The people who make it big usually are no different than anyone else, just a bit more daring and a bit more creative. When they see the world, they are constantly seeing opportunities. Then, they take the risk and pursue the opportunities for all they are worth. It is easy to sit in an armchair and think up a good idea, but how many of us actually give the time, effort, and resources that we know are necessary for our ideas to pan out? It all depends on how much you want to succeed.
Let me give you a few examples. I know a guy who came up with a brilliant idea. He knew how popular Elvis is and at the time, the U.S. Post Office had no postage stamp honoring Elvis. He traveled down to a small country in South America and convinced their national post office to issue an Elvis stamp. They did and he promptly bought thousands of them. He then took his stamps back to America where he had them mounted and framed. He then advertised in the back of magazines popular in the South for people to be among the first to own an official Elvis stamp. He sold hundreds of thousands of 3 cent stamps for $20.
Another friend lives in Israel. He started selling rocks he found outside his house. He would advertise that they were "Stones from the Holy Land" and even made some bottles of water from the Jordan river. His raw materials cost nothing. Yet he found many people who thought it would be a great idea to own an object from the holy land. He made a fortune.
I always take my hat off to the king of them all, the fellow who invented the pet rock. Here was an item that everyone agreed had no intrinsic value. Yet everyone wanted to be in on the joke and the guy became a multi millionaire. They knew they were spending money on something of little value, and yet... Well you know the rest.
So there is money to be made out there. Just look around you and never underestimate your own abilities.