Early Life: A Businessman is Born

   I, Cornelius Vanderbilt, was a Market Entrepreneur.  This meant that I did not make my money through federal aid, pools, or stock speculations. I acquired wealth from creating businesses and trying to make a more competitive company and service that would lead me to success.  I was born in Staten Island, New York on May 27, 1794.  I grew up in a poor family.  My father was illiterate and after the death of one of my siblings I quit school to help with the family income.  My father was a farmer and would sell his produce to the New York market. This sparked my drive to buy a sailboat when I was 16 in 1810.  My mother paid me one hundred dollars to work on an eight acre land as a farmer. With that money I bought 2 masted flat bottom vessels. I would carry produce myself across the harbor from Staten Island to the mainland, to New York. To make extra money I started carrying passengers and ferrying them across.  By 1813 I owned a successful carrying business.  I was nicknamed “Cornele, the boatman” and became a known for being reliable and cheap.  Whether it rained or snowed I still sailed.  My rates were consistent and lower than other carrying services.  My profits allowed me to buy 2 additional boats.  By 1818 when I was 24 years old, I had saved up $9,000 along with owning several more carrying boats.  I would say my success came from persistence, competitiveness, and a reputation of dependability.  My experience with ferrying services would later increase my interest in the shipping business.