Since the premiere of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” in 2007, fans of the royal reality TV family have known Kris Jenner as the famous Kardashian-Jenner momager, who can rock an epic pixie cut and may or may not have leaked Kim Kardashian‘s sex tape however many years ago. (More on that later.)

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Despite common belief that the Kardashians found fame and fortune out of thin air (if only it were so easy), it actually took years—decades even—for the family to build the massive empire we know today. And that’s largely thanks to the woman behind the multimillion dollar makeup deals and television appearances, Kris Jenner.

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While Kris mainly keeps behind-the-scenes as her daughters step into the spotlight, fans might be surprised to hear that the momager has, as of January 2017, a whopping $11.5 million net worth, according to Forbes. Click through to hear about all of Kris’s savvy business moves that led her family from unknowns to, well, the Kardashians.