Robert Herjavec started from the bottom and his worked his way to the top where he says he is ‘living the American Dream’.

Herjavec is a Croatian Born, Canadian businessman, TV personality, author and investor.

Robert Herjavec’s Early Life

After being born in Croatia (formerly Yugoslavia) Herjavec’s family emigrated to Canada when he was eight years old. He really did start from the bottom when the Herjavec family arrived to Canada aboard the Cristoforo Colombo in 1970 with only one, solitary suitcase. The family finally made a base in the basement of a family friends house in Toronto.

Herjavec obtained a degree in English Literature and Political Science from New College at the University of Toronto. In an effort to provide support to his mother and father, Herjavec took several low paid jobs including Newspaper delivery, waiting tables and working in retail.

Herjavec’s first career path was in film production, working in TV and Film as well as being the Field Producer for the Winter Olympics in Bosnia and Herzegovina where he was one of the youngest producers present.

Robert Herjavec’s estimated net worth is $100 Million.

Robert Herjavec’s Business Career

When Herjavec found himself in between production gigs he would always be looking for extra work. He became aware of an opening at Logiquest, a computer startup selling IBM mainframe emulation boards. Herjavec had to talk his way into getting the job because he was under-qualified for the position. He did this by offering to work for six months for free to prove his worth. To be able to make his rent during this period Herjavec worked evenings as a waiter.

After successfully earning the right to work full-time at Logiquest, Herjavec eventually became General Manager and left to found BRAK Systems, an Integrator of security software in the year 2000. He ran this business from the basement of his home and built it up to a point where it was sold to AT&T for $100 Million.

“What is great about entrepreneurship is that entrepreneurs create the tangible from the intangible.” – Robert Herjavec

After the sale of BRAK Systems, Herjavec took three years off to focus on bringing up his three children. Then, in 2003, he founded the Herjavec Group, a security solutions integrator, reseller and managed service provider.  The company has become one of Canada’s fastest growing tech companies, moving from 3 employees to 150 employees in ten years.  The Group’s sales in 2003 were $400,000, rising to more than $120 Million in less than a decade. These achievements mean that the Herjavec Group has been recognised with many awards Nationally and Internationally.

Robert Herjavec The TV Personality

Herjavec has played a starring role in two versions of Dragons’ Den, one in Canada and the USA version called Shark Tank. Both shows feature budding entrepreneurs pitching for investment in their business. The Canadian version proved to be one of most watched, highest rated shows in the country and the USA version has estimated viewing figures in excess of 7 Million people.  Herjavec continues to build his personal brand through multiple TV appearances varying from The Queen Latifah Show, to Entertainment Tonight to MTV Cribs.

Robert Herjavec The Author

Herjavec has written two best-selling books; Driven: How to Succeed in Business and Life &The Will to Win: Leading, Competing, Succeeding.  In his first book, Driven, he outlines the business and life principles that made him successful. His second book, The Will To Win, offers life lessons that aim to guide the reader to a life of greater success and happiness.

“Successful businesspeople retain a quality most others not only lack but often fail to comprehend, and that’s the unrelenting drive to convert a vision into reality. They are driven to realize this goal in a manner that appears to defy logic among others who lack this drive.” – Robert Herjavec

Robert Herjavec’s Advice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo1VGEtHzK0

Conclusion

Robert Herjavec has a true rags to riches story that can inspire all of us. It is clear that he was prepared to work as much and as hard as possible to get to where he wanted to be in life. From humble beginnings he has been able to create a nine figure net worth.

Ask yourself, what could you achieve if you prepared to put in the necessary work?