneurs Success Stories Bill Gates Failure Jeff Bezos

Most Popular

See all
Chevron Right
Business News

'I'm Not a Very Good Businessman': Kevin Costner Is Risking a Ton of His Own Money on New Project

The "Yellowstone" star discussed how he bankrolled his new epic movies — and his accountant isn't happy.

By Dan Bova
Marketing

The Rise of Nano-Influencers: How the Smallest Voices are Making the Biggest Impact

The bigger an influencer is, the more beneficial it is for a brand to collaborate with them, right? Not necessarily.

By Yauhen Razhko
Business News

'I Am Just Floored': Woman Discovers She Won $1 Million Lottery Prize While Checking Her Email at Work

Initially, she thought the email was a scam, but went to lottery headquarters and walked away with a six-figure check after taxes.

By Madeline Garfinkle
Business News

Woman Goes Viral For Brow-Raising Email Signature About Working Moms: 'Everyone Is Feeling This'

The email signature was created in response to pressure to answer emails within 24 hours.

By Emily Rella
Science & Technology

How AI Is Transforming the Accounting Industry — and What the Future Will Look Like

It's time to harness the power of AI and transform bookkeeping.

By Matt Bontrager
Management

Which Hiring Strategy Is Right for Your Startup? My Experience Says This One

Startup businesses face a unique environment when it comes to adding the talent it needs during their earliest stages of operations, and every hiring decision is critically important to get right the first time.

By Andrew Amann