From Finance To Founder And Billionaire

These four self-made business mavericks leaped into entrepreneurship and built big fortunes by leveraging their backgrounds in finance.

- JAMILA GANDHI, RITAM BANERJEE

Arthur Blank

Blank graduated with a degree in business administration from Babson College. He went on to work for Arthur Young & Co., which later merged with Ernst & Whinney to form Ernst & Young, then later joined Handy Dan Home Improvement Centers. Blank and Bernie Marcus cofounded The Home Depot in 1978 after being fired from Handy Dan. The Home Depot became a global leader in home improvement retail and went public on Nasdaq in 1981. After retiring as co-chairman in 2001, Blank diversified his portfolio, acquiring the NFL's Atlanta Falcons for $545 million in 2002 and PGA TOUR Superstore in 2010, as well as other successful ventures like Atlanta United FC. Blank signed the Giving Pledge in 2012 and founded The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. As of March 20, 2024, the 81-year-old was worth $8.5 billion.

Falguni Nayar