How Kim Kardashian built her business empire. She's now worth more than $1 billion.

Kim Kardashian is worth more than $1 billion, according to Forbes as of July 2023. She wasn't always at the helm of a billion-dollar business empire, though.

She launched brands including Skims and SKKN along with monetizing a massive social media following and catapulting into one of her generation’s most notable names.

But Kardashian's fame predates her own business endeavors

Her family's first moments in the spotlight were when the patriarch of the family, Robert Kardashian Sr., was in the public eye as O.J. Simpson's lawyer.

Kim Kardashian's first solo appearance in the world of entertainment came as a stylist for singer and actress Brandy Norwood in 2004.

Source: Cosmopolitan, People

Her skills as a stylist also landed her a spot on TV's "The Simple Life" with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie from 2003 to 2006.

Source: IMDb

Kim told Variety that her career as a businesswoman actually dates back to before she appeared on TV

She said it started in high school when she was working at a boutique and in her dad's office. She said she discovered eBay while she was working at Robert Sr.'s office and loved shopping.

Source: Variety, Biography

Robert Sr. reportedly told her she could buy five pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes as long as she paid him back plus interest

Source: Variety

The shoes were $700 heels in a style worn by Jennifer Lopez in one of her early music videos.

"Everyone had to have them," Kim told Variety.

Source: Variety

She told Variety that she saw the opportunity to make money and capitalized on it

Kim said she called up a store, bought five pairs of the Manolos for $700 each, and resold them on eBay for $2,500.

She said she became so "obsessed" with the return that she began to sell off her own clothes that she no longer wore.

Source: Variety

In 2006, Kim and her sisters, Kourtney and Khloe, opened their first DASH store in their hometown of Calabasas, California

The concept behind the store — a sort of consignment shop — was pretty similar to Kim's love for reselling.

Source: Variety

In the following decade they opened more locations, including one in Miami and one in the Soho neighborhood of New York City

Kim announced they'd be shutting DASH doors in April 2018 as the sisters continue to work on their own brands and families.

Source: Fashionista

Kim said her original idea for the reality show, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," was to bring attention to the DASH brand

Source: Variety

"I was thinking, this might not last very long, but we'll grow a great business and expand online," she told Variety

"I thought it would be great press. I didn't think it would turn into what it turned into."

And it turned into something huge

In 2018, Complex ranked "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" one of the best reality TV shows of all time, behind only MTV's "The Real World."

Source: Variety, Complex

Shortly before the first episode of the family's reality show, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," aired in October 2007, Kim became the center of a scandal that some say catapulted her career

Source: IMDb, The Hollywood Reporter, Biography

In February 2007, a sex tape with Kim and Ray J — Brandy Norwood's brother whom Kim dated from 2003 to 2006 — surfaced and made its way into the news

Kim sued the entertainment company distributing the tape at the time.

Source: Cosmopolitan, BET, TMZ

She reportedly settled the case for $5 million

Source: NBC2

While the tape wasn't technically part of her career path, she did tell Oprah she's "not naive to the fact" that it helped launch her into fame

Source: Oprah's Next Chapter

"I think that's how I was definitely introduced to the world," she said

Source: Oprah's Next Chapter

At the end of 2007, Kim posed for Playboy, and the shoot was captured on the first season of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"

She said she was so nervous that she had to sit down with the magazine's founder and then-editor-in-chief, Hugh Hefner, who she credited with helping convince her to pose.

Source: People

In 2008, E! gave fans of the reality show a second season

Source: IMDb

In 2009, Kim released a three-DVD workout plan called "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday"

Source: "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday", IMDb

In a promotional video, she calls it "so high-fashion and so stylized, it's very me"

Most of the outfits have an "'80s, futuristic" look, as described by Kim herself.

Source: "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday"

She said she developed it because people were continually asking her how she kept her curves in shape

She said that while working with a few trainers, she found a routine that worked for her, and built the videos around the method.

Source: "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday"

The DVDs are split up by physical focus — there's "Ultimate Butt Body Sculpt," "Amazing Abs Body Sculpt," and "Butt Blasting Cardio Step

She said they were inspired by her love for doing workout videos with her sisters in their teenage years.

Source: "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday"

In 2009, Kardashian co-founded a fashion subscription service called ShoeDazzle

It provided members with a curated selection of accessories and shoes for around $40 a month.

By 2012 the service had acquired 10 million members and expanded into women's clothing, too, according to TechCrunch.

