15 Inspirational Rags-To-Riches Stories

 

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Guy Laliberté ate fire on the streets before introducing Cirque du Soleil to the world

mission_canadaviaFlickr

The Canadian-born Laliberté began his circus career busking on the streets: playing accordion, walking on stilts and eating fire. He gambled by bringing a successful troupe from Quebec to the Los Angeles Arts Festival in 1987, with no return fare. The bet paid off, and the circus group was eventually brought to Las Vegas, where they became the world famous Cirque du Soleil we know today.
Today, Laliberté is the CEO of Cirque, a professional poker player and space tourist, with a total worth of $2.5 billion

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/rags-to-riches-stories-2011-11?op=1#ixzz20AMH9kp5