Several years ago (2009) we published a blog post about the most successful college dropouts in history. There are many young entrepreneur dropouts, and I’m one of them. To celebrate us dropouts I compiled a list updated for 2015 with the top entrepreneurs who dropped out of college and still managed to crush it in business.

Here are some notable takeaways from our dropouts:

• Over 1.5 million employees.
• Over $600 billion net worth.
• Over $40 billion donated to charity.
• 14 names made their billions in the tech space.
• 10 names made their billions in the last 10 years.

Top 30 College Drop Outs Who Made It Big in Business

#1. Henry Ford  (Ford)

Net Worth $199 Billion – Dropped out at 16.

Henry Ford dropped out at 16 and later founded Ford Motor Company in 1903. By 1908 he dropped the famous Model T and the assembly line, which has affected all of our lives, literally shaping the world. If he was still alive today, he’d be worth $199 Billion.

#2. Bill Gates (Microsoft)

Net Worth $78.8 Billion – Dropped out at 19.

Gates attended Harvard in the fall of 1973, only to drop out two years later to found Microsoft with childhood buddy Paul Allen. In 2007, he ended up receiving an honorary degree from Harvard.

#3. Larry Ellison (Oracle)

Net Worth $56.6 Billion – Dropped out at 20. 

Larry Ellison is a serial entrepreneur, programmer and philanthropist who made a good chunk of his billions via the multinational tech corp, Oracle. Oh yea, he also own an island in Hawaii named, “Larry Ellison Island.”

#4. Amancio Ortega (Zara)

Net Worth $66.2 Billion – Dropped out at 14. 

At 27, Ortega founded his own company, producing quality yet affordable garments, and in 1975, he opened his first retail store, Zara. Ortega is now the richest man in Spain.

#5. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)

Net Worth $33.7 Billion – Dropped out at 19.

Surely you’ve heard of Mark Zuckerberg. If not, he’s the guy who founded the second highest traffic website in the world, Facebook. Remember the hoodie he wore to all of his press conferences and public events?

#6. Li Ka Shing (Cheung Kong Holdings)

Net Worth $33.5 Billion – Dropped out at 15. 

Li Ka Shing said “deuces” to school at age 15 and started selling watch bands. Today he’s the world’s largest operator of container terminals, world’s largest health and beauty retailer, Chinese energy supplier and real estate developer.

 #7. Sheldon Adelson (Las Vegas Sands)

Net Worth $30.2 Billion – Dropped out at 19. 

While you may not know his face, you may have partied at one of his Vegas establishments for your 21st. Aside from Sheldon Adelson being a casino tycoon, he also owns the Israeli Daily newspaper and dabbles in politics.

#8. Larry Page (Google) 

Net Worth $29.1 Billion – Dropped out at 21. 

Larry page is known for co-founding a little site called Google. He technically graduated from University of Michigan but later dropped out of his PhD. program which why he’s on the list. 

#9. Michael Dell (Dell)

Net Worth $21.8 Billion – Dropped out at 19. 

Michael Dell truly caught the entrepreneurial bug in college. Selling upgrade mods for personal computers from his dorm, ultimately led to him getting a license from the State of Texas to bid on (large) contracts. The rest is history.

#10. Paul Allen (Microsoft)

Net Worth $17 Billion – Dropped out at 20. 

This Microsoft co-founder is a sports fanatic, owning the Seattle Seahawks, and the NBA’s Portland Trailblazer’s. He’s known for having fun with his cash thanks to ridiculous toys ranging from submarines to 400ft yachts.

 #11. Azim Premji (Wipro)

Net Worth $16.4 Billion – Dropped out at 22. 

Mr. Premji has been at the helm of Wipro Limited for four decades. In that time he’s grown them into one of the Indian leaders in the software industry.

#12. Kirk Kerkorian (Tracinda) 

Net Worth $10 Billion – Dropped out at 12. 

Kirk Kerkorian is known as the “father of the megaresort” and has helped develop, shape and grow Las Vegas. An 8th grade dropout, Kirk is a former boxer, WWII fighter pilot and CEO of the successful investment firm Tracinda.

#13. Steve Jobs (Apple)

Net Worth $8.3 Billion – Dropped out at 21. 

