Who doesn't want to be a billionaire

Forbes magazine has just come out with its annual ritual- a list of the world's richest persons. I read this Billionaire issue for the first time ever.

Here are my top 10 observations from it.

1) You don't have to be born a billionaire to become one. A good proportion (28 of the top 50) are self-made billionaires. No inheritance. No silver spoon.  Whether it is someone like Bill Gates who everybody has heard of, or someone like Dilip Sanghvi who nobody outside of his industry in his country (pharma in India) has heard of, they represent the majority of the billionaires; those who came into the club through the dint of their own effort and enterprise.

2) Billionaires come from everywhere in the world. Not just the United States, Western Europe, China, India and Brazil. Even countries like Nepal, Guatemala, Guernsey have their billionaires. They come from megapolises, they come from the mid sized cities, they come from small towns.

3) You could be doing anything, as long as you are doing it well. You could be making software, offering financial advice, running a social network website, making medicines, creating video games, retailing, making chocolates, making chocolate spreads, brewing beer, dabbling in real estate, designing clothes, offering internet search services, running a casino, selling shoes. All of this can make you a billionaire.

4) There are some in their 20s, and some in their 90s. And everywhere in between. Age is indeed, just a number. Just like a number with nine zeroes is.

5) There are those who studied hard, those who dropped out of college. All kinds find a mention. Notable absentees- academicians and scientists. To a large extent, even sportspersons (save for a few exceptions like Michael Jordan ).

6) While there are largely natives, there are several immigrants as well. And children of immigrants ? Plentiful.

7) There are the flashy ones, the ones who everyone knows about and writes about. Holding their own are also those who go about making their dollars quietly. How many in France know Mohed Altrad ? Has anyone in India heard of Vivek Chaan Sehgal ? Or PNC Menon ? Altrad, an Arab of Syrian origin, runs his construction business in France. Sehgal is Australia's #9, through his auto parts business. Menon is #2 in Oman through his real estate business.

8) Billionaires have lots of problems which many can not even imagine. For one of them, writing the settlement cheque for his wife with whom he was getting divorced became a challenge, as the space on the cheque to write the amount proved insufficient. Parking problems for private jets at Davos are routinely encountered by many of our friends.

9) Billionaires spend money in different ways. Some donate billions to charity, like Warren Buffet. Some buy the most expensive house in Beverly hills  like Markus Persson. Some build a billion dollar house for the spouse.

10) The key insight for me is that no self-made billionaire started with an objective to become one. Rather, there has been a disproportionate amount of time and effort spent on doing things well, whatever they have been doing. And almost every one has believed in and had faith in whatever they were doing. So, doesn't matter where you are. Where you came from. How old you are. It would be worthwhile to do what you believe in, to do what you like to do. You might still not become a billionaire. But then, you might just. If you are doing what you love doing, it will not matter.
Go ahead.