1. Pete Best, The Beatles
Pete Best, who unfortunately went down in history as “the fifth Beatle”, was the original drummer for the unknown band who was replaced with Ringo Starr before they became an international sensation. Maybe it didn’t work out so bad for him after all….
2. Roy Wayne, Apple
We all know Steves Jobs and Wozniak, but who is Roy Wayne? He’s the poor guy who sold his shares in the budding company for a measly $800 back in 1976. Those shares would be worth a cool $35 billion today if he’d hung onto them…
3. Roy Raymond, Victoria’s Secret
When Roy Raymond sold his store for $4 million to Leslie Wexner, he thought he was getting a bargain. Little did he know that within two years, Victoria’s Secret would be worth $500 million. Months later, Raymond jumped to his death.
4. John Spinello, Operation
John Spinello created the much loved game Operation while he was a student at the University of Illinois over 50 years ago. Spinello sold the game for $500, which went on to earn over $40 million in sales since 1965. Spinello never saw any of that money and ended up needing to crowdfund money to pay for medical bills.
5. Richard and Maurice McDonald, McDonalds
The McDonald brothers spent their entire careers trying to make it in the restaurant business, and eventually found the winning formula that transformed the fast food industry forever. In 1954, their decision to partner with Ray Kroc would ultimately lead to worldwide success, but also to an unfortunate deal that left the brothers with virtually nothing compared to current profits.
6. Nolan Bushnell, Apple
In 1976 businessman Nolan Bushnell, the founder of both Atari and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza, was approached by Steve Jobs to invest in Apple. The offer on the table was $50,000 for one third of the company. Bushnell is famously quoted as saying “I was so smart, I said no. It’s kind of fun to think about that…when I’m not crying.” Apple’s current market cap is north of $600 billion, making one third of the company worth over $200 billion.
7. John Antioco, Netflix
In 2000, Blockbuster was the undisputed champion of the home video rental industry. That same year, Netflix, was a struggling dvd-by-mail startup looking to raise money for their online movie streaming service. Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, met with Blockbuster CEO, John Antioco, and offered to let video giant buy Netflix for a mere $50 million dollars. According to Hastings, he was literally laughed out of the meeting. In 2013, Blockbuster closed down the last of its stores while Netflix’s current market cap is around 95 billion dollars.
8. Lacey Chabert, Family Guy
Did anyone notice when the voice of Meg on the Family Guy just randomly changed? Voice actress Lacey Chabert played the daughter we all love to hate for the first two seasons before quitting to focus on other work. Nowadays, Mila Kunis makes around $200,000 per episode as her replacement.
Bonus: Dodged a Bullet – Mark Wahlberg, New Kids On The Block
Marky Mark quit NKOTB before they really blew up and paved the way for countless boy bands to come…but don’t feel too sorry for him! Mark Wahlberg became a successful actor in his own right and is now the most successful Wahlberg of the bunch. It’s safe to say he’s fared much better than his fellow ex-boy band stars.