Nido R. Qubein, born in Jordan in 1948, moved to the United States in 1966 with limited English and $50. He attended Mount Olive College before transferring to High Point University, graduating in 1970.
He earned a Master of Science in business education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1973. Early in his career, Qubein started a newsletter, Adventures with Youth, and built business partnerships in banking, real estate, publishing, and retail.