The natural resource industry is a maze of companies—thousands of them—but when you get right down to it, this entire sector is 95% made up of average businessman and a small and tight-knit group of top dogs.

Partnering up with them and investing like them has proven to be enormously profitable.

Ray Dalio is the most successful fund manager in history. LCH Investments says its estimates show that the hedge fund Dalio founded in 1975, Bridgewater Associates, has produced more net gains in absolute U.S. dollars than any other hedge fund, surpassing all others. 

Bridgewater's Pure Alpha hedge funds have generated $45 billion in net gains since inception, compared to the $42.8 billion produced by Soros' funds, LCH Investments reported.

Dalio allocates 15% of his portfolio to commodities. The reason is that they have the most upside potential of all stocks.