SoftBank president Masayoshi Son dreamed of establishing a global IT business, but was told at age 26 that he had chronic hepatitis and was unlikely to live more than five years. Son devoured 4000 books while in the hospital and had a strong will to succeed. He recovered from his hepatitis and returned to work at age 29. After overcoming his ordeal, he quickly developed his business into the SoftBank of today.
Ju-yung Chung, the founder of Hyundai Motors, endured hardship at age 28 when his garage, A-do Service Garage, was forcibly merged by Japan. But he converted this experience for good, founding the Hyundai Group. He founded Hyundai based on the knowledge about cars he’d accumulated by age 31 and established Hyundai Civil Industries the following year. The Hyundai Group is now a multinational conglomerate.
