How did Charles Koch make his first million?
Charles Koch grew up in a wealthy family. His father, Fred Koch, started a successful oil refining business called Rock Island Oil & Refining.
Charles joined the company in 1961. He was probably already a millionaire due to the value of the business and his stakes in the business. He learned a lot of lessons from his father. He didn’t just rely on the money his family had. Instead, he worked hard to grow the company and take on leadership roles.
In 1967, Charles became president and changed the company’s name to Koch Industries. He expanded it into other areas like chemicals and energy, making the company much bigger and more profitable. While he likely had wealth when he joined, Charles made his significant fortune by growing the business through his leadership.
Image Attribution: Gavin Peters, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons