Sam Walton

Sam Walton built Walmart from a single Arkansas five-and-dime store in 1962 into the world’s largest retailer by 1991, with $44 billion in sales. His obsession with low prices and supply chain efficiency—including the first company-wide satellite network for real-time inventory—let Walmart undercut competitors by 15% on average. Walton proved that relentless frugality paired with scale building can create a $500 billion empire.