Moms to moguls. Before they were millionaires, these women were working moms trying to put food on the table. From a makeup mogul to a former file clerk to a home design icon, each one has her own rags-to-riches story.


J.K. Rowling
She's the author of some of the best-selling books in history who used to be on welfare and worked on her first books in cafes with her young daughter in tow.
Paula Deen
The Food Network star, famous for her deep-fried cooking, started her catering business as a divorced mom of two sons and eventually opened her own restaurant.
Sarah Palin
The mother of five began her political career as a small-town city council member before becoming a governor and vice presidential candidate. Now she's written a second book and has a multi-year contract with a cable network.
Mary Kay Ash
The woman whose name is synonymous with the color pink started with one store and fostered her business into a makeup empire before her death in 2001.
Bette Graham
The single mom was a secretary when she invented this helpful substance still used in offices today. She left quite a fortune when she died in 1980.
Linda McMahon
She and her husband once filed for bankruptcy, but they went on to run a successful sports entertainment company. She took a shot at political office.
Susan Powter
She lost a lot of weight as a single mom and became a fitness guru with a popular catchphrase in the '90s.
Rosie Herman
The former manicurist was the new mom of premature twins when she mixed up a batch of nail product in her kitchen. Today she's a millionaire.
Lisa Lloyd
She was a 23-year-old single mom when she invented a popular hairstyling tool. Now she runs her own marketing company.
Erin Brockovich
She was a law firm file clerk and divorced mother of three when she helped win one of the biggest civil lawsuits in U.S. history. Her story inspired an Oscar-winning performance.
Irene Rosenfeld
The widow and mother of two worked her way up to the top spot at this food company and now earns millions each year.
Martha Stewart
She was a wife and mom with a catering company when she published the book that started her entertaining empire.
Jeanne Bice
The happy host went from being a home crafter to making millions each year by selling her own line of clothing on QVC.
Rachel Ashwell
The English-born mom designed her first kid- and pet-friendly slipcovers in the '80s and now heads a hugely successful home goods business.
Cheryl Womack
She started her company selling insurance to independent truckers around the same time she had her two kids; she later sold the lucrative business for millions.
Source: msn