Meet The Most Successful Female Entrepreneur In American History | Forbes

Updated: November 19th, 2023

At Starter Story, we find and catalogue business case studies from all over the internet, for you! This case study was not conducted by Starter Story, but it has been verified by our team. You can check out the full story here.


Diane and Ken Hendricks established ABC Supply Co. Inc., a leading wholesale distributor of exterior and interior construction supplies.

Their staff tackles the most difficult projects with proven solutions at almost 800 sites nationally.

The duo borrowed $900,000 from a bank & acquired two failing construction supply companies in 1982.

They planned to acquire from manufacturers directly and then sell to contractors and project builders.

They ensured top-quality customer service and drew around $140 million in sales in the first five years.

In 2021, the revenue for ABC Supply reached a new high of $15 billion and they plan to close at $18 billion in 2022.

After her husband died in 2007, Diane now owns a 100% stake at ABC and a holding company with investments in 18 firms.

Diane has a net worth of $12.2 billion, which is way more than any other women entrepreneurs in U.S history.

From being a teen mom to working as a waitress to pay her bills to beat cancer and finally becoming one of the most successful businesswomen in the U.S, Diane has had an inspiring journey.

article

Read the full story on forbes.com ➜