With more than $500 billion in revenue for 2020, Walmart is one of the world’s largest corporations. By comparison, its closest industry competitor, Amazon, has only half that revenue. Walmart operates more than 11,500 retail outlets in 27 countries, deriving most of its revenue from brick-and-mortar stores and bucking the worldwide trend toward online sales. Samuel (Sam) Moore Walton was born into a middle-class farming family, but this did not provide a comfortable living. Sam began selling magazines and newspapers and contributed his earnings to the family wallet. Always...

John Davison Rockefeller was born into a large and poor family in 1839. This is a likely factor in creating his clicking point because Rockefeller grew up in poverty and was a ruthless competitor.  Starting out as an assistant bookkeeper for a small produce firm, Rockefeller and a business partner raised $4,000 and started their own food marketing business. During the American Civil War, the Union Army requisitioned vast amounts of food, and profits soared.  Rockefeller decided to capitalize on his belief that the oil industry was expanding. He decided...

John Jacob Astor lived the classic American success story. Born into a society where there was minimal opportunity for upward mobility, he left Europe at a young age. With $25 in his pocket, Astor journeyed to America where he witnessed the birth of the United States, worked his way up from virtually nothing and became the richest man in the country. His descendants became American royalty, and his achievements became a model for other entrepreneurs to follow. Born in Germany in 1763 to a working-class family, Astor’s father was...