rugrunner, it’s true that Bill Gates III was scrambling for money to get started. He needed $100,000 at that time and went to his dad, but Gates II turned him down but instead worked with him to write a formal business proposal to raise money.
Now you have to understand that 100 grand is like pocket change to the Gates (even back then), Gates III’s personal trust fund (which he couldn’t access at that time due to preset age requirement) alone was worth millions. The reason his dad didn’t want to give him the money, because he wanted to make it a learning process, boy he sure did learned well!
So his dad flew with him to NYC (any bank in the west coast would have granted the loan right away upon seeing his last name), they were turned down several times before finally getting a loan.
I think the younger Bill owes a lot of his success to his dad. How many rich dads will go that kind of length (the loan was just an example) for their son? I mean he could instead take the same “business trip” with a young mistress!
Gates III turned out to be a great family man (married average looking girl, without prenup, 3 kids, no affairs) just like his dad- another not so “average” quality.
His partner, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen came from a much more “average” family, coattailed Billy to became the third richest men in America while exhibited much more “average” American lifestyle.