When you think of celebrities, you probably think of movie stars. However, celebrities are just famous people who can have any profession. Most of them happen to be actors and musicians, but it’s not like you cannot get famous for wrangling a crocodile or jumping off a cliff. These are the 10 celebrities who became entrepreneurs.
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Most of the time, it just happens to end up on television. Almost all celebrities dabble in the entrepreneurship side of fame, especially when it is handed to them; however, there are some that do it better than others, in spite of the crap they are selling sucking. You thought rich and famous people did not want to get richer? These are some of the biggest stars who became business professionals. Of course, this includes the help of their money for a good cause or bad. What famous people decide to branch out after becoming famous? I’m going to be listing the 10 celebrities who became entrepreneurs.
The 10 Amazing Celebrities Who Became Entrepreneurs
1. Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher is an American actor, producer and entrepreneur who was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1978. You probably know him from That Seventies Show and cult hit Dude, Where’s My Car, but he has branched out into venture capital and is considered one of Time Magazine’s most influential people. It seems like all of those B movies have paid off, especially if you are making your own apps and companies.
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Kutcher has invested in apps such as AirBnB, Uber, Flexport, Brex, Robinhood, Bird, Airtable and Affirm. He is also the co-founder of two companies, A-Grade Investments and Sound Ventures and Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children. Thorn is an app that helps drive the use of technology that can stop the sexual exploitation of children. Now, where did I leave my car?
2. George Clooney
George Clooney is a American film actor, director, producer, screenwriter and philanthropist who was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1961. Now, when you think of Clooney, you think of a guy with taste, right? Well, the cool dude with gray hair also decided to invest in his own tequila company Casamigos Tequila, along with co-founder Rande Gerber. Since they are nice guys, the two decided that they were not out to make dinero from the company, so they decided to sell it to Diageo for as much as 1 billion dollars. All we need now is a Doctor Evil voice over to finish this paragraph out.
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Clooney and Gerber decided to become entrepreneurs and make this company when vacationing at their luxurious vacations homes in Mexico. They decided to try a bunch of different kinds of tequila out and became inspired to make their own. It was then when they decided that it was just to be exclusively shared among friends and family. After two years they decided to branch out to the public market. Afterwards, the business blew up and they were rich son-of-a-guns ever since, and who would have guessed? Afterwards, Gerber and Clooney came to the conclusion that it should be sold because of having too many other priorities among the two of them, and so they decided to sell it for a billion bucks.
The 10 Amazing Celebrities Who Became Entrepreneurs
3. Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg is an American actor, producer and restaurateur who was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1971. Beyond the adolescent racism and New Kids On The Block side show in his teens and early twenties, he decided to branch out into underwear. After wearing tighty whities, the goofy little guy decided to jump straight into acting. If he wasn’t bathing in the bucks enough, he decided to become entrepreneurial to knock another one off the bucket list and invest in his own restaurant. Now he is a real celebrity, and according to Forbes, raking in nearly 70 million dollars a year.
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Wahlberg is now considered a savvy investor and entrepreneur, helping run his family’s fast food chain Wahlburgers. He is not only the co-founder of the burger joint, but also AQUAhydrate, a water company co-owned by Sean Combs. In addition to these lovely ventures, Wahlberg has created his own supplement company called Performance Inspiration Nutrition, and he also holds a minority stake in Australian Fitness Franchise F45 Training. Anything else, whattaburger boy?
4. Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk is an American professional skateboarder and entrepreneur who was born in San Diego, California in 1968. Not only did he become famous for his killer moves on the skateboard, but he is also the owner of his own company brand of skateboards and ramps named Birdhouse. He is essentially a brand restricted trademark by namesake alone, so maybe he owns himself and his name, or not…? Not only is his name synonymous with skateboarding, he is synonymous with video games, too. Remember the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series published by Activision? He’s also created a branding empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Hawk mentioned that he needed to become an entrepreneur to save face and his life. You begin to start questioning if the guy did not come from some business as a cardboard cutout. Was he an entrepreneur from the get go, and is this skateboard thing all just a clever play, or was it all just thrown into place this fast? He has mentioned that he did have some dark times, including signing a bad licensing deal before learning the tricks of the trade. On top of his other entrepreneurial accomplishments, Hawk runs a SiriusXM show, a Kohl’s signature clothing line, action figures.
The 10 Amazing Celebrities Who Became Entrepreneurs
5. Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham is an English singer, fashion designer, and television personality who was born in Essex, England in 1974. She came to fame when she was one of the singers in the Spice Girls, an English pop group formed in 1994. Beckham is married to famed English football star David Beckham, and she took on the family name.
