Sam Walton's Dream: The Building of Wal-Mart

Sam Walton, the late patriarch of one of the world's wealthiest families, came from humble beginnings. Originally living on a meager farm, it was a down home attitude and strong work ethic that inspired Walton to create Wal-Mart, America's largest retail company. His dream wasn't originally to create a billion-dollar empire, however, but to bring great prices for practical goods to small towns.

Much has been said about the ethics of the Wal-Mart empire over recent years, although anything negative was most certainly not the intention of Mr. Sam Walton. Despite the fact that Wal-Mart is truly hard to compete with for mom and pop stores in smaller communities, the company offers hundreds of jobs to the towns it appears in. This was one of the many dreams Sam Walton had for his growing business as a young man.

An all-American Boy Scout, Walton excelled at a young age in both academics and sports. It was as far back as grade school that he was commended for his hard work and honest nature. He worked several jobs as a teenager to help support his family during The Great Depression and against many odds, even attended college. Beyond college, Walton would serve in the armed forces and later run his own variety store. It was experience as an employee for JC Penney, plus his business education, that prepared him for entrepreneurship.

Sam Walton, even with his very first small-town variety store, had innovative ideas for creating a successful company. He bought wholesale goods for low prices and, in turn, passed the savings on to the customer. This honest and industrious nature made his store a local favorite. Also, Walton kept his business fully stocked of many different items and made sure his store had the longest business hours in town. It wouldn't be long before one store became a chain and that chain a revolutionary empire known as Wal-Mart.