We’ve all known or read about business tycoons, huge business owners, millionaires or billionaires who’ve made it big in their respective businesses but were actually college or high-school drop outs. Formal and proper education being important, there are still a few businesses you can start without a proper education.
We’ve known big names like Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Ansel Adams, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Bob Proctor, Charles Culpeper, Walt Disney and many others who were basically drop outs from school or college or didn’t receive any formal education. These big names have changed the conventional idea that only a proper education can land you to a big job or to start a business.
There are a number of big and small businesses, which you can start on your own without needing any formal education.
#1. Real Estate
The Real Estate industry is a huge business arena based mostly on excellent salesman skills and business centered mindset. You don’t need a proper, formal education to make it big in real estate market. A proper knowledge of land, property and anything related to it along with skills to convince people are some of the key skill you need for starting a real estate business.
We all know, Ty Warner, real estate investor, the developer of Beanie Babies, and hotel owner. TY Warner never completed his former education, but still made it big in the business of real estate. If you still want to get some basic awareness or looking for some extra knowledge related to this field, you can always opt for different real estate courses.
Once you enter the real estate industry people will not be asking you about what school you went to and what degree you hold all they’ll be interested in is your knowledge about property. There are many names that have made it big in this business and were either drop outs, never went for any proper education or had their degrees in other unrelated fields.
#2. Pest Control
The pest control industry may not be as big as real estate but like real estate you don’t need any former education to get started. Pest controlling is something that is required at both commercial and residential scale. For starting a pest control business all you need are some certificate courses related to pest knowledge and proper licensing related to pesticides and pest management.
We had a talk with Bob Carpenter, owner of B&C Pest Control, a pest controlling business. Bob Carpenter says, “It is not necessary to have formal education in the field of pest controlling.” B & C pest control is considered a trusted name throughout Central Florida. Pest Controlling is a technical field but a mind that grasps quick and extensive experience, is something that can make you big in this industry. The more you get to experience in this field, the more pro you become.
#3. Web Development
With the internet growing fast and technological upgrades making the news every day, the need for related businesses is growing. As the giant of world wide web grows bigger and bigger, we’ve also witnessed a growing demand of web designing and developing. The industry however, doesn’t necessarily need any proper or formal education to start a business. Some related courses and a tech savvy mind can help you start your own web developing business. We all know about many successful web developers who never received any proper education yet made it big in the development industry.
David Legget, of The Leggett was only 10 years old when he designed his first website. He then created a design blog called tutorial9, where he taught people, who were obviously older than him about photoshop and design. Although the kid does not own his own business so far and is working for Python Safety, but he still proved that a formal degree is not what you need to start your own business in web development.
#4. Carpentry
Carpentry may sound like a trade that requires skills and expertise. Yes, it does require skills and knowledge but nothing like a degree or a formal education. All you need to start your own carpentry business is to know your wood well. The business may not be considered as big as other businesses but it is something needed at very large scale. Carpentry is the kind of business that is never suffering from a downfall.
#5. Insurance Business
We have all heard about W. Clement Stone, the famous insurance business tycoon, also the founder of Success Magazine, started his own Insurance business at the age of 21 and was an elementary school dropout. He grew his business into a multi-millionaire without receiving any proper education related to the field. However, he later attended some college and a few night courses but never any formal education about insurance business.
The growing demand of insurance for things as important as: life, pension products, term and health, automobile, ownership, property, causality, and disability etc. has made the business grow in the past few years. People are always on the look-out for better insurance policies and companies offering reliable insurance. To start a business growing this big, all you need is proper licensing and expert salesman skills along with related knowledge about your field. This business doesn’t require you to have a proper degree but the motivation and dedication needed to start any business.
Where formal education has its own importance and need there are still many businesses you can start on your own without needing any degree. We all know that what you learn in the field is never similar or as beneficial as what is learnt in a classroom.
Images: ”A mortarboard and graduation scroll, tied with red ribbon, on a stack of old battered book with empty space to the left. Slightly undersaturated with vignette for vintage effect. / Shutterstock.com“
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