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Henry Ford-
From: Dearborn, Michigan
Born: July 30, 1863 Died: April 7, 1947
Background: Grew up on his father's farm in Dearborn in an ordinary household situation. He demonstrated mechanical ability at an early age by teaching himself how to fix watches and learned how to steam engines worked by becoming friends with the men who worked there. In the Henry Ford website it states "...young Ford demonstrated mechanical ability, a facility for leadership, and a preference for learning by trial-and-error. These characteristics would become the foundation of his whole career." (https://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/hf/Young_Henry.asp)
Education: "In 1879 he left the farm to become an apprentice at the Michigan Car Company, a manufacturer of railroad cars in Detroit. "
(https://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/hf/Young_Henry.asp)
Business: Founded Ford Motor Company. Incorporated in 1903 with 12 investors and 1,000 shares and nearly spent all of its $28,000 cash investment by the time it sold the Model A (First car).
Now:
From: Dearborn, Michigan
Born: July 30, 1863 Died: April 7, 1947
Background: Grew up on his father's farm in Dearborn in an ordinary household situation. He demonstrated mechanical ability at an early age by teaching himself how to fix watches and learned how to steam engines worked by becoming friends with the men who worked there. In the Henry Ford website it states "...young Ford demonstrated mechanical ability, a facility for leadership, and a preference for learning by trial-and-error. These characteristics would become the foundation of his whole career." (https://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/hf/Young_Henry.asp)
Education: "In 1879 he left the farm to become an apprentice at the Michigan Car Company, a manufacturer of railroad cars in Detroit. "
(https://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/hf/Young_Henry.asp)
Business: Founded Ford Motor Company. Incorporated in 1903 with 12 investors and 1,000 shares and nearly spent all of its $28,000 cash investment by the time it sold the Model A (First car).
Now:
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/7/1/58715491/383129764.jpg?149)
Martha Stewart-
Born: August 3, 1941
From: Jersey City, New Jersey
Education: attended Barnard College in Manhattan, where she earned a degree in European and architectural history in 1962. Afterwards, Martha decided to focus her energy on gourmet cooking, having trained herself by reading Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Business: Began as a catering company and within a decade she became well-known. Then she published her first book Entertaining which soon became a bestseller and was followed by many more works. By this time Martha Stewart Inc. grew to be a $1 million business. In 1991, she released her magazine Martha Stewart Living. "Stewart's lifestyle empire soon grew to include two magazines, a checkout-size recipe publication, a popular cable television show, a syndicated newspaper column, a series of how-to books, a radio show, an Internet site and $763 million in annual retail sales. At the end of the day, the price of each of 72 million shares in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. had jumped more than 95 percent and raised almost $130 million. Stewart herself controls 96 percent of the voting shares in her company and is worth $1.2 billion." (http://www.biography.com/people/martha-stewart-9542234#lifestyle-guru)
Born: August 3, 1941
From: Jersey City, New Jersey
Education: attended Barnard College in Manhattan, where she earned a degree in European and architectural history in 1962. Afterwards, Martha decided to focus her energy on gourmet cooking, having trained herself by reading Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Business: Began as a catering company and within a decade she became well-known. Then she published her first book Entertaining which soon became a bestseller and was followed by many more works. By this time Martha Stewart Inc. grew to be a $1 million business. In 1991, she released her magazine Martha Stewart Living. "Stewart's lifestyle empire soon grew to include two magazines, a checkout-size recipe publication, a popular cable television show, a syndicated newspaper column, a series of how-to books, a radio show, an Internet site and $763 million in annual retail sales. At the end of the day, the price of each of 72 million shares in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. had jumped more than 95 percent and raised almost $130 million. Stewart herself controls 96 percent of the voting shares in her company and is worth $1.2 billion." (http://www.biography.com/people/martha-stewart-9542234#lifestyle-guru)
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/7/1/58715491/739259350.jpg?139)
Michael Dell-
Born: February 23, 1965
From: Houston, Texas
Education: attended University of Texas
Business: "Intrigued by the expanding world of computers and gadgetry, Dell purchased an early Apple computer at the age of 15 for the strict purpose of taking it apart to see how it worked...It was in college that Dell found the niche that would become his boom. The PC world was still young and Dell realized that no company had tried selling directly to customers." He began with taping into his savings account with a small amount of $1,000 to sell computers to college students directly. He soon after dropped out of college to focus on the business. In his first year as a business, he made $6 million in sales and by 2000 he was a billionaire and the company expanded to 34 countries. Also, he is the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
Born: February 23, 1965
From: Houston, Texas
Education: attended University of Texas
Business: "Intrigued by the expanding world of computers and gadgetry, Dell purchased an early Apple computer at the age of 15 for the strict purpose of taking it apart to see how it worked...It was in college that Dell found the niche that would become his boom. The PC world was still young and Dell realized that no company had tried selling directly to customers." He began with taping into his savings account with a small amount of $1,000 to sell computers to college students directly. He soon after dropped out of college to focus on the business. In his first year as a business, he made $6 million in sales and by 2000 he was a billionaire and the company expanded to 34 countries. Also, he is the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/7/1/58715491/516632725.jpg?157)
Richard Sears-
Born: December 7, 1863 Died: September 28, 1914
From: Stewartville, Minnesota
Education: "He learned telegraphy and found work with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway, and eventually became a station agent"
Business: "in 1886, he learned of a local jeweler who had refused a watch shipment. Sears asked the manufacturer if he could try to sell the watches, and once permission was granted, Sears sent out letters to other station agents, offering the watches at a reduced price." After that, Sears began a mail-order watch company with his profit of $5,000 and within 6 months, the company was such a success, he resigned from his job at the railroad. He soon partnered with Alvah C. Roebuck and established a new catalog business, A. C. Roebuck & Company. "In 1893, A.C. Roebuck & Company became Sears, Roebuck and Company and its headquarters were moved to Chicago. At this time, the Sears, Roebuck catalog ran nearly 200 pages and sold such goods as sewing machines, saddles and musical instruments. By the following year, the catalog had reached 507 pages, and Sears himself wrote nearly every word of it." In 1908, the company was averaging $40 million in sales. Now, Sears has the net profit of $208 million.
Born: December 7, 1863 Died: September 28, 1914
From: Stewartville, Minnesota
Education: "He learned telegraphy and found work with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway, and eventually became a station agent"
Business: "in 1886, he learned of a local jeweler who had refused a watch shipment. Sears asked the manufacturer if he could try to sell the watches, and once permission was granted, Sears sent out letters to other station agents, offering the watches at a reduced price." After that, Sears began a mail-order watch company with his profit of $5,000 and within 6 months, the company was such a success, he resigned from his job at the railroad. He soon partnered with Alvah C. Roebuck and established a new catalog business, A. C. Roebuck & Company. "In 1893, A.C. Roebuck & Company became Sears, Roebuck and Company and its headquarters were moved to Chicago. At this time, the Sears, Roebuck catalog ran nearly 200 pages and sold such goods as sewing machines, saddles and musical instruments. By the following year, the catalog had reached 507 pages, and Sears himself wrote nearly every word of it." In 1908, the company was averaging $40 million in sales. Now, Sears has the net profit of $208 million.