New Delhi: Forbes Magazine in its 2022 edition of 50 Over 50 released names of women—entrepreneurs, investors, creators, entertainers –who made it to the elite Billionaire list. These who survived all odds and hurdles to become what they are today.
One of the prominent names was Diane Hendricks, who made it to Forbes’ elite list for the sixth consecutive year. Forbes Magazine scripted her story as “The Most Successful Female Entrepreneur In American History”.
In today’s success story, we shall know about Diane Hendricks who had once worked as Playboy bunny to make ends meet, to support her family. The two-times cancer survivor, Forbes described, had tripled her net worth in the last five years to more than $12 billion.
Born Into Conservative Family
Diane is a two-time cancer survivor. She had uterine cancer when at 33 and breast cancer at 69. She was born in an Agricultural household. Her family had a dairy farm in Osseo, Wisconsin. She was the fourth of nine girls, had a lot of duties to do, including caring for her younger sisters. She further told Forbes that her father forbade her from riding a tractor or milking cows because those tasks were considered to be men’s work.
Didn’t Want To Live An Agricultural Life
She soon realised that she didn’t want to live an agricultural life by the age of 10. She recalled thinking, “I don’t want to be a farmer, and I don’t want to marry a farmer.” She desired working in Minneapolis, the city nearest to her home.
Got Pregnant At 17, Became Single Mom After Divorce In 3 Years
However, destiny had something else in store for her. In 1964 when she became pregnant at the age of 17 she had to drop out of school. She then moved over 200 miles away to Janesville, Wisconsin, and wed the father of her child. But the couple got divorce three years later.
Worked As Playboy Bunny To Support The Family
Diane, a single-mother after her divorce, was hired as a Bunny at the neighbourhood Playboy Club. Hendricks refers to the period as “you gotta do what you gotta do.”
She quickly began selling real estate around southern Wisconsin. Additionally, she began selling custom houses. That’s how, at the age of 22, she got to know Ken Hendricks, roofing contractor who she married in 1976. In three years, the newlyweds acquired 200 dilapidated homes, renovated them, and started renting them to college students.
In 1982, Diane M. Hendricks and her late husband Kenneth Hendricks launched ABC Supply Co. Inc., a wholesaler of building supplies and also the largest distributor of roofing materials in the US. Diane has served as both the chairman and the sole owner since 2007, after the death of her husband.
Diane serves as the chairman of Hendricks Holding Co., Inc. (HHC), a varied portfolio of companies that includes recycling, real estate development, manufacturing, and distribution. She also serves as the Chairman of NorthStar Medical Technologies LLC, a leader in the development and marketing of radioisotopes for use in medical imaging.
According to business magazine Forbes, Diane Hendricks has a record net worth of $15 billion, up from $12.2 billion last year, making her the richest self-made woman in the US.
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index, shows that ABC Supply had sales revenue of 14.7 billion in 2021.