Billionaire Stephen Ross Claims Getting Fired Was The Best Thing To Ever Happen To Him

Of course, not everybody who’s been let go from two consecutive jobs, as Ross was early in his career, is in a position to borrow ten grand from his mother, as he did. But after getting the boot from securities brokerage firm Laird and then again from Bear Stearns, he did just that and made the most of it, starting up his own real estate company, The Related Companies. That was in 1972, and Ross quickly found he had a knack for the work: It hasn’t necessarily been a steady climb for Ross since then, despite his success in real estate. He says that when the real estate market crashed in the early 1990s, he had to get creative about ways to save his business: The plan worked, and now Ross has at least $50 million in real estate holdings to his name. He also serves as chairman of the board at Equinox and owns the Miami Dolphins. All of which, possibly, wouldn’t be true if he hadn’t lost two jobs in quick succession, way back when.