A self-made woman from America, who started with $900,000 in debt, is now a billionaire without a college degree.

Diane Hendricks, at the age of 10, made a decision to work in the business world. It took many years to achieve her goal, and her career eventually built a fortune.

For the seventh year in a row, Hendricks has been named the wealthiest self-made woman in America by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of $20.9 billion. This fortune is largely attributed to her company, ABC Supply, which she co-founded with her late husband Ken in 1982.

In 2022, Forbes reported that Hendricks, now 77, and Ken founded the company after discovering a lack of one-stop shops for roofing materials from various manufacturers. Roofers typically purchased directly from individual manufacturers, which created a closed system and allowed manufacturers to increase prices.

Hendricks stated that they borrowed $900,000 from Beloit Savings Bank and pledged all their possessions to launch their business and repay the loan.

In 1998, ABC Supply achieved its first $1 billion in annual sales, with 50 stores within five years.

Hendricks revealed that their success was due to identifying a market gap and improving the standards of respect and professionalism in contracting.

"We felt like we weren't being treated with respect," said Hendricks. "That was part of our goal ... to build a company that would help the guy in the pickup truck, and provide service and respect to everyone."

'It's not a company that's ever going to be for sale'

Starting the company felt like a dream even before Beloit, Wisconsin-based company grew to 900-plus locations, Hendricks said.

In Osseo, Wisconsin, where she grew up on a farm, Hendricks aspired to relocate to Minneapolis and don blue suits while driving luxurious vehicles, as she stated.

After giving birth at 17, she completed her senior year of high school remotely. Instead of attending college, she held a variety of jobs, including working as a Playboy Bunny for a year, while attempting to establish a career in real estate.

Hendricks stated, "It was then that I truly began to consider a career, one I had always aspired to have, which involved being in business."

According to ABC Supply's website, Hendricks has been the chair of her company since 2007 and owns 100% of it. She still enjoys going to work and plans to pass the company down to her children, as she revealed in a 2022 Forbes interview.

Hendricks stated that the company would never be sold.

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