There are many factors that go into becoming a successful company, and making the Fortune 500 list is almost every entrepreneur's dream. Sam Walton is considered the founder and first chief executive officer (CEO) of Wal-Mart. Walton and other company CEOs were able to shape Wal-Mart's success by implementing strategies that would revolutionize the way retail stores do business, all while pushing Wal-Mart to the top spot on the Fortune 500 list. This paper looks at some different strategies implemented by Walton that ultimately benefited the company in terms of increasing revenue. How did Wal-Mart become the retail giant it is today? TA Frank of Washington Monthly provides a brief history of Wal-Mart in his Everyday Low Vices article. Wal-Mart wasn't always the hypermarket it is today. In the late 1940s, Sam Walton became the owner of a Ben Franklin store in Newport, Arkansas. Even before Wal-Mart, Walton was committed to keeping prices low. The goal of every business is to find the right balance between the prices of an item to satisfy consumer demands in order to maximize revenue. How could Walton still make a profit while keeping prices low for the consumer? Even while he still ran the Ben Franklin store, he purchased products from wholesalers and minimally increased the price. Where most retailers would rely on mark-up prices to make profits, Walton would rely on pure volume to make up for low prices (Frank, 2006). This was a smart decision on his part because it stands to reason that if a consumer can get the same product at a lower price, he will purchase the cheaper product. It wasn't until 1962 that Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store, also in Arkan... middle of paper... attempts to push the "made in America" ​​Mart. United States today. Retrieved December 8, 2013, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/08/25/wal-mart-pushes-made-in-america-at-summit/2689235/Edemariam, A (2009, March 14). It all started in a small shop in Arkansas... The Guardian. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/mar/14/wal-mart-us-economyFrank, T. (2006, April 6). Daily base vices. "The Base Vices of Everyday" by TA Frank. Retrieved December 8, 2013, from http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/20Wilbert, C. (n.d.). How Wal-Mart works. How things work. Retrieved December 7, 2013, from http://money.howstuffworks.com/wal-mart.htm Wohl, J., & Kelleher, J. B. (2013, September 25). Nbc news business. NBC News. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/wal-mart-rides-wave-made-america-polish-its-image-8C11252582