Jobs dropped out of college after one semester and recycled cans and bottles to make ends meet. A vegetarian Buddhist who frequently experimented with LSD, Jobs has been hailed as the Ford and Edison of our Time.

#14. Dustin Moskovitz (Facebook)

Net Worth $8.2 Billion – Dropped out at 21.

Forbes reported Moskovitz to be the youngest self-made billionaire in history. Zuckerberg’s roommate at Harvard and Facebook’s third employee, Dustin left Facebook in 2008 to start hist software firm Asana.

#15. Lex Wexner (L Brands)

Net Worth $7.7 Billion – Dropped out at 22. 

Over the years Lex has built up some of the most famous brands in the world, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Lane Bryant, Limited Too and Express. Btw, he’s the shot caller aka current owner of Victoria Secret.

#16. Jan Koum (WhatsApp)

Net Worth $7.2 Billion – Dropped out at 20. 

Koum made $6.8 billion when Facebook acquired his mobile messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion. He had originally dropped out of school to Yahoo, where he oversaw security and infrastructure for the internet giant.

#17. Ralph Lauren (Ralph Lauren)

Net Worth $7.1 Billion – Dropped out at 20.

This billionaire fashion mogul studied business for 2 years before dropping out. In 1967, after leaving his clerk position at Brooks Brothers, Lauren sold $500,000 worth of ties. He started Polo the next year.

#18. David Geffen (Geffen Records)

Net Worth $6.9 Billion – Dropped out at 19. 

This guy founded Asylum Records and Geffen Records and co-founded DreamWorks. He also founded Hobby Lobby, a popular American chain of arts and crafts stores.

#19. Walt Disney (Disney)

Net Worth $5 billion (2015) – Dropped out at 16. 

Walt Disney dropped out of at 16 and founded Walt Disney; a company which now has an annual revenue of about $30 billion. He’s regarded as the most influential animator ever.

#20. David Green (Hobby Lobby)

Net Worth $4.7 Billion – Dropped out at 18. 

Billionaire founder of Hobby Lobby, religious philanthropist. Did not attend college. Started the Hobby Lobby chain with a $600 loan.

#21. Richard Branson (Virgin)

Net Worth $4.7 Billion – Dropped out at 16. 

ironically he dropped out to start a youth magazine called “Student.” After he moved to London in the 60s, he developed a “mail-order” record company to fund his magazine, named Virgin. Branson’s empire includes an airline, drinks manufacturer and over 400 other ventures.

#22. Elizabeth Holmes (Theranos)

Net Worth $4.5 Billion – Dropped out at 19. 

At 30, Elizabeth Holmes makes her debut on the Forbes 400 as the youngest self-made woman billionaire.  

#23. Subhash Chandra Goel (Zee Tv)

Net Worth $4 Billion – Dropped out at 12. 

Dr Chandra who is referred to as the Media Moghul of India, changed the television industry by launching the country’s first satellite Hindi channel in 1992. The Zee Network now has over 500 million viewers in 167 countries.

#24. Haim Saban (Saban Capital)

Net Worth $3.3 Billion – Dropped out at 13.

Saban made it big as the producer of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show in the early 90s. And later sold Fox Family to Disney for $5 Billion and made $1.7 Billion on the deal.

#25. Sean Parker (Facebook)

Net Worth $3 Billion – Dropped out at 14. 

He’s the co-founder of the infamous music sharing service Napster, which changed the music industry forever. He later served as Facebook’s first president owning 28.2% of B shares.
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#26. Evan Williams (Twitter)

Net Worth $2.9 Billion – Dropped out at 19. 

Williams is one of the co-founders of Twitter and the founder of Square, and before each of the aforementioned companies he co-founded the successful podcasting company Odeo. 
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#27. Jack Dorsey (Twitter)

Net Worth $2.5 Billion – Dropped out at 20. 

Dorsey, who is now on the board of Disney, is one of the founding members of Twitter, and founder and CEO of Square. He’s often referred to as the “cool” guy in tech.

#28. Hiroshi Yamauchi (Nintendo)

Net Worth $2.1 Billion – Dropped out at 22. 

Yamauchi dropped out to take over the company his grandfather started in 1889, maintaining his role as the third president of Nintendo for 55 years, taking them from small card company to video game powerhouse.

#29. Gabe Newell (Valve)

Net Worth $1.3 Billion – Dropped out at 20.

