Dubbed by Forbes as “the most successful female entrepreneur in American history” Diane Hendricks is worth a whopping 19 billion USD. Diane rose to such success when she and her husband, Ken Hendricks, founded ABC supply in 1982. After four decades the company has become the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and windows in the country with over 900 branch locations and $18.5 billion in revenue for the year 2022. It all started when Hendricks, a struggling single mother met and married roof contractor Ken Hendricks in the 1970s. Together, they combined their skills and talents to create ABC supply. Since her husband’s passing in 2007 Diane has continued to lead ABC supply. Under her leadership, the company has expanded tremendously and was able to acquire rival businesses Bradco in 2010 and L&W Supply in 2016. In addition to expanding her business she has done exemplary work in giving back and bettering her community of Beloit, Wisconsin. She has spent millions on the economic development of the area, including rebuilding entire blocks and starting up new businesses. Now at 76 years old Diane has earned the title of the number one “self-made woman” five years in a row.

Starting from a very humble background of working on her parent’s dairy farm Diane bootstrapped her way to becoming the incredible businesswoman she is today. She started as someone who knew nothing about the roofing industry but, after marrying Ken Hendricks and combining his expertise, they founded an incredible business together. This concept of creating something from nothing is so important for the entrepreneur and can be quite hard to accomplish successfully.