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Jennifer Lopez has one of the most recognisable faces in the world. As an artist in the entertainment industry she has had immeasurable success over the years, with numerous number one singles and albums all over the world and several film credits to her name. However, she is not given the credit she deserves for her entrepreneurial skills. Jennifer Lopez has certainly capitalised on her fame at every turn and has amassed a befitting fortune in the process. As such, she is an inspiration to people everywhere.

Growing Up In The Bronx

Jennifer Lopez was born in The Bronx, New York on July 24, 1969 to Puerto Rican parents. As one of the ethnic minorities that characterised the area at that time, it is no wonder that her parents struggled to make ends meet. Lopez and her siblings were often forced to go without as a result of the family’s desire to keep a roof above their heads. As such, Lopez was taught the value of money from an early age and developed an overwhelming urge to escape poverty.

Jennifer Lopez attended Preston High School and showed an early interest in the arts, which was nurtured by her teachers. After graduating from the all girls school, Lopez began to take acting and dance classes, all of which she financed herself by working several jobs to pay for them. Despite repeated auditions to be a dancer, she was rejected for almost all of them until she was finally selected as a dancer for her first music video in 1990. This was hardly the start the entrepreneur wanted but it paved her way into the music industry. 

The Show Business Years

Ambitious and determined to make it out of The Bronx, the budding entrepreneur danced in various videos and on shows for some years until she began to get roles in films in 1995. She had bit parts in various movies, including Money Train and Jack before landing a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Selena. From there the only way was up!

After breaking through in the music industry with hits like If You Had My Love and Ain’t It Funny and landing film roles in hits like Out Of Sight and The Wedding Planner, Jennifer Lopez was one of the most recognisable faces in the entertainment industry. She was most definitely on the A list of Hollywood celebrities but freely admitted to fearing the poverty that she lived in during her youth. Ever the entrepreneur, Lopez thought to capitalize on her fame by taking it one step further and lending her name, and her famous nickname (J-Lo) to a number of products.

JLO Exposed

As an entrepreneur, Lopez’s business sense was simply amazing given the timing of her foray into the business world and could not have come at a better time. It began in April 2002 with the opening of her own Cuban restaurant in Pasadena, California. At the time, anything that Jennifer Lopez lent her name to would automatically prosper and the restaurant certainly did. However, the food industry was not to be the only investment that Lopez would make that paid off.

2003 was a busy year for the entrepreneur. Se launched her own perfume and clothing line that year under the brand of JLO. She has actually marketed several perfumes with light and yet popular fragrances, all of which have been a roaring success. The clothing line has also proved to be popular as a result of the range of jeans, shirts, coats and accessories being marketed to young women. She chose her target audience well and the gamble paid off.

Another of her entrepreneurial ventures has also been a success. She currently owns her own film and television company, Nuyorican Productions. Despite the fact that she is currently taking time off as a result of the birth of twins, her investments and endorsements continue to earn her millions. As such, she is going from strength to strength as an entrepreneur rather than as an entertainer. This is why she will never revisit her childhood levels of poverty. The entrepreneur is an inspiration to young women everywhere and those living an impoverished life. If Jenny from the Block can do it, her message is that anyone can with a lot of hard work and ambition.