Most of the entrepreneurs I write about use business as a way to pursue their passions, whether it’s philanthropy, culture, sports or politics.
Sharon Osberg is the other way around. Her passion is playing bridge, a card game for math whizzes that led her into a rarefied world most others would kill to be a part of. Osberg parlayed a gift for the game into a series of business opportunities and high-powered “elephant bumping” that includes Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, billionaires whose net worths clock in at $74 billion and $90 billion, respectively. “Bridge is my world,” said Osberg, who lives in Marin County outside San Francisco. “Everything in my adult life is a result of bridge, one way or another.” Osberg even makes money from the game. She owns a piece of an online bridge company called Bridge Base that earns her a dividend and gives her a rooting interest in the game’s popularity. Indeed, she has been a bridge teacher and partner to both billionaires. Recently, she partnered with Gates — the founder of Microsoft — at a Toronto bridge tournament where they took second and then relaxed over a glass of wine and chips. Continue to reading: click here
