The First Black Christian Billionaire – The David Steward Story

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David Steward is an American billionaire technology entrepreneur and philanthropist with a net worth of $7.6 billion. In 1990, he founded World Wide Technology, which is now a corporate giant ranking among the largest African-American-owned enterprises in the United States.

Steward’s remarkable journey to success is a testament to unwavering determination and resilience. Steward is a strong believer who has publicly shared his faith in churches and secular media platforms, attributing his success in business to following Biblical principles. To give back, he also wrote a business book titled ‘Doing Business by the Good Book: 52 Lessons on Success Straight from the Bible,’ published in 2004. In 2019, Forbes recognized David Steward as one of the prestigious 13 black billionaires across the globe. Notably, he secured the 239th spot on Forbes’ list of American billionaires, reinforcing his strong presence in the business world.

In many of his business speeches, Steward has gone on to say he believes anyone can succeed, especially a child of God willing to work hard and follow success principles from the Bible, such as integrity, diligence, and working with excellence.

Born and raised in Missouri within a deeply segregated community, David Steward faced adversity from an early age. Despite discouragement from his high school coach and others who doubted his potential, he pursued higher education, even securing a place on the college basketball team through sheer determination.

After graduating, Steward embarked on a relentless job search, sending out over 400 resumes over three years before finally securing a corporate position. His career began in marketing and sales at a railroad company, and he later joined the ranks of FedEx, where he quickly rose to become the top salesperson company-wide.

However, David Steward’s entrepreneurial spirit soon led him to chart his own course. Like many visionaries before him, he faced financial setbacks, accumulating a staggering $3.5 million in debt. His journey was marked by moments of extreme hardship, including the repossession of his car from the company parking lot in 1992. Guided by his unwavering faith and determination, he eventually unearthed his path to prosperity, transforming his venture into an economic powerhouse.

David Steward’s core belief, both in life and business, centers on serving others. He ardently maintains that pursuing profit as the ultimate goal inevitably leads to impoverishment. Instead, he advocates a philosophy grounded in serving the public, nurturing employees, and fostering strong relationships with vendors—an approach that he believes paves the way to prosperity.