Top 20 Stories Of Self Made Millionaires

John D. Rockefeller

To many, John Davison Rockefeller was an investor, a philanthropist, and an oil tycoon. But before his remarkable success, John and his family struggled to make ends meet. His father, William Avery Rockefeller, find it hard to do a permanent work so he tried different tricks and schemes, not to mention the odd jobs he took just to support his growing family. His mother Eliza Davison, on the other hand, have difficulty bringing stability at home. To help her husband, she sold candies, potatoes, and even raised turkeys.

John’s family moved to Ohio, where he received his first employment opportunity as a bookkeeper for a small produce commission company. He worked very hard and was able to raise $4,000 in capital for his first enterprise. In 1863, he established an oil refinery that helped him became the richest entrepreneur in history. According to Forbes, his net worth was an approximate $663.4 billion based on the value of US dollars in 2007.