I recently sat down with Rashaun L. Williams, the newest guest Shark on ABC Shark Tank, whose life story shows that anyone can learn how to build wealth from nothing — even without connections or privilege. His journey from Chicago’s South Side to private equity success proves that financial freedom starts with mindset, discipline, and taking action.
Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Williams said,
“We could literally see the Sears Tower from 88 blocks south. Imagine seeing something for 16 years but feeling like it’s so far away you might never touch it.”
That view became symbolic of his life. He could see what success looked like — he just needed to find a way to reach it.
Start With What You Have
Williams knows what it feels like to go without.
“Money was a painful experience growing up — winters with no heat, no food,” he said. “I became obsessed with figuring it out and then giving that knowledge away.”
Those early years taught him resilience — the foundation of how to build wealth from nothing.
“If you pray for patience, you’ll be tested,” he said. “The same goes for money. When you don’t have it, you learn what it really means.”
He says the key to building wealth isn’t just earning more — it’s learning to see opportunity differently.
Invest in Yourself First
When he was 12, Williams witnessed the death of his best friend. That moment changed his life.
“I wanted to get out, but I didn’t know how,” he said.
A new principal encouraged him to use what he already had.
“He told me, ‘Rashaun, you’re street smart. If you combine that with book smarts, you can get out of here.’”
Williams listened. He applied for more than 100 scholarships and won 17, giving him enough to cover college and still have money left over.
“That’s how I started investing,” he said. “Those scholarship refund checks — I put them into dot-com stocks in the late ’90s.”
His mother also gave him a book that changed everything — Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? by Reginald Lewis, one of Wall Street’s first Black billionaires.
“She wrote inside the cover, ‘This will be you one day, son,’” Williams said. “She didn’t know what private equity was — and 30 years later, that’s what I ended up doing.”
Create Your Own Access
Williams’ first big break came when he decided not to wait for permission.
“They said, ‘You’re not on the list,’ and I said, ‘I know, but I want to work here,’” he said. “They gave me an interview — and I got the job.”
That bold decision set the tone for the rest of his career.
“No one is coming to save you financially,” Williams said. “You have to create your own access. That means saving aggressively, learning how investing works and taking calculated risks.”
His story proves that understanding how to build wealth from nothing often starts with showing up — even when no one expects you to.
Redefine What Wealth Really Means
Williams has invested in companies including Coinbase, Robinhood, Dropbox, and Casper, but when he talks about wealth, it’s not about money — it’s about stability.
“I wasn’t chasing money,” he said. “I was chasing stability.”
After being evicted four times in high school, he learned that wealth is about more than income or status.
“Wealth is knowing you can pay the bills, build a cushion and pass something on to your kids,” he said. “If you’re stable, you can dream. If you’re not, you’re just surviving.”
Through the Kemet Institute, he now helps families build that kind of foundation — from opening investment accounts for their children to helping first-time workers understand their 401(k) plans.
“Helping someone open their first account or max out a 401(k) — that’s how generational wealth begins,” he said.
The Real Path to Building Wealth From Nothing
Williams’ story shows how to build wealth from nothing isn’t about where you start — it’s about how you think, what you learn, and the action you take.
From investing scholarship refund checks to creating his own access in finance, he proved that wealth isn’t inherited — it’s built.
“The difference between surviving and thriving,” he said, “is knowing how money works — and using it to work for you.”
That’s the foundation of how to build wealth from nothing — learning the rules, staying consistent, and believing that your starting point doesn’t define your destination.