Newell co-founded Valve Corporation, a company famous for the sci-fi video game, Half Life. Newell claims to be “producer of the first three releases of Windows.” Like Zuckerberg and Gates, he was also a Harvard dropout.

#30. Orji Uzor Kalu (Slok)

Net Worth $1 Billion – Dropped out at 20.

The Nigerian born billionaire and war survivor, made his billions in television and media after being expelled from University for leading student riots and taking a $35 loan from his mother.

We Can’t Gauge Our Success Based on Grades

Not having a college degree will be a hindrance to some avenues of success, but not all.  It does tend to make it harder to get a job with big companies (in particular) or with companies that are founded by individuals who place great value on academic degrees. These types of people are increasingly less common, especially in tech, as you’ll notice from this list, but there’s still a lot of them. 

Of the 30 names on this list, 25 are self made. And of the 25 that are self made, 10 made their billions in the last 10 years in the tech space. What’s also interesting, is that the combined total of employees that these dropouts employ is well over 1 million. And of this number of employees, a vast number of them have college degrees. Ironic, no?

Don’t Rush to Quit School

Interesting and inspiring selection I think you will agree. Not all are complete dropouts – some actually have pretty impressive academic achievements to their name but alas the call of their Entrepreneurial Ventures took them to leave those studies and instead go on to create considerable wealth plus businesses that in some case have touched Billions of people.

One entrepreneur who in particular impressed me was Michael Dell – who started a computer company called PCs Limited while attending the University of Texas in Austin. It became so successful that Dell dropped out of school to operate it, and the company eventually became Dell, Inc, with revenues of $56.94 billion in 2013. In 2006, Dell and his wife gave a $50 million grant to the University which he attended but never graduated from.

One remarkable fact I noted when compiling this list, was the number of businesses that started of in a garage. Take for example the HP corporation which started life in a tiny 12×18 foot garage. And then there is also Google and Apple who started life in a garage.

And the Most Notable Young Entrepreneurs Of Recent Times?

Well it is Mark Zuckerberg of course.

Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg has an estimated net worth of nearly $34 billion and believed by some to be the wealthiest man younger than 35 in the USA. Mark Zuckerberg, like Bill Gates, is a Harvard dropout.

After launching Facebook school-wide from his dorm room at Harvard in February 2004, Zuckerberg began devoting more and more time to his program, gradually spreading it to other schools. By that summer, Zuckerberg and his roommate Dustin Moskovitz had released Facebook to nearly 30 schools, and the website was growing too popular to be run part-time.

This post is dedicated to Chad

We recently received an email from a mother concerned not only with the happiness and motivation of her son, but the type of ‘formal’ education he was receiving. She felt her child needed to be inspired and found a similar WebMakeMoney.com article to be just that.

Even if this list makes a difference to one life, it’s worth doing.

Where to go from here

WebMakeMoney is packed with helpful information and advice from some of the leading entrepreneurs in the world. For inspiration I would suggest you read some of our high profile interviews and check out our young entrepreneur rich list!

The post The Most Successful College Dropouts In History appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

Thank you for providing us with this interview. I first met you at Yanik Silvers Underground Online Seminar in 2008 and I like just about everyone else in the room was blown away by you and your business ethos. It is a sincere pleasure to have you here on WebMakeMoney.com – the fact that a busy man like you is taking the time to help out Young Entrepreneurs is greatly appreciated.

First off – can we have a little background information on you Tony – Where you live? How old you are? What motivates you? What inspires you?

I’m 35 and grew up in the Bay Area (California), but currently live in Las Vegas. My motivation for Zappos is to build a business where culture is the number one priority. It’s important to me to build a business where money isn’t the primary motivator because in tough times, I’ve found that it isn’t enough to see it all the way through. I believe success is created by following your passion and going through the journey of redefining what success means. I think there’s something to learn from anyone no matter what their position or background, and that anyone can be inspiring somehow. I’ve been told that I have a diverse group of friends. I think that’s helped me in the business world, even if they aren’t all from the business world.

You can find Tony’s bio by clicking here!

1) You are CEO of Zappos.com – a company that I understand is approaching One Billion Dollars in turnover.  How did you come to get involved in Zappos ?

