ESPN’s Pat McAfee Earned $1,500 in Poker Winnings to Get to the NFL and 3 More Surprising Success Stories

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Success isn’t always about strategy and long-term planning. Sometimes, it requires a little financial risk — and perseverance — to go from practically nothing to major success. At least, that’s what the success stories of some people who are now major household names and brands go to show.

From Pat McAfee to Sarah Blakely, these are some of the most surprising success stories of people who used money to start their financial success.

Pat McAfee and the NFL

If you’re a football fan, you’ve probably heard of Pat McAfee, but what you might not know is that his path to the NFL started with a game of poker.

Back in 2005, the World Series of Poker was hugely popular. Like many others, McAfee learned to play the game in hopes of making it big — as many others seemed to do. But in reality, any meager earnings mostly went toward smaller things, like lunches.

When he was still in high school, McAfee received a phone call about a kicking contest in Florida. It was going to be a college showcase, and a huge opportunity for him.

But the cost to get there was about $1,500, a sum McAfee’s family couldn’t afford. Wanting to prove he could come up with the money himself, he got $100 from a friend, took part in an underground poker game, and came out with $1,400.

McAfee’s dad gave him the final $100 he needed to go to the showcase, which he won and got him a scholarship to West Virginia. From there, he went on to a highly successful career in the NFL and beyond — all because of a hope and a financial risk.

James Dyson and the Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

Dyson bagless vacuum cleaners are a major household item, but you might not know the story of their inventor, James Dyson.

Born in 1947, Dyson grew up in a household with two siblings, a mother, and a father. When he was nine years old, his father passed away of prostate cancer, leaving the family penniless.

Despite the rough start, Dyson went on to study furniture, fine art, interior design, and then engineering. In 1970, he began experimenting with different ideas. His first real invention was the Ballbarrow — essentially a wheelbarrow with a ball rather than a wheel. After some minor success there, he continued to invent more things.

At some point, Dyson purchased a vacuum cleaner with a non-reusable bag that frequently lost suction and got clogged. Using his previous invention, the Ballbarrow, he began searching for ways to improve the appliance. Over the course of several years and over 5,000 prototypes — and with support from his wife’s art teacher salary — he finally invented the first cyclonic vacuum cleaner, the G-Force cleaner.

While most manufacturers rejected his invention, primarily because it would have upset the market for replacement dust bags, he nonetheless persevered and ultimately found his way to success. By 2005, Dyson cleaners had become one of the most popular options in the United States — both in value and number of units sold.

Sara Blakely and Spanx

You’ve probably heard of the shapewear company, Spanx, but did you know that it came about because its creator — Sara Blakely — wanted to get rid of the panty lines that showed through her $98 pair of light-colored slacks?

So, how did it all start?

It began in 1998. Back then, Blakely was going around selling fax machines — and had been for the seven years after graduating college. She had $5,000 to her name and no real plan beyond wanting to get her footless, pantyhose-shapewear off the ground.

None of the hosiery mills she contacted wanted to get involved, but Blakely persisted and, eventually, decided to patent her idea. But getting that patent was going to cost between $3,000 and $5,000 — basically her entire savings — so she decided to patent it herself.

Eventually, she got a call from a mill owner in Charlotte, North Carolina who was willing to help make her idea come true. Skip ahead a little and Spanx has become a popular — and highly lucrative — household brand. In 2012, Blakely was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the youngest female, self-made billionaires.

Chris Zane and Zane’s Cycles

Chris Zane is another unlikely success story, but one that’s worth knowing. Back in 1981 when he was just 16 years old, Zane got his first job at a small bike store in Connecticut. As an avid cyclists, this was a dream come true — until the recession caused the owner to close his business.

Zane didn’t let that get him down, though. While having next to nothing of his own, he took a risk and borrowed $23,000 from his grandfather to buy that same bike store, renaming it Zane’s Cycles. Despite the economy being what it was, he spent the next 30 years building that business into one of the state’s most successful bike stores — all because of his generous grandfather and a dream.

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