From Fitness to Philanthropy: S. Daniel Abraham

The health and fitness industry is booming. After decades of abusing the body with work and unhealthy eating habits, consumers are starting to take an active role in restoring their body’s normal functions. Entrepreneurs immediately saw the demand for health-related products as a potential billion-dollar market. And they were right.

One of those entrepreneurs was S. Daniel Abraham, who introduced Slim-Fast, a line of diet shakes. He is one of the first to venture into the fitness industry during the 1940s with Thompson Medical Company, which sold a variety of diet supplements, including the controversial Dexatrim. But his introduction of Slim-Fast in the late 1970s made him a household name and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the fitness world.

Slim-Fast became so popular that many people considered it the pioneering product of all diet supplements. Abraham marketed this product by incorporating it into the daily diet of all people, thus the phrase “a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, then a sensible dinner” arose.  With the success of Slim-Fast, Abraham was able to accumulate a fortune worth $1.4 billion. Every cent came from his own hard work and determination. Slim-Fast also remains to be one of the oldest diet products in the market today, thanks to Abraham’s solid long-term plan.

Today, the entrepreneur is busy doing philanthropy. From physical fitness, he now focuses his attention to healthcare and nutrition, education as well as peace talks. He also founded an organization dedicated to his advocacy for peace, Center for Middle East Peace. Through this, he gained the attention of leaders to help end the Arab/Israeli conflict.  As a passionate advocate of education, he has funded several programs and projects for the improvement of the academe.

Being an entrepreneur helped Abraham fulfill his other goals in life. With his contributions in both the private and public sectors, he is indeed one of today’s most influential people.