NEW YORK (AP) -- Apple Inc. co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, whose recovery from pancreatic cancer appeared less certain when he had to take medical leave in January, received a liver transplant two months ago but is recovering well, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

The newspaper didn't reveal a source for the report, which comes as Jobs, 54, is expected back in his day-to-day duties at the company shortly. CNBC said later that it had confirmed the Journal's account, which said Jobs had the transplant performed in Tennessee.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told The Associated Press he had no comment. Dowling reiterated what has become Apple's standard line about the CEO's health, that "Steve continues to look forward to returning to Apple at the end of June and there is nothing further to say."

The Journal reported that at least some Apple directors were aware of the surgery.

Few CEOs are considered as instrumental to their companies as Jobs has been to Apple since he returned in 1997 after a 12-year hiatus. With Jobs serving as head showman and demanding elegance in product design, Apple has expanded from a niche computer maker to become the dominant producer of portable music players and a huge player in the cell phone business. News and rumors about his health send Apple stock soaring or plunging.

Jobs disclosed in August 2004 that he had been diagnosed with -- and cured of -- a rare form of

You don't need a trust fund to start a great business. These world-beaters are living proof.

The capital crunch maddeningly persists -- dispiriting news for many would-be entrepreneurs born of choice or necessity. Having a gem of a business idea isn't worth much without the wherewithal to get it off the ground.

Certainly the lucky few "born on third base" have a better shot at achieving business superstardom than those without a safety net. According to a 2002 U.S. Census Bureau survey representing some 16 million business owners, a whopping 55% were initially funded by personal and family capital. Just 11.4% snagged bank loans, and 8.8% got going on personal and business credit cards; much of the remainder lived on government loans and outside investors.

Yet for entrepreneurs who have truly creative ideas, unrelenting devotion and oodles of ability to execute -- but who may not have fat trust funds to lean on -- there's reason for hope. Scan the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people and you'll find moguls from startlingly humble origins.

Take John Paul DeJoria -- owner of Paul Mitchell Systems, a hair products company, and Partron Spritis, a high-end tequila brand -- who started out as a door-to-door salesman in Los Angeles at age 9. First he sold Christmas cards but soon moved to newspapers and other subscriptions. After a short stint in the navy, he returned to his salesman roots, selling encyclopedias.