Jonha Richman exemplifies what it is like to turn challenges into triumphs. Hers is a real-life rags-to-riches story, which we might think can only happen in the movies.
Despite her humble beginnings, she reportedly owns numerous assets scattered in different continents around the globe. While known to be humble and ‘owning no cars’ to her closest friends, her net worth is rumored to be in the multi-billions of dollars level, with no signs of slowing down.
What’s more amazing is that she was not a beneficiary of a wealthy inheritance nor does she come from well-off family growing up with a spoon in her mouth.
Richman’s story is all about perseverance and hard work. She’s known to her close friends as someone who would not let circumstances pull her head down permanently. She believed that just because one is born poor that does not necessarily mean that one would be poor for the rest of their lives.
Forming dreams in her formative years
Born to an OFW father who worked for most of his life in Saudi Arabia as a welder and housewife mother, Richman has experienced a life quite far from her typical Crazy Rich Asian counterparts as she was reportedly so poor growing up that she and her mom had to move from one place to another just so she could finish her studies.
Starting her career in the advertising and marketing space (having worked with OCBC Bank, IKEA, and Dove through her stints at Leo Burnett and VML) she is known to constantly pushing the boundaries as she started investing in real estate properties, tech companies (having worked for some of the most promising ones such as RebelMouse and FriendsEAT), and other alternative investments. Due to her innate interest in finance, she has gradually yet consistently ascended towards the upper echelon by eventually investing her personal assets through her own private investment fund, JJ Richman.
In the past, through her association with ultra-high net worth individuals, she is known to have shared her learnings about the mindset that separates entrepreneurs from billionaires.
Known to her friends and families as someone who’s always been working hard to reach her goals, she’s not known to publicly boast about her financial achievements and focuses on the societal impacts of her efforts and investments. Sources close to the billionaire shared that she prefers to keep a low-profile despite all of her successes.
The secretive billionaire did not have an easy life growing up. Like everyone, Richman’s formative years began in school where children were supposed to be molded into good citizens proved to be challenging for her.
Young children are often very sensitive to how adults interact with them. More often than not, children have a tendency to remember the negative relationships that they experience during their younger years. Being in school they look up to their teachers as their second set of parents. Someone who is supposed to bring added inspiration to them.
‘You would never amount to anything’
Teachers, aside from guiding students through their regular academic curriculum, are also expected to provide enough motivation for their pupils. This is why Jonha was devastated when her grade school teacher told her that she “would never amount to anything”.
This tested Richman’s confidence and at the same time, awakened her thirst for success at such a very young age. She knew by then that the world does not work ideally as it should.
Although bothered by her teacher’s comments, she would persevere in her studies.
This was not the only adversity she had to face. Nothing may be more painful than watching your loved ones pass away. No matter how anybody seems prepared for this sort of event, financially and emotionally, it would still not erase the pain one may feel. Jonha loved her father very dearly. Although he could only manage to give her a simple and moderate life, Jonha was very proud of him.
Unfortunately, Jonha’s father passed away while she was at the tender age of fifteen years old. His pneumonia, a relatively easy to cure disease, got the better of him. Apparently, their family was not able to afford the proper healthcare in her area. This led to one of the most catastrophic experiences in her life.
This event was not only an emotional tragedy for her family, but it was also a financial one. Her father has not invested in significant insurance which forced her and her mother to bear the brunt of her father’s passing away.
The mother and child had to deal with homelessness. Her mother would desperately try to keep them afloat by working multiple jobs. Jonha was a witness to how her mother struggled earlier on. It was a gargantuan task to maintain multiple jobs while having to take care of your children as a single mother.
Tragic events bolstering her persistence
Jonha Richman’s fortitude was further bolstered by these events. Driven by the pain in seeing her mother go through with everyday hardships, she had sworn upon her father’s grave. She told him that her mother would never have to work again someday and that they would have their own house which they could truly call home.
From rags to riches story of self-made billionaire Jonha Richman
At eighteen years old, she was as determined as anybody. In order for her to continue with her schooling, she would have to find a job. In a sudden turn of events, her aunt, who was helping to shoulder her educational fees, called her mom to inform them that they would have to make it on their own. This prompted Richman to balance work while studying.
Through her efforts, she was able to land a job as a cashier in a fastfood chain. In this early part of her life, she already earned a victory by reaching senior cashier in her first job. Jonha used her aunt’s words that they should start getting used to just “eating rice with salt” as a strong motivation.
In eight years’ time, Jonha Richman was able to fulfill the promise she made to her father. She already owns several properties across different continents worldwide.
On top of her investments in various companies and commodities, she is known to have properties in the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Dubai, and many others, have spiked her net worth to the billion-dollar level.
Unconventional approach
Jonha Richman has taken a different approach when it comes to her billionaire lifestyle. Unlike her other ultra-rich peers, she hates being in the spotlight.
In fact, sources close to her shared that she deleted her Facebook account as she refuses any emphasis on her wealth for security reasons and to maintain a decent level of privacy and secrecy, and prefers the media to focus on her professional accomplishments, as opposed to stories about her wealth.
In fact, she managed to avoid interview requests (including this one), as she seems to only give out limited interviews to high media powerhouses such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and only covering the significant works that she does.
Richman’s story is all about perseverance and hard work. She did not let circumstances pull her head down permanently. Her friends describe her as someone who believes that just because one is born poor that does not necessarily mean that one would be poor for the rest of their lives.