In the late ’90s, I had formed a small investment fund called Venture Frogs with Alfred, our COO/CFO. We invested in 20 or so different Internet companies and Zappos happened to be one of them. Over time, it became clear that Zappos was the most promising and the most fun. Eventually, I decided to join the company full time, and I became the CEO.

2) Zappos sells footwear – with approaching a billion dollars in revenues, that is a lot of customers. What has allowed you to grow to such a large business while at the same time retaining an excellent reputation for service?

The #1 driver of our growth has been through repeat customers and word of mouth. We focus on having the best customer service, but ultimately, our#1 priority is company culture. Our belief is that if you get the culture right, then most of the other stuff, like great customer service and building a great brand, will happen naturally on its own.

3) Can you share some of the biggest lessons you have learned personally and as a business as Zappos.com has grown? If you were to start again, what might you do differently?

Something I’ve learned over the years is that it’s a good idea to hire people more slowly and fire those that are harming the culture more quickly. In general, I think mistakes are fine as long as we learn from them and do our best not to repeat them. I wouldn’t necessarily do anything differently, but I would try to do everything faster.

4) What next for Zappos? Where do you see the business in say 5 years time?

We’ve already begun to expand into other categories like apparel, accessories, and even electronics. In 2008, we did over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales, primarily in footwear.  Apparel is four times the size of the footwear market, so we’d like to get customers to think of Zappos not just for shoes, but for clothes and other things as well.

5) Zappos is about fashion – how do you / your team keep on top of fashion trends? How do you predict how many of a particular style you will sell for example?

We have a dedicated team of buyers that stays on top of the latest trends in fashion and style.

6) Do you have any recommended strategies for getting customers who buy once to come back and buy from you again – other than of course good service?

It really is service and delivering “wow” through service that keeps our repeat customers returning. Our merchandising team also maintains a constant inflow of new products to ensure that inventory stays fresh and in line with what our customers want.

7) I have been reading your guide to Twitter , It seems everyone is now very excited about Twitter – but what excited you about it so much and made you an early adopter of Twitter.

I first started using Twitter in March 2007 at the SXSW Interactive conference. While at the conference, I found it was a great way to find out what was going on during the day at the conference as well as figuring out what parties to go to at night. After the conference, I introduced it to my friends in Vegas (where I live now) as well as my friends in San Francisco (where I used to live). I found it was a great way to find out what was going on and for meeting up with friends in Vegas. I also found that it was a great way to keep in touch and feel connected to my friends in San Francisco. After using it with just my close friends for about a year, I realized how much Twitter had allowed me to form more personal connections with everyone, so we decided to introduce it to Zappos as a way of growing our company culture. We’ve found that it’s been great for building more personal connections with both employees and customers.

8) Do you have any suggestions for coping with set-backs, negative experiences?

I believe that ups and downs are naturally all part of the journey. If you don’t have setbacks, you probably aren’t taking enough risks.

9) How do you keep your business focus – Do you have any suggestions for entrepreneurs who are experiencing challenging times?

I’ve found that it’s helpful to focus on being the best at one (smaller)thing rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

10) Is there anyone that you look up to and model yourself on?

No, I really enjoy meeting lots of different people, both within and outside of my business circles. I think there’s something to be learned from everyone.

11) Do you have any favourite business related or web design related books that you can recommend to other entrepreneurs?

If you go to www.zapposinsights.com and click on the Suggested Reading link on the left, you’ll find the books we recommend to all of our employees, customers, partners and friends.

12) What is the best advice you have ever been given?

To never forget that the most important thing in life is the quality of life we lead.

13) You are one of the most famous Young Entrepreneurs in the world today- based on your experiences, what advice would you give to a Young Entrepreneur starting their first business today?

It’s generally better to do things fast (knowing you’ll make mistakes),than to take a long time and try to get things perfect.

14) What do you like best about the Internet?

It’s a perfect medium for instant gratification, an efficient way to connect with people and it’s always there.

15) What do you like least about the Internet?

It’s always there.

16) Have you any plans (personal or business) that you can share with us about your future plans / goals / lifetime goals?

