5 Self-Made Billionaire Women in the U.S.

What follows is an introduction to merely five out of the list of 80 wealthiest women in the United States by Forbes. The list is constantly updated in real time during regular trading hours.

Diane Hendricks 

Diane Hendricks with her late husband, Ken Hendricks

Hendricks, 73, was born to two dairy farmers in the rural lands of Wisconsin. In the mid-70’s she fell into the real-estate industry and began selling custom built homes, where she met her now late husband, Ken Hendricks, a roofing contractor. Together they went in on marriage and business, and in 1982 they used their credit for a loan that led them to create ABC Supply, a single store that sold roofing, windows, siding, and gutters. 

Today ABC Supply is one of the largest wholesale distributors of building materials for residential and commercial buildings. What started out as a single store has now grown into 700 branches in 49 states with sales reaching well over 11 billion dollars. Hendricks has run the business since her husband’s untimely death in 2007 and has led the company to make two of its biggest acquisitions. She has also spent a lot of time on philanthropy, donating millions for local economic development in Wisconsin. 

As of July 30, her net worth sits at $7 billion. 

Marian Ilitch

Marian Ilitch, founder of Little Caesars Pizza, and the owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers.

Born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, Ilitch, 87, is the daughter of European immigrants. She met her husband, Mike Ilitch, in 1954 when his dad arranged a blind date. Five years later they founded Little Caesars Pizza and have since expanded from restaurants to gaming and sports. 

During the 80’s, Marian and Mike bought The Detroit Red Wings hockey team and The Detroit Tigers baseball team. The Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups under their ownership; Marian and her three daughters are among only twelve women to have their names engraved on the cup. The Ilitch family is very involved in the Detroit sports community and have spearheaded projects to build new stadiums and parking lots around the city. 

Marian Ilitch’s most notable investment was $600 million for Detroit’s MotorCity Casino in 2005, which is now one of the largest privately owned casinos in the states and is the largest casino owned by a woman. 

Her net worth right now is sitting at $4 billion, a $300 million increase from 2019. 

Thai Lee

CEO and founder of SHI International Corp., Thai Lee.

Lee, 62, was raised in South Korea before she moved to the United States for high school. She was a double major and earned a B.A. in biology and economics. In 1985 she received her MBA from Harvard Business School, making her the first Korean woman to ever do so. 

In 1989 she and Koguan Leo went on to pioneer SHI International Corp., a company providing technology products and services. The company provides B2B and Public Sector IT solutions to 15,000 customers worldwide including AT&T, Boeing, and Johnson & Johnson.

SHI International Corp is the largest minority and woman owned business in the U.S.. Lee’s net worth is $3.1 billion. 

Doris Fisher

 Founder of The Gap Inc., Doris Fisher.

In 1969, Fisher and her late husband, Donald Fisher, could not find a pair of jeans that fit him well. They began to fundraise and raised $69,000 to open up the first The Gap store in San Francisco, which originally sold jeans and music. Today there are 3,727 stores worldwide with approximately 135,000 employees. 

Her net worth is currently $2.3 billion. 

Oprah Winfrey 

Oprah Winfrey, former tv show host and founder of the OWN Network.

Winfrey’s accolades, awards, and accomplishments are seemingly endless. Despite her glorious career Oprah comes from humble roots. Born in an impoverished rural Mississippi town to a single mother, she has been vocal about the hardships she endured growing up. She caught her first break while she was still in high school when she landed a job as a radio host.

At just 19, she became a co-anchor for her local news channel and she was discovered for her high energy. From there she traversed the daytime talk show arena and eventually launched her own production company. 

Winfrey, 66, has been a pioneer and innovator for the talk show genre. She is credited for creating a more intimate and ‘confessional’ form for media, reinventing her show to highlight self-improvement and spirituality, all while sharing relevant cultural and world events. 

Through her talk show empire, which ran for 25 years, she was able to flip her earnings into $25 million, according to Forbes. She launched her own cable TV channel OWN in 2011, with her shares of the company now being worth $75 million. 

Her net worth as of July 2020 sits at $2.6 billion.