The greatest entrepreneurs are those who revolutionize business, open opportunities for others and change the way we think and live. Their impact is felt for generations. The SUCCESS 50 represents America’s greatest entrepreneurs of all time.* They are self-made men and women representing a cross section of America, with innovations that opened up the West, heralded the Gilded Age, created an American middle class and ushered in the Information Age. While we believe these men and women to be the best of the best, their accomplishments are varied and not easily compared and, therefore, they are not ranked on this list. Some of their names may not be familiar, but the impact of their accomplishments is enormous. The lessons we deduce from their ingenuity, spirit and determination are invaluable. With the SUCCESS 50, we bring you these timeless lessons, as applicable to your life and business today as they were in shaping the achievements of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time.
*When two people have built a business together, they are counted as one.
Industry
Ben Franklin 1706-1790 ]
Henry Ford 1863-1947
John D. Rockefeller 1839-1937
Cyrus McCormick Sr. 1809-1884
Andrew Carnegie 1835-1919
Finance
Charles Schwab b. 1937
Amadeo P. Giannini 1870-1949
J.P. Morgan 1837-1913
Charles Merrill 1885-1956
Media
Martha Stewart b. 1941
David Sarnoff 1891-1971
Robert Johnson b. 1946
Oprah Winfrey b. 1954
Technology
George Eastman 1854-1932
Steve Jobs b. 1955-2011
Michael Dell b. 1965
Bill Gates b. 1955
Thomas Alva Edison 1847-1931
Ross Perot b. 1930
Consumer Goods
Estee Lauder 1908-2004
Madam C.J. Walker 1867-1919
Asa Candler 1851-1929
W.K. Kellogg 1860-1951
Milton Hershey 1857-1945
Eberhard Anheuser 1805-1880
Adolphus Busch 1839-1913
Franchising
Ray Kroc 1902-1984
Harland Sanders 1890-1980
Juan Trippe 1899-1981
Transporation
Herb Kelleher b. 1931
Fred W. Smith b. 1944
William S. Harley 1880-1943
Arthur Davidson 1881-1950
Retail
Aaron Mongomery Ward 1843-1913
Sam Walton 1918-1992
Richard Sears 1863-1914
Alvah Roebuck 1864-1948
Fashion
Ralph Lauren b. 1939
Levi Strauss 1829-1902
Phil Knight b. 1938
Entertainment
P.T. Barnum 1810-1891
Louis B. Mayer 1885-1957
Walt Disney 1901-1966
Berry Gordy Jr. b. 1929
George Lucas b. 1944
Hospitality
William Becker 1921-2007
Paul Greene 1914-1994
J.W. Marriott Jr. b. 1932
Conrad Hilton Sr. 1887-1979
Internet
Jeff Bezos b. 1964
Steve Case b. 1958
Pierre Omidyar b. 1967
Larry Page b. 1973
Sergey Brin b. 1973
Who’s Missing? Tell us who you think should of made the list and why.