FAMOUS

E N T RE P R E N E U R S
PREPARE BY :
TABAOSARES, JO-AN
TERRANO, JOMAR
VERGARA, JUDILYN
VICENTE, AIZAN MAE
Bill Gates
• AMERICAN ENTREPRENEUR, PROGRAMMER, INVESTOR
AND PHILANTHROPIST.

• HE AND PAUL ALLEN CO-FOUNDED MICROSOFT WHICH

IS THE #1 SOFTWARE COMPANY IN THE WORLD.

• HE WAS THE CEO OF MICROSOFT UNTIL JANUARY 2000,

CURRENTLY HE IS THE TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR TO CEO
SATYA NADELLA.

• HE FOCUSES A LOT OF HIS TIME ON THE BILL &

MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION, THAT IS WHY HE HAS
TAKEN A LESS DEMANDING ROLE AT MICROSOFT SO
THAT HE CAN FOCUS MORE ON PHILANTHROPY
TAKE RISKS
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS SHOULD NOT SHY AWAY FROM
THINKING OUT OF THE BOX AND CHOOSING AN
UNEXPLORED PATH. ACCORDING TO HIM, SUCCESS LIES IN
UNCHARTERED TERRITORIES SO ENTREPRENEURS SHOULD
ALWAYS BE WILLING TO EXPLORE UNTAPPED AREAS. HIS
CONVICTION AND RISK-TAKING PROPENSITY MADE
MICROSOFT SUCH A HIT EVEN WHEN NO ONE KNEW
MUCH ABOUT COMPUTER SOFTWARE. “IF YOU WANT TO
WIN BIG, YOU SOMETIMES HAVE TO TAKE BIG RISKS.” THE
WORDS OF BILL GATES ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF
INSPIRATION FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE WILLING TO
TAKE RISKS TO ACHIEVE BETTER REWARDS.
BILL GATES DEVELOPED A PASSION FOR
COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMING AS EARLY
AS 13. AT THE SAME AGE, GATES ENROLLED
IN THE LAKESIDE SCHOOL, A PRIVATE
PREPARATORY SCHOOL. WHILE GATES WAS
STILL AT THE SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATION DECIDED TO BUY A
COMPUTER FROM THE GENERAL ELECTRIC
COMPANY. SEEING HIS FLARE IN
PROGRAMMING, THE SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATION EXCUSED GATES FROM
CLASSES TO ALLOW HIM TO PURSUE HIS
INTEREST. ON THE GEC MACHINE, BILL
GATES BUILT HIS FIRST EVER COMPUTER
PROGRAM.
• FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, GATES HAS NOT BEEN
INVOLVED IN THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF
MICROSOFT AND HE HAS DEDICATED MOST OF
HIS TIME TOWARDS PHILANTHROPY AND
COMMUNITY PROJECTS. BILL GATES PROVIDES
PERSPECTIVE ON A RANGE OF ISSUES AND HAS
CO-FOUNDED THE GIVING PLEDGE—A
FOUNDATION THAT ENCOURAGES WEALTHY
PEOPLE TO CONTRIBUTE A MAJORITY OF THEIR
WEALTH TOWARDS PHILANTHROPIC CAUSES. AT
LEAST $365 BILLION OF GIVING HAS BEEN
PLEDGED BY 139 INDIVIDUALS, WITH A
COMBINED 2016 NET WORTH OF $731 BILLION.
BILL GATES HAS PLEDGED MORE THAN 80% OF
HIS WEALTH TO CHARITY UPON DEATH.
Warren Buffett
• KNOWN AS THE "ORACLE OF OMAHA," WARREN BUFFETT IS ONE
OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INVESTORS OF ALL TIME.

• BUFFETT RUNS BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY, WHICH OWNS MORE

THAN 60 COMPANIES, INCLUDING INSURER GEICO, BATTERY
MAKER DURACELL AND RESTAURANT CHAIN DAIRY QUEEN.

• THE SON OF A U.S. CONGRESSMAN, HE FIRST BOUGHT STOCK AT

AGE 11 AND FIRST FILED TAXES AT AGE 13.

• HE HAS PROMISED TO DONATE OVER 99% OF HIS WEALTH. SO

FAR HE HAS GIVEN MORE THAN $41 BILLION, MOSTLY TO THE
GATES FOUNDATION AND HIS KIDS' FOUNDATIONS.

