The mastermind created WhatsApp a week later, utilising the ability to push notification apps on iPhones and establishing the app as an alternative to traditional SMS messaging. However, Koum’s eureka moment came in 2009 when he realised the potential of Apple’s then-fledgeling app store. After teaching himself how to code, he then spent nine years at Yahoo! as an infrastructure engineer. At the age of 16, the young entrepreneur took a cleaning job at a grocery store to help support his mother. Read her New York Times bestseller #GIRLBOSS!īorn in the then-Soviet Union, Jan Koum moved with his mother and grandmother to California in 1992, where a social support programme initiated by the state allowed the family to receive a small apartment. In 2017, Amoruso founded Girlboss Media, a lifestyle website for millennial women. Its revenue subsequently grew from $223,000 (£163,630) in 2008 to nearly $23 million (£16.9 million) in 2011, leading to her being dubbed the ‘Cinderella of Tech’ by the New York Times.Īlthough she has since stepped down as CEO of Nasty Gal, the company made $20 million (£14.7 million) from its sale to retail giant Boohoo. The San Diego native managed to catch a break in 2006, however, when she started selling vintage clothing and other items through her eBay account under the guise of Nasty Gal Vintage (so named after a Betty Davis record). Following her parents’ divorce, she then relocated to Sacramento, CA, where she claims to have survived by hitchhiking, shoplifting and stealing from bins. Sophia Amorusoĭiagnosed with ADHD at an early age and withdrawn from school as a result, Sophia Amoruso spent her formative years working odd jobs at the likes of Subway. Plank is still CEO, and currently oversees a 20,000-strong workforce, as well as $5 billion (£3.7 billion) worth of annual revenue. The company has since continued to grow, branching out into several markets and establishing itself as a prominent sportswear provider to some of the biggest sports teams in the world. Thanks to the ad, NFL teams and athletes began buying Under Armour products in bulk, resulting in over $1 million (£733,820) worth of sales. It wasn’t until 1999, however, when Plank used the company’s entire budget to take out an advertisement in ESPN magazine that his luck truly changed. Settling on the name Under Armour, the Maryland native then utilised his contacts in the college football scene to get his products vital exposure. Using money he made selling flowers in college, as well as a combination of business loans, credit cards and other savings, the newly graduated Plank managed to devise a prototype for a football jersey that absorbed sweat, running his fledgeling business out of his grandmother’s house in Georgetown, Washington, DC. So, if you’re ready to take the plunge and you want to get started, look no further - here are 10 successful entrepreneur stories to inspire you. There are countless examples of men and women, young and old, who have overcome poverty, poor education and a complete lack of business experience to succeed. This is, of course, nonsense, and we can prove it. Even today, when anybody can make money online, millions of would-be entrepreneurs are deterred by the idea that business success can only be attained with financial clout and a string of qualifications. Yet for some strange reason, many people still think you need a degree in marketing and an MBA to branch out on your own. Whether it’s a nagging boss, the soul-destroying corporate culture or the repetitive daily tasks, the thought of escaping it all and controlling your own destiny is a hugely attractive prospect. Let’s face it: everybody dreams of leaving their cubicle behind and instead spend their days on a beach somewhere. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn commission.
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