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She also decided to become an entrepreneur in her own right and created a fashion line back in 2008. This was to show the world just how star studded she had become, being worth a whopping 300 million dollars. Her eponymous but low-key fashion business includes all sorts of fashion wear, including dresses, luxury handbags, eyewear, and fragrances with annual sales of almost $50 million. In the cutthroat “fashion” industry, Beckham is considered a pioneer and was considered the top entrepreneur of 2014. Well, does that not sound thrilling!
6. LeBron James
LeBron James is an American NBA professional basketball player, businessman and entrepreneur who was born in Akron, Ohio in 1984. James rose to fame as an NBA athlete and is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. At this point, it kind of makes sense why these guys create businesses, considering they are athletes and all.
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So, where do we begin? He has a docuseries on ESPN, movie deals like Space Jam 2, high value investments in Blaze Pizza, and more. James also founded a social media and editorial platform called Uninterrupted that received investments from Warner Bros. Along with lifelong friend Maverick Carter he created a SpringHill Entertainment, a production company that already has over a dozen films and TV projects in development. James founded a public school, I Promise School, which offers free tuition to the University of Akron for every student who graduates. Lastly, he interacts with STEM initiatives at the University of Akron.
The 10 Amazing Celebrities Who Became Entrepreneurs
7. Sophia Vergara
Sofia Vergara is a Colombian actress, producer and model who was born in Barranquilla, Colombia in 1972. Vergara, along with her business partner Luis Balaguer, started their own marketing firm called Latin World Entertainment in Miami in 1998. It grew from being a basic talent agency to a licensing, marketing, production and new-media powerhouse for Latino talent and projects.
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This led to some other business ventures involving clothing lines, her Sofia Vergara Lifestyle Brand, Kmart, various deals and endorsements with AT&T, Diet Pepsi, Cover Girl, Head & Shoulders, and so on. Afterwards, she had her named tied to a furniture line for Rooms to Go and a jewelry line for Kay Jewelers. Lastly, she donates proceedings from her underpants collection to the Seven Bar Association, a non-profit founded by Renata Black. Seven Bar Foundation offers microfinance programs for women across the globe to start their own business.
8. Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon is an American actress, producer and entrepreneur who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1976. Witherspoon is the founder of her own companies Hello Sunshine, a content production company. She also runs a Southern lifestyle and fashion brand, Draper James. With all of the talks of fashion, you begin to wonder if you fit in. She is also the storyteller-in-chief at Elizabeth Arden, Inc., a skincare and fragrance company, among many other projects. As you can tell, these actors are really branching out.
The 10 Amazing Celebrities Who Became Entrepreneurs
9. Shaun White
Shaun White is an American professional and multi Olympic gold medal winning snowboarder, skateboarder and musician; he was born in San Diego, California in 1986. Beyond the typical intro, this surfer bro has received many endorsements as an entrepreneur since he was just 14 years old. This is also including his boys clothing line. These other endorsements include Burton Snowboards, Oakley Inc., Birdhouse Skateboards, Park City Mountain Resorts, Target Corporation, Red Bull, HP, Ubisoft, Adio, and American Express.
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Don’t you just love the marketing spirit? White branched out into a little acting serving as a cameo in a few TV series and films. Among them is the cartoon series American Dad. He also collaborated on branding with Oakley and Burton, including his clothing line WHT Space. White also has video games Shaun White Snowboarding and Shaun White Skateboarding, and has a cameo in others. He works closely with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Boys & Girls Club and Target House. Additionally, his mother runs Shaun White Enterprises, a business helping White with insurance, philanthropy, and entrepreneurial endeavors.
10. Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is a former NBA professional basketball player who was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1963. Along with being considered the greatest basketball player of all time, he is known for business orientation. He is known for his entrepreneurial business endeavors as well. Starting out, he is majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a professional basketball team out of Charlotte, NC. This is one of the things that has helped him become the first NBA billionaire. He also still receives corporate sponsors from Nike, Gatorade, Hanes undies, Upper Deck, 2K Sports, Presbyterian Healthcare and Five Star Fragrances.
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Remember those Air Jordan brands? Jordan even has his own restaurants, a car dealership, and Motorsports team named Michael Jordan Motorsports. His Jordan Brand from Nike is responsible for most of this earnings, which include all sorts of performance and lifestyle products. Jordan also receives additional endorsements from companies ranging from Gatorade to McDonald’s, among many. Lastly, Jordan raises money for various causes, including Make-A-Wish foundation, and he runs an annual celebrity invitational golf tournament to raise money. Talk about an endless profile.
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