In 2013, the service merged with one of its biggest competitors, rival fashion subscription service JustFab.

The opening of DASH Miami in 2009 brought about a new reality spinoff: "Kourtney and Kim Take Miami"

Source: IMDb

The series lasted for three seasons — but Khloe headlined season two instead of Kim, although Kim did appear in the season

Source: IMDb

Also in 2009, Kim appeared in "Deep in the Valley

The romantic comedy had a 26% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was produced by Persistent Entertainment.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Kardashian Glamour Tan was released onto the beauty market in April 2010

It's a self-tanning gel created by the three sisters and was — at the time — exclusive to Sephora and cost $34. In 2019, there was a tube going for $79 on Amazon.

Source: Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Amazon

Six months later, Kim made her debut in the perfume world with her eponymous scent

Source: Cosmopolitan

In 2011, reality TV viewers got to watch what happened as Kourtney and Kim opened their third DASH retail store in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood

Source: IMDb

At the time, Kim was newly married to NBA player, Kris Humphries

The pair lived in a suite at the Gansevoort Hotel with Kourtney, her then-boyfriend Scott Disick, and their son Mason Disick.

Source: Cosmopolitan

Their wedding was broadcast into the homes of people all over the US as "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event"

The event reportedly brought in $18 million in licensing fees, endorsement deals, and broadcast deals for Kim.

Source: NBC2

But 72 days later they were divorced

Source: NBC2

Kim debuted a music video at the TAO nightclub New Years party in 2011 for her song "Jam (Turn it Up)"

It was commercially released in March of that year.

A New York Daily News headline following the song debut called Kim "the worst singer in the reality TV universe."

Source: Cosmopolitan, Billboard, New York Daily News

A portion of the proceeds reportedly went to St Judes Children's Research Hospital

Source: Cosmopolitan, Billboard

She told Andy Cohen she gave herself a hard time about the decision to do a music video for a long time

"I can't believe I did that," she said. But, she had fun.

Source: "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen"

In 2011, she launched a jewelry collection called Belle Noel for the department store Bloomingdale's

The line of costume jewelry never took off with customers and fizzled out.

In 2011, the sisters released a clothing line with retailer Sears aptly dubbed Kardashian Kollection.

Source: Cosmopolitan

They came under fire with the line when they were accused of working with abusive employers to make their clothes.

Source: StyleCaster

And in 2013, the brand was said to be "flopping big-time"

Sears dropped prices on items to less than $10. It officially folded in 2015.

Source: StyleCaster

But of course, that wasn't the only thing Kim had going on at the time

In April 2011 she launched Gold, her second fragrance.

Source: Cosmopolitan, Amazon

And her third fragrance, "Kim Kardashian Love," was released for her wedding to Kris Humphries in 2011

Source: Cosmopolitan

There were only 979 bottles sold — 1,000 were made, but 20 were reserved for her bridal party and one for herself on her wedding day

Source: Cosmopolitan

In the summer of 2012 Kim launched her fourth fragrance, "True Reflection"

Source: Cosmopolitan

The launch party in Hollywood benefitted Dress for Success, a charity organization

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

In November 2012, Kim and her sisters launched Khroma Beauty — a full range of cosmetics products

Source: Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan

The name was changed to Kardashian Beauty after another established makeup company called Kroma Beauty took the sisters and their lawyers to court

This came after Khroma was threatened with a different lawsuit from LA-based company Chroma Beauty.

Source: Teen Vogue

The line didn't last, and a former employee of the family said the real problem was likely the lack of involvement

While Kim and Kylie are now heavily involved in their beauty brands, Khroma was a licensing deal.

Source: Fashionista, Teen Vogue

In 2014, Kim released her iPhone and Android game "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood"

Source: Cosmopolitan

Just in the first five days, the game reportedly grossed $1.6 million

Source: The New York Times, Business Insider

As of August 2018, the game was bringing in around $8 million in a quarter for the Glu Mobile company

Source: Variety

Kim was on the cover of Paper Magazine in November 2014

She posed naked for a cover story called "Break the Internet: Kim Kardashian."

While the story didn't literally break the Internet, Kim did end up winning the first ever Webby award named after the achievement: The Break The Internet Award.

Source: Paper Magazine, Merriam Webster, The Webby Awards

In 2015 Kim published "Selfish" — a small coffee table book filled with 448 pages of selfies she had taken between 2006 and 2014

Source: Cosmopolitan, The Atlantic

The book landed on the New York Times Bestseller list

Source: Cosmopolitan, Rizzoli

The launch of Kimojis for iOS in December 2015 was huge for Apple's App Store

She reportedly told Rolling Stone that she'd only work with Kanye-approved graphic designers to develop the emoji.

