10 ideas that each made $100 million

These entrepreneurs took simple ideas and successfully converted them into booming businesses.

By Michelle Fox, CNBC.com

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94Comments
jholl99
Aug 1, 2012 9:34AM
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I wish people would quit using this forum to advertise their get-rich quick schemes or lonely hearts BS. Thats not what this is for.
ruth marburger (rm674)
Aug 1, 2012 12:14PM
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I want my share, it's not fair, what about me... me..  me.. me.. me. What would you do with" your share"? Feed the hungry children in the ghetto? I bet you want a hot tub and a fast car. I swear the coddling of American children has destroyed this country. I call it "spoiled brat syndrome". Yes, there are those better off than you, there always will be. Yes, things are corrupt that comes with power and money. If you want something you need to earn it. If there is injustice in the system that is where civil disobedience comes into play. You better educate yourself before you wreck yourself.
Whitcopocvon
Aug 1, 2012 1:44PM
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Positive and constructive attitudes bring unbelievable success.  Whining negativism and jealousy brings miserable failure.  You Decide!!!
Poorhouse
Aug 1, 2012 9:08AM
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If life is so lonely get off the internet and go out and meet someone.
BillyJack55
Aug 1, 2012 12:55PM
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Just because I use our government infrastructure to sell & transport my products doesn't mean that I owe my success to the government.

 

I helped build that very infrastructure......​..HELLO

 

The only people that believe that bull sh_t are the lazy & lame....and probably the liberals.

ribqueen
Jun 11, 2012 4:02PM
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limit profit??????? you live on the wrong side of the Ocean......
Thomas Redfoot (Lt190)
Aug 1, 2012 9:54AM
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I sure hope that none of these "rich" people used a venture capital firm like Bain Capital to build their business. That would just add insult to injury. I am amazed at the ignorance of some posters. The companies here didn't need to screw anyone. They took a risk. If any of you hate the rich folks had any idea how many attics and garages are filled with someone's idea that didn't work you would understand what risk really is.
bulldog17
Aug 1, 2012 9:56AM
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But wait, according to our President (who never held a non-political job in his life) these people didn't do it by themselves, they had most of their help from the government. So according to Obama they government made them rich.
Fanden
Aug 1, 2012 1:17PM
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I designed the RED flashing LED in 1973 and mounted it on my dad's car fender as a cheap burglar alarm/deterent. I submitted my ideas to Mechanic's Illustrated. A month later they had 14 versions of it for sale in the back of the magazine.

 

What I later learned is as an inventor, your first 20 ideas are your best money makers, and your first 30 ideas are stolen. Until you get a legal team including a slew of highly-paid patent lawyers you will never make any money inventing things. Edison stole all his ideas from his technicians and sold them for big profit. His techs made minimum wage. Ah, America.

XDUMOCRAT
Aug 1, 2012 12:10PM
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So these people have an idea, make a product that people want. Create jobs to supply the public with these products, become successful and now they are whats wrong with this country according to progressives. Now thats forward thinking. Either the gov. is out of control with spending, borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spends, or we blame the rich for big spending gov. and try to take their money before they invent more producys that create more jobs.  Damn democrats, cant even tell you the real meaning of thanksgiving. It has to do with a bounty from capitalism after dropping socialism. Now why would the teachers union lie about that ? HHMMM?

BillyJack55
Aug 1, 2012 12:48PM
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I'm going into the generator business in India.
FTC
Aug 1, 2012 1:08PM
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Here is what blows me away.  An article about folks with good ideas and drive to follow through, (along with guts), and the forum here is littered with losers trolling to pimp dating and penny stock sites.  I suppose there is a sucker or two born every minute, it just took the internet to bring them out in the open.

 

The "lonely" ladies looking to separate a wealthy fellow from his wallet, probably some 50 year old lard **** hoping to make a fraction of a penny on some click-through advertising scam.

 

Some revolutionary idea about trying to drive folks to a pump-n-dump penny stock scam?

 

Is that really the best we are capable of anymore?  Is that really the new capitalism, regardless of which direction your political flag waves?

 

Grow up and get to work folks, or get ready to take lessons in speaking Chinese...

ruth marburger (rm674)
Aug 1, 2012 11:45AM
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I am astounded at the hypocrisy in this forum. I bet  any of you would cash in with out a second thought, if you ever had a good idea. I think maybe if you try making changes in your own life to make things better around you and your community (think  locally ) you may start feeling  less bitter. Perhaps you may even see how action is stronger than words i.e. stop bitchin' and do something about it. Also if you think a company is doing bad business then you start a boycott. But, do your research no one is going to follow a ranting idiot.


Herkie perckie
Aug 1, 2012 11:12AM
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did you guys ever thought of thinking maybe they do share the wealth? maybe they give to thier church and to charieties! I think before you point fingers you should really know yopur facts!!! And the gov funding is for all who needs it, that is the reason we pay taxes, ans if you guys are so hard up and mad at the world because some one had a great idea and actually made something of it! then shame on and get off your butt and make an business yourself and see what people have to say about you!!! Seriously
patsfan01
Aug 1, 2012 11:19AM
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Leave it to MSN to call these people "lucky". How about hard work, taking a risk, failing, then doing it again. This is the "what about me, that's not fair" generation, perpetrated by the left. The more people on the public dole, the more votes (i.e. power) they have. Sickening, really. What happens when the money runs out? Oh ya, you have Europe. How's that working out for ya?
michael paz
Aug 1, 2012 10:44AM
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America has always been the Land of Opportunity. Now Obama and his SOCIALIST/COMMUNIST quislings want Guaranteed Success - without work, intelligence, risk etc. Maybe that's the culture of his heritage (African-Indonesian)​ but it's NOT the culture that made America great. That goes for Rahm Emanuel and Bloomberg too who want to tell mothers whether to breast feed and people how much soda to drink and want a politically correct litmus test for chicken cookers. And, of course, all the lazy losers and ghetto rats looking for a free ride support him.
La-Fan33
Jun 11, 2012 1:43PM
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Hard times are coming? Where have you been?
Someone (KYBLUETRUE)
Aug 1, 2012 2:02PM
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Well according to Obama, they really did nothing at all. They didn't do it. They did not build these ideas. Someone else did it for them...
yourkarma
Aug 1, 2012 10:30AM
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Their successes weren't due to their creativity, the research, the capital, the work they put into their businesses.  Their successes are due to the roads they drove on.
Ernest Murdock
Aug 1, 2012 10:46AM
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According to the President these people who made a 100 mllion dollars didn't make it by themselves they didn't start their companies with their own money or took a "RISK". According to the President they had govenment help, which of course is wrong. These people to a chance and became entrepreneurs. But according to the President's administration they had ti get help from some where. These "entrepreneurs" are not going to spread the wealth like the President wants them to do. These are the people that the President thinks are not paying their fair share of taxes, But in reality they are paying more in taxes. I saw a political ad yesterrday of a candidate who is runing for the senate in Massachusetts saying rhe same words the Preident used about people who have started their own business. Later I found out that same candidate retrached her words. These are the very same people who believe that people who take their own money and take a risk feel they need the government's help. Which is not so, these very same people who think these  are poeple who have never held a real job and have always lived on the dole. These are what I call politicial WEALFARE RECIPIENTS they always find a government job so they don't have to work in the real world. If you are an entrepreneur I would spread the wealth around for which you have worked so hard to get.
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