• IN 2010, HE AND BILL GATES LAUNCHED THE GIVING PLEDGE,

ASKING BILLIONAIRES TO COMMIT TO DONATING AT LEAST HALF
OF THEIR WEALTH TO CHARITABLE CAUSES.
EVEN AS A YOUNG BOY WARREN BUFFETT DISPLAYED SKILLS IN
MAKING AND SAVING MONEY. HE WOULD SELL COCA-COLA,
CHEWING GUM AND MAGAZINES DOOR-TO-DOOR AND HE
WORKED IN HIS GRANDFATHER’S GROCERY STORE. IN HIGH
SCHOOL BUFFETT WAS MAKING MONEY THROUGH THE SALE OF
STAMPS AND NEWSPAPERS AMONG OTHER THINGS. WHEN
COMPLETING HIS FIRST EVER INCOME TAX RETURN, AT THE AGE
OF FOURTEEN HE TOOK A $35 DEDUCTION FOR USING HIS
WATCH AND BICYCLE ON HIS PAPER ROUTE. AT THE AGE OF
FIFTEEN BUFFETT POOLED HIS RESOURCES WITH A FRIEND TO
BUY A PINBALL MACHINE AND PLACE IT IN A BARBERS. AFTER A
FEW MONTHS THEY OWNED SEVERAL MACHINES ACROSS
SEVERAL SHOPS
THIS SIMPLY IMPLIES WHATEVER YOU
DO TODAY WILL BE YOUR FUTURE. DO
SOMETHING THAT THE FUTURE YOU
WILL BE PROUD OF. WHATEVER YOU
STARTED TODAY WILL GROW INTO
SOMETHING BIG IN THE COMING DAYS
OF YOUR LIFE.
Bernard Arnault
• ONE OF THE WORLD'S ULTIMATE TASTE-MAKERS, BERNARD ARNAULT OVERSEES
AN EMPIRE OF 70 BRANDS INCLUDING LOUIS VUITTON AND SEPHORA.

• IN NOVEMBER 2019, LVMH STRUCK A DEAL TO BUY AMERICAN JEWELER

TIFFANY & CO FOR $16.2 BILLION, BELIEVED TO BE THE BIGGEST LUXURY BRAND
ACQUISITION EVER.

• LVMH SPENT $3.2 BILLION IN 2019 FOR LUXURY HOSPITALITY GROUP,

BELMOND, WHICH OWNS OR MANAGES 46 HOTELS, TRAINS AND RIVER
CRUISES.

• HIS FATHER MADE A SMALL FORTUNE IN CONSTRUCTION; ARNAULT GOT HIS

START BY PUTTING UP $15 MILLION FROM THAT BUSINESS TO BUY CHRISTIAN
DIOR IN 1985.

• FOUR OF ARNAULT'S FIVE CHILDREN WORK IN CORNERS OF THE LVMH EMPIRE:

FRÉDÉRIC, DELPHINE, ANTOINE AND ALEXANDRE.
• BERNARD BECAME INVOLVED IN HIS FATHER’S
BUSINESS AFTER GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE, AND
HE PLANNED FOR THE COMPANY TO EXPAND ITS
HORIZONS AND BECOME INVOLVED IN OTHER MORE
PROFITABLE BUSINESSES.

• HIS FIRST ACTION WITHIN THE COMPANY WAS TO

CONVINCE HIS FATHER TO DISBAND THE
CONSTRUCTION DIVISION AND REAP THE BENEFITS.
AFTER THE CONSTRUCTION WAS DISSOLVED, THE
FAMILY BEGAN INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE AND
BECAME QUITE SUCCESSFUL IN DOING SO.
• ARNAULT RETURNED TO FRANCE IN THE YEAR 1983 AND
SAW A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND INTO THE
TEXTILE INDUSTRY WHEN THE FIRM BOUSSAC SAINT-FRERES
WAS BANKRUPT. HE CO-OPERATED WITH ANTONIE
BERNHEIM, A MANAGING PARTNER WHO WORKED FOR AN
INVESTMENT FIRM CALLED LAZARD FRERES TO FUND HIS
PURCHASE OF BOUSSAC.

• AFTER TAKING OVER LVMH, HE FIRED SEVERAL OF THE

COMPANY’S TOP EXECUTIVES AND CHOSE TO RECRUIT
NEW TALENT TO REVITALIZE THE COMPANY. HE WAS A
TOUGH TASKMASTER AND WAS KNOWN FOR HIS
INCLINATION TO QUICKLY TERMINATE EMPLOYEES
WHO DID NOT DELIVER ACCORDING TO HIS
EXPECTATIONS.
• HE SET ABOUT IMPLEMENTING AN
AMBITIOUS PLAN OF GROWTH AND
EXPANSION OF HIS BUSINESSES AND
ACQUIRED SEVERAL OTHER COMPANIES
OVER THE 1990S, INCLUDING THE PERFUME
FIRM GUERLAIN (1994), LOEWE (1996),
MARC JACOBS (1997), SEPHORA (1997), AND
THOMAS PINK (1999).
"I THINK IN BUSINESS, YOU HAVE TO
LEARN TO BE PATIENT. MAYBE I'M
NOT VERY PATIENT MYSELF. BUT I
THINK THAT I'VE LEARNED THE MOST
IS BE ABLE TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING
AND GET IT WHEN IT'S THE RIGHT
TIME."
~ BERNARD ARNAULT
Larry Page
• LARRY PAGE STEPPED DOWN AS CEO OF ALPHABET, THE PARENT
OF GOOGLE, IN DECEMBER 2019 BUT REMAINS A BOARD
MEMBER AND A CONTROLLING SHAREHOLDER.

