The World’s Richest Supermodel

Models can grace a wide variety of covers in the span of their careers, but Kathy Ireland is the only supermodel that has ever successfully graced the cover of not only Sports Illustrated but Forbes as well.

The beautiful 48 year-old former model was recently named the world’s richest super model entrepreneur and it has been estimated that her net worth is between 300 and 350 million dollars.  The model spent years succeeding in a fickle fashion industry being on the cover of Sports Illustrated and being featured in the magazine for thirteen consecutive years from 1984 to 1996.  Since then Ireland has branched out to create her own product marketing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide.

To put the former model’s net worth in comparison with other models turned business women her 300-350 million dollar number is far ahead of her counterparts Giselle Bundchen at 250 million, Heidi Klum at 200 million, and Cindy Crawford at 100 million.  The key to her success lies in the broad scope of Kathy Ireland Worldwide.

The company’s motto is “finding solutions for families, especially busy moms.”  It’s broad, which has allowed the business mogul to sell much more than her clothing line at Kmart.  Ireland is set up to license and sell furniture, windows, mattresses, hair care, perfume, and shoes.  On top of that she also has written motivational books with titles like Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons that Will Change Your Life and has designed wedding dresses, furs, bras, and business suits.  As a result her company was able to sell an estimated 2 billion dollars worth of retail products in the last year.  That is quite the turn around for marketing a supermodel’s flare to the moms of America.

Ireland is well on her way to becoming one of the most recognizable names in the business and she recently shared some advice for the newest model to be on Sports Illustrated’s cover.  When asked what she would tell Kate Upton about the rise to success Ireland told Forbes Magazine:

 “An agenda is not a bad thing.  So many young people say, ‘I’m just going to see what happens.  It’s so much more powerful to make things happen and have a plan”

It is short and simple advice that echoes the unpretentious motto of her company.   Kate Upton and other “young people” would do well to keep it in mind and maybe they too could have a piece of the success that Kathy Ireland has enjoyed over the years.