Eli’s Mind

Andrew Carnegie was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in all of US history. He was born in Scotland in a poor family and immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1847. From ages 12 to 17 he worked many different jobs making no more than 20 cents a day. By 17 he was hired as a railroad superintendent’s personal secretary, there he learned about investing and cost-accounting and soon after formed a company which manufactured iron for rails. By the age of 30, Carnegie had grown business interests in iron works, steamers on the Great Lakes, railroads, and oil wells. He was subsequently involved in steel production, and built the Carnegie Steel Corporation into the largest steel manufacturing company in the world.