• HE COFOUNDED GOOGLE IN 1998 WITH FELLOW STANFORD PH.D.

STUDENT SERGEY BRIN.

• WITH BRIN, PAGE INVENTED GOOGLE'S PAGERANK ALGORITHM,

WHICH POWERS THE SEARCH ENGINE.

• PAGE WAS CEO UNTIL 2001, WHEN ERIC SCHMIDT TOOK OVER,
AND THEN FROM 2011 UNTIL 2015, WHEN HE BECAME CEO OF
GOOGLE'S NEW PARENT COMPANY ALPHABET.

• HE IS A FOUNDING INVESTOR IN SPACE EXPLORATION COMPANY

PLANETARY RESOURCES AND IS ALSO FUNDING "FLYING CAR"
STARTUPS KITTY HAWK AND OPENER.
• PAGE, WHOSE FATHER WAS A PROFESSOR OF
COMPUTER SCIENCE AT
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, RECEIVED A
COMPUTER ENGINEERING DEGREE FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN (1995) AND ENTERED
INTO THE DOCTORATE PROGRAM AT STANFORD,
WHERE HE MET BRIN. THE TWO WERE BOTH
INTRIGUED WITH THE IDEA OF ENHANCING THE
ABILITY TO EXTRACT MEANING FROM THE MASS OF
DATA ACCUMULATED ON THE INTERNET. WORKING
FROM PAGE’S DORMITORY ROOM, THEY DEVISED A
NEW TYPE OF SEARCH ENGINE TECHNOLOGY THAT
LEVERAGED WEB USERS’ OWN RANKING ABILITIES
BY TRACKING EACH SITE’S “BACKING LINKS”—THAT
IS, THE NUMBER OF OTHER PAGES LINKED TO THEM.
• IN ORDER TO FURTHER THEIR SEARCH ENGINE,
PAGE AND BRIN RAISED ABOUT $1 MILLION IN
OUTSIDE FINANCING FROM INVESTORS, FAMILY,
AND FRIENDS. THEY CALLED THEIR EXPANDED
SEARCH ENGINE GOOGLE—A NAME DERIVED
FROM A MISSPELLING OF THE WORD GOOGOL (A
MATHEMATICAL TERM FOR THE NUMBER 1
FOLLOWED BY 100 ZEROS). BY SEPTEMBER 1998
THE TWO HAD FOUNDED GOOGLE INC., WITH
PAGE AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO). THE
NEXT YEAR GOOGLE RECEIVED $25 MILLION OF
VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDING AND WAS
PROCESSING 500,000 QUERIES PER DAY.
Lucio Tan
• LUCIO TAN IS THE FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE
$2 BILLION (SALES) LT GROUP, WHICH HAS INTERESTS
IN TOBACCO, SPIRITS, BANKING AND PROPERTY
DEVELOPMENT.

• IN 1982, TAN ESTABLISHED ASIA BREWERY. NOW A

SUBSIDIARY OF LT, THE BREWERY WAS THE ONLY ONE
THEN TO COMPETE WITH THE MARKET LEADER SAN
MIGUEL.

• HIS ELDEST SON MICHAEL IS PRESIDENT OF LT GROUP.

• TAN STUDIED CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AT FAR
EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Born in China, Lucio Tan and his family moved to Naga province in the Philippines
where he was a working student. He studied Chemistry at Far Eastern University (FEU),
but quit before graduating to build his scrap business and then eventually moved to a
tobacco factory for a job.

Through this experience, in 1966, Tan started his own tobacco company which
became successful, and it introduced its own brand called ‘Hope’ in 1975. Since then,
Tan’s company became the country’s largest cigarette manufacturer. From that, Tan
began conquering success in other industries such as acquiring General Bank (now
Allied Bank), opening Asia Brewery Inc., securing control of country’s flag carrier
Philippine Airlines (PAL), and more companies under the industries of “liquor,
tobacco, aviation, banking, and real estate.”

With all of Lucio Tan’s affiliations in the country’s business industry, one can learn
many things in terms of seizing opportunities when it comes by. You don’t need to
be rich to be successful. You just need to work hard because truly, “great things start
from small beginnings.”
THA N K Y O U !