Frederick W. Smith first came up with an overnight-delivery company back in 1962 that he outlined in a paper while attending Yale University. Smith went on to become a successful businessman who took his personal wealth of $4 million, along with another $90 million from investors, to found his delivery company in 1971.
However, Federal Express failed to take off initially and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Smith took the company's last $5,000, flew to Vegas, and played blackjack. The gamble literally paid off. Smith made $24,000, which was enough to cover the cost of fuel and keep the company afloat for another week.
With a little more time, Smith raised another $11 million to keep Federal Express running. The company made its first profit in July 1975. Today, the Memphis-based company enjoys total revenue of more than $3 billion.
https://www.inc.com/drew-hendricks/5-successful-companies-that-didn-8217-t-make-a-dollar-for-5-years.html