His parents owned and worked a farm in Caldwell, Idaho, where Rohn grew up as an only child.

In 1957, Rohn resigned his distributorship with AbundaVita and joined Nutri-Bio, another direct selling company.

He then began presenting seminars across the country, telling his story and teaching his personal development philosophy.

[citation needed] Rohn mentored Mark R. Hughes (the founder of Herbalife International) and life strategist Tony Robbins in the late 1970s.

Others who credit Rohn for influencing their careers include authors/lecturers Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup book series), Everton Edwards (Hallmark Innovators Conglomerate), Brian Tracy, Darren Hardy, Todd Smith, Kevin Garver, Sir-lim Kush from Nairobi Kenya isamtec solutions, T. Harv Eker.