He bought a KFC store in Australia for $100,000 in 1969. Today, his fast food company is worth over $3 billionAs a kid, Jack Cowin shoveled snow, delivered newspapers and sold Christmas cards for cash. By the time he reached his 20s, it was burgers instead of cards. Fast forward to today: The 82-year-old is a billionaire, thanks to his fast food empire.
So as a child, Cowin spent his time outside of school mowing lawns and delivering newspapers."I never had to ask for money as a kid," he said."I was a sales guy from very early, like 8 or 10 years old." His friends had landed a job with the American Kentucky Fried Chicken company and were sent to Australia to do some market research about whether they should expand into the country.
Jack Cowin owns over 380 locations of Hungry Jack's as of 2024, according to an official company representative. "The biggest break I've had in my life was ... I got on my bike and I got 30 Canadians to lend me $10,000 each, so got $300,000," he said."Otherwise I'd still be shoveling snow in Canada. I hadn't had the finances back then."