It’s easy to get the feeling that your best years are behind you. We place such high regard on youth, and doing amazing things at a young age that we often overlook those who had major career breakthroughs later on in their lives.
Topping this list is Eduardo Eurnekian who made his money by operating and eventually selling cable tv stations in Argentina at the age of 56. He now operates Corporacion America which runs a number of different business segments including Armenia’s largest airport.
The most valuable person on the list is Amancio Ortega who is responsible for starting Zara, a fashion retailer. It’s impressive that Amancio Ortega was briefly the richest man in the world for a period in 2015, and he didn’t have his career breakthrough until the age of 39.
While this list is interesting, it is important to note that most of these success stories were working tirelessly for years or decades before their work finally resulted in their breakthrough. Amancio Ortega, for example, began working at the age of 14 making clothing by hand, and only 25 years later did his billion dollar business come to fruition.
One of the more interesting stories on this list is Dietrich Mateschitz, who made his breakthrough at age 40 with Red Bull. Red Bull is one of the most intriguing companies out there. Their marketing and branding is one of a kind. There is a great podcast series on the story of Red Bull vs Monster Energy that you should check out for more details. Mateschitz is schooled in marketing and had career experience marketing for big brands prior to launching Red Bull. It definitely shows, because Red Bull is regarded as one of the best marketed companies in the world.
Hopefully this graphic acts as motivation to go out and keep pursuing your goals. Decades of work can eventually pay off, even if it takes longer than you thought it would.