Great success often starts small. In fact, numerous massive businesses were launched in university dorm rooms, apartments, and garages of their founders. Success is rarely instant. It is a long journey full of questions and doubts. In the beginning, people face uncertainty, rejection, and failure.

However, many success stories show that it is important to move forward and keep trying. The key is to think big and believe in your idea. Even if you are not sure it is going to work. Even if you are scared. Every try makes you progress because it gives you the experience to learn from. This is how you develop the mindset that allows you to grow.

College years are a wonderful time to give a start to your own success story. While still a student, you can try different things and learn who you are and what you want to pursue. If you think that it is impossible with your hectic schedule, just delegate some assignments to a write an essay for me service. It will save you a lot of time to move toward your goals. Be bold and dive into your passions together with your like-minded peers. If you are looking for inspiration, take a look at our list of eight inspiring success stories.

1.   Arianna Huffington

The author of 15 books, founder of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global, and influential businessperson. These are only part of Arianna Huffington’s achievements. Yet, was her way to success that easy? You might be surprised to know that one of her early books was rejected 36 times even though her debut work was successful. In the gubernatorial race of 2003, she got a ridiculous 0.55 percent of the vote. These failures prepared Arianna Huffington to succeed in her future pursuits and become the powerful woman she is today.

2.   Stephen King

Everyone read or at least heard about The Shining, The Green Mile, and The Shawshank Redemption. These are bestselling books authored by Stephen King. His name speaks for itself. He is a king of horror and suspense. Stephen King published more than 60 novels and sold millions of copies globally. To reach success, he had to deal with anxiety and depression as well as drinking problems. He also had trouble finding a job and believing in his talent.

3.   Steven Spielberg

Cinematography fascinated Steven Spielberg from a young age. He started to make his first short films when still a teen. However, Spielberg was rejected by his first-choice film schools. Later, he entered the industry as an unpaid intern and was not even included in the credits of the movies he edited. Spielberg’s first film Amblin was also a failure. Yet, step by step, he grew to become a world-famous director, screenwriter, and producer who created Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and Indiana Jones series.

4.   Fredrik Backman

Swedish writer and columnist, Fredrik Backman, is a best-selling author whose books are read and loved globally. Yet, his outstanding novel, A Man Called Ove, was turned down and ignored by publishers many times. It was thought to have no commercial potential. Backman’s story shows that not all ideas get a positive response immediately. Several years later, his novel sold 840,000 copies in his native country and 2.8 million copies worldwide. The story about a 59-year-old widower also got a film adaptation and found fans all over the world.

5.   Sara Blakely

Time ranks her among the world’s most influential people. According to Forbes, she is the 93rd most powerful woman. Sara Blakely founded Spanx having only $5,000 of her savings. Before that, she failed her LSAT, worked in a polyester spacesuit at Disney World, and sold fax machines for seven years. The simple idea of cutting the feet off her pantyhose grew into a business that made her the youngest female billionaire.

6.   Michael Dell

Michael Dell founded Dell when still a student at the University of Texas. Back then, his business was called PCs Limited. It was a small company that offered customized computers. The service started to attract more and more customers and became popular in no time. At some point, Dell was the world’s largest PC manufacturer. If you want to know more about Michael Dell’s impressive success and find ideas for your business, you can read his book Direct from Dell: Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry.

7.   Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey is a co-founder of Twitter and a founder of Square. He introduced the idea of microblogging, which outlined an important milestone in the history of blogging. However, Twitter was perceived by people as something useless at first. Furthermore, the team faced another challenge soon after the launch: they ran out of money. Yet, none of the obstacles can stop people who believe that their idea has great potential. A year after the launch, Twitter started to gain popularity and billions of visits each month.

8.   Radhika Jones

Radhika Jones is an editor of Vanity Fair. She holds a degree in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from leading American universities. Radhika Jones worked for The New York Times, Time, and The Paris Review. Heading Vanity Fair, she gave the magazine a new direction, creating much more than a fashion magazine. Now it addresses cultural, political, and social phenomena. Vanity Fair also celebrates diversity, featuring people of color and their stories more than ever. It is also worth mentioning that Radhika Jones is the first person of color to lead the magazine.

8 Inspiring Success Stories for Students

Positive Words Research – 8 Inspiring Success Stories for Students