Source: Cosmopolitan, Grazia

On the day of the launch, Apple's App Store reportedly crashed

Kim tweeted, "Apple, I'm so sorry I broke your App Store!!!"

Source: Grazia, Kim Kardashian West Twitter

In May of that year, Kim tweeted about her new children's clothing line with then-husband Kanye West called TheKidsSupply

She wrote, "For the past few years Kanye and I have made almost all of our kids clothes and we have collaborated on a new kids line!"

Source: Twitter, Vogue

The entire first collection was reportedly inspired by Calabasas and included dresses, chokers, hats, sweatpants, and more

Later seasons included itty-bitty Yeezys, the luxury lifestyle sneakers developed by Kanye West and Adidas.

Source: Vogue, Quartz, HighSnobiety

Also in 2015, Kim made $500,000 for one sponsored Instagram post about a morning sickness pill

Source: INSIDER, STAT

Kim got back into the beauty business with KKW Beauty in 2017

The first product: a $48 contour kit that sold out in minutes and racked up more than $13 million in sales.

Source: Fashionista

She went on to produce more products for the line, including a fragrance that made $10 million in one day

Source: TMZ

Her minimalist approach to the marketing process worked in her favor

She didn't spend money on traditional advertising — instead, she turned to her devoted social media following. And it worked.

Source: Fashionista

People bought her perfume without even smelling it first

Source: Fashionista, TMZ

Kim also employed similar marketing tactics when she launched her shapewear line, SKIMS Solutionwear, in 2019

Source: Insider

The line was originally called Kimono

The name generated backlash as some audiences said it disrespected Japanese culture.

Kim changed it to SKIMS around two months after the initial product announcement.

Source: Insider

In January 2020, Kim announced that the line will be sold at Nordstrom beginning in February

The department store is the first traditional retail outlet to sell SKIMS.

Source: Insider

For the past few years, Kim has also been speaking at and even headlining conferences

She was at Glamour's Women of the Year Summit, Create & Cultivate, the #BlogHer16 Conference, Re/Code, and more.

Source: Forbes, WWD, TechCrunch

She's had a hand in a wide variety of businesses and continues to build out her brands — both personal and professional

Although the line between the two is a bit smudged.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, TechCrunch

In 2019, Kardashian announced that she had been studying up for the 2022 bar exam

"It's never too late to follow your dreams," she wrote on Instagram.

Source: INSIDER

Kardashian told Vogue that she was inspired to study law after she helped Alice Marie Johnson get released from prison in 2018.

Source: INSIDER, Vogue

Kardashian publicly championed Johnson's case and met with President Donald Trump in 2018 to seek clemency for Johnson

Johnson was then a 63-year-old grandmother who was serving a life sentence for non-violent drug offenses.

Prison reform has been a cause that Kardashian continues to champion

She even said that she'll sometimes take on sponsored Instagram posts — ones that she wouldn't have otherwise considered — in order to fund her efforts.

Source: CNBC

At The New York Times DealBook conference she commented more on her philosophy on paid posts

She said if a paid post opportunity comes her way, even one that's "off-brand," she thinks: "'O.K., well this can fund x amount of people behind bars, that can help free them with simple legal fees that they just can't afford ...'"

Source: CNBC

Kardashian reportedly apprenticed at a San Francisco law firm

Robert Shapiro — a lawyer who worked with Kim's father on the O.J. Simpson murder trials — told TMZ that he thinks Kim has skills that will help her as a lawyer, and that she'll have a job offer from his firm if she passes the bar.

Source: Insider

In 2021, Kim announced that she passed the "baby bar" exam on Instagram

"I failed this exam 3 times in 2 years, but I got back up each time and studied harder and tried again until I did it!!!" she wrote.

In 2022, Kardashian announced Skky Partners

She said the private equity fund that would focus on investments in consumer and media companies along with the hospitality, luxury and digital and e-commerce sectors.

Kardashian co-founded the firm with Jay Sammons, a former partner at Carlyle Group, who previously invested in popular brands like Beats By Dre and streetwear company Supreme.

Now, it appears that Kardashian is in talks to buy back a minority stake in her beauty brand

She would buy back part of the brand, which has since rebranded in SKKN by Kim, from Coty, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Source: The Wall Street Journal