Business Minded
John D. Rockefeller used his appetite for efficiency and elimination of waste in all the companies he brought into Standard Oil, and his method forced competitors to use similar strategies in hopes of survival. Following the style he established by hiring his own pipefitters and coopers, Rockefeller expanded his company throughout the 1870s and bought his own railcars instead of paying rent to the railroads.
John D. Rockefeller Sr. Photo by Courtesy Everett Collection / Shutterstock
He also invested in pipelines as well as delivery trucks to bring his product directly to the consumer’s home, instead of them buying it from a third party. Standard Oil usually kept the cost of its products below the market rates, to eliminate the competition.