15 billionaires with real rags-to-riches stories
Posted by Josh Taylor / January 6, 2014 Excel CommunicationsKenny TrouttSouthern Illinois University
It’s inspirational to read stories of folks who went from having nothing to having everything. I know it makes me feel better, like it’s possible that one day I’ll make it big. Take this guy, for example:
Kenny Troutt, the founder of Excel Communications, paid his way through college by selling life insurance.
Net worth: $1.7 billion (as of Sept. 2013)
Troutt grew up with a bartender dad and paid for his own tuition at Southern Illinois University by selling life insurance. He made most of his money from phone company Excel Communications, which he founded in 1988 and took public in 1996. Two years later, Troutt merged his company with Teleglobe in a $3.5 billion deal.
He’s now retired and invests heavily in racehorses.
Full story at Business Insider.
Photo credit: Fotolia
[…] It’s inspirational to read stories of folks who went from having nothing to having everything. I know it makes me feel better, like it’s possible that one day I’ll make it big. […]