“What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” – Robert Schuller
Finding a job and working hard are all part of what we consider the standard path to success. Yet several entrepreneurs under thirty took the road not taken–they started their own businesses, some even before graduating from college–and they hit it big. For those interested in starting their own business, look no further for inspiration. The following are five young entrepreneurs who, through ingenuity, hard work, and perhaps a bit of luck, were able to jump-start their own self-employed careers.
Founder of the explosively popular Facebook, Zuckerburg, now only 25 years old, started the social networking site when he was an undergraduate at Harvard. Inspired by his high school’s yearbook, also called Facebook, Zuckerburg started the site as a way for Harvard students to keep in touch. Now, Zuckerburg is the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. “Social Network,” a movie slated for a 2010 release starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake, will document Zuckerburg’s and his team’s challenges and success.
2. Jacob DeHart
3. Jake Nickell
Right after graduating from high school, Threadless.com co-founders DeHart and Nickell started with only $1000 and a novel idea. Online T-shirt design companies often spent thousands on designs that ended up not selling. Instead, the young entrepreneurs thought, why not let consumers design their own t-shirts?
This is how it works: a growing online community submits sometimes over 700 t-shirt designs every week. Thread less customers vote, and six winners get their t-shirts printed and receive $2,000 in cash and merchandise. Every shirt Thread less has printed has sold out. Now, Threadless.com projected $30 million in revenue in 2009.
4. Brendan Synnott
5. Kelly Flatley
Childhood friends Synnott and Flatley had one important thing in common–their love for granola. Finding themselves between jobs in their early twenties, the duo invested a few thousand dollars, moved back in with their parents, and began making batches of all-natural granola. They started by selling at local fairs. Eventually they tried pitching their product–Bear Naked Granola–to local grocers.
After making several phone calls and not getting through to their potential clients, Synnott and Flately persevered. They woke up early one morning, made a large granola-based breakfast, and came knocking on the grocery buyer’s door. And the rest, as they say is history. In the years following, Bear Naked quickly distributed their products in the country’s largest grocery stores, and their granola became the top selling brand in the country. Synnot and Kelly sold their company to Kellogg for $122 million in 2007.
By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com .
Good luck in your search.
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