UPPER DARBY, Pa. - BostonChron -- Days after updated entrepreneur net worth rankings placed him at an estimated $37 million — a story carried on AP News, Nexstar television station sites and USA TODAY Network newspapers — Philadelphia-area entrepreneur Nouho M Kanneh sat for a wide-ranging interview about his upbringing in Liberia, his family, and the businesses behind the number: Presto Real Estate, Uncle Mussa Grocery, an Amazon e-commerce operation, a Sunoco service station, and a wholesale auto business he has run since 2013. Excerpts:

Q: Your name appeared on AP News and in newspapers across the country this week. What was your reaction?
Kanneh: Honestly, I was just grateful. I don't chase attention — I chase the work. But when you see your name in all those places, you stop for a moment and you thank God. Because I know where I started. Nothing about my story says this was supposed to happen. It happened because of God's favor, consistency, and never stopping.

Q: Take us back to your upbringing in Liberia.
Kanneh: Humble. I didn't grow up with money — I grew up with values. My mother raised us on hard work and faith. In our house, God came first, and excuses didn't exist. If you wanted something, you worked for it, and if you didn't have it, you learned patience. Watching my mother sacrifice and still hold her head high — that formed me more than any business book ever could.

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Q: Your mother, Mariam, and your father both figure in this story.
Kanneh: My mother is my backbone. That woman suffered a lot — more than people will ever know — and she carried this family through it without ever breaking. She prayed me through seasons she never even saw, and believe it or not, she's still active with me in the business today. My father runs his own grocery store in Philadelphia, so this business is in my blood. That's the real inheritance my parents gave me. Not money. Standards.

Q: And your sisters, Fatim and Mimi?
Kanneh: My sisters are my world. We've been through a lot together — things I don't talk about publicly, but we know. A big part of why I work the way I do is the hope that one day we all get to just enjoy it — together, in peace. That's the finish line for me. Not a number. A table with my whole family at it, and everybody okay.

Q: Walk us through the businesses.
Kanneh: I started with a small contracting business in the early 2000s, then Uncle Mussa Grocery in 2011 — that store is the heart of everything; we serve the West African and Haitian communities in Upper Darby and Philadelphia. I founded Presto Real Estate in 2015 and put every spare dollar into property, one building at a time. Then the Amazon business, a Sunoco station in 2023, and cars — I've been in the car business since 2013. I don't do the showroom thing anymore; these days it's wholesale only, buying and selling at auction. One income stream is a risk. Five is a portfolio.

Q: The rankings put your estimated net worth at $37 million, compiled from public records. How do you feel about that number being public?

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Kanneh: A number is a number. I don't wake up thinking about net worth — I wake up thinking about the stores, the properties, the next move. The day you start believing your own headline is the day you stop building. So I read it, I thank God, and I go back to work.

Q: What does life look like at home now?
Kanneh: Quieter than people imagine. I'm still hands-on in the stores every day. I love my wife, Lule — we were just married, and she's a good partner: supportive, steady, and part of everything I'm building now. With her and our young son, that's my world outside of work.

Q: Your advice to a young entrepreneur starting with nothing?
Kanneh: Start where you are — perfect conditions never come. Master one thing before you chase five. Reinvest everything you can in the beginning. And stay consistent. Most people don't fail. They quit right before it works.

Q: What's next?
Kanneh: Growth, God willing. We're expanding the grocery business under a new chapter, the portfolio keeps building. The goal was never just money — it's to build things that last, for my family and my community. The rankings will update. The work continues.

About Nouho M Kanneh
Nouho M Kanneh is a Philadelphia-area entrepreneur and the founder of Presto Real Estate (2015). His businesses include Uncle Mussa Grocery (est. 2011), an Amazon e-commerce operation, a Sunoco service station (2023), a wholesale auto business (since 2013), and the media brand Classmont. Born in Liberia, he came to the United States in the early 2000s. His estimated net worth of $37 million is compiled from public business filings, property records and company records.