Just to continue chasing the vision (not the money), to be real and transparent in everyday life and constantly improve on the quality of life. Find out more about Tony and Zappos at Inside Zappos – http://blogs.zappos.com

Follow Tony at http://twitter.com/zappos

The post Tony Hsieh, The Billion Dollar Interview appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

I’m pleased to introduce to you a fantastic young entrepreneur whose hugely successful and rapidly expanding business in frozen yoghurt is taking the US by storm. Meet Natasha Nelson of Yogurtini – Natasha and her popular and creative company are based in Southern California, the perfect location for an entrepreneur who best describes herself as “a true beach girl” and who is constantly inspired by the youthful and creative culture of the south west’s famous beaches.

Natasha and the company are a persistent advocate for good ingredients and good causes, including helping out in the Haiti earthquake. She also took care of her terminally ill mother in Arizona and still found time to work at night. Honored in the  “Top 35 entrepreneurs under 35” by the Arizona Republic & AZ Magazine in March 2010, a keen traveler and always pushing forward with a drive to learn, innovate and lead the market.

Natasha Nelson is one of the most inspiring female entrepreneurs we have ever interviewed at WebMakeMoney.com and I just love her tip for coping with setbacks:

Get up, dry your tears, move forward, lose the baggage and learn from your mistakes

Enjoy the interview and let us have your comments.

Michael

I have always been an entrepreneur since I was a child. I think it is in my blood, my mom was also an entrepreneur. I love creating a business that focuses on something I am passionate and excited about, watching it grow and working with my staff to create fun and motivating projects for everyone. Business can be an art. One friend calls me the “business artist”. I love that!

I can’t honestly say that money doesn’t motivate me, but not for all the reasons people may think. I just returned from Haiti after the earthquake with 40 doctors, nurses and EMT’s. After a trip like that your heart changes. Money can go a long way in a third world country, especially after a disaster. My sister and I have a heart for Haiti, Sudan and many parts of Africa. Yogurtini has worked with the community and many philanthropic companies and raised thousands of dollars from everything to Parkinsons research to raising funds for prosthetics for an ASU student who lost her leg in Haiti when a building collapsed on her, she now is rock climbing with her new prosthetic.

I’m always inspired by my sister’s perfectly cool blend of funky style with a combination of being the brainiest and having the keenest street smarts that would be completely obscure to any stranger that meets her…and most importantly, God’s grace when you know you have really messed up.

Natasha Nelson Interview – Yogurtini Founder Inspires Young Entrepreneurs

1) You founded self-serving frozen yogurt company Yogurtini – what drew you to this unusual niche market?

My sister and I have been frozen yogurt fanatics since we were kids. We were both living in CA but in different cities, we were always visiting different yogurt shops and texting each other when we would find a new flavor we liked. When we would return home to Arizona to visit family and friends we were not satisfied with the choices we had. We had the same idea at the same time, which we often do. So, I wrote up a business plan, we started researching, became yogurt experts after a year and Yogurtini was launched.

2) Yogurtini is expanding across the U.S. – with a healthy profit. What has allowed you to grow so quickly in such a short space of time?

We were surprised how quickly we were profitable. It always comes down to having the best yogurt in town, we hear it over and over. After 944 Magazine readers voted us “Best place to chill”, College Affair voted us “Best Sweet Spot” and we were nominated in The Phoenix New Times for “Best Frozen Yogurt” we knew we had hit the mark. Our reputation was spreading like wildfire and within a few months we had many offers from investors who saw potential in our business and people asking about franchising. After about 9 months of going through the franchise registration process we have hit the ground running.

3) What next for Yogurtini? Where do you see the business in say 5 years time?

Our franchising program has started off so well I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see us with 100-300 stores in the next five years nationally. We have the team, inspiration and personal drive to make this happen.

4) Yogurtini is about fun and eating. I notice that there’s also a big focus on healthy eating. How do you and your team keep on top of fashion trends in this industry?

I’ve always considered myself a newshound and no one can beat me at Trivial Pursuit’s Pop Culture edition. I read the Wall Street Journal and Teen Vogue. Been doing it since I was 14 and my mom got me a subscription for both.

I also keep my nose in the yogurt gossip and believe we have created some of the trends that some of the other larger shops are following us on. My sister has made some amazing flavors partnering up with companies like Sambazon who brought the Acai’ berry from the Ambazon. Soon after, we saw Acai’ yogurt being offered by our competitors. We have a few new things up our sleeves as well, which I can’t share with you yet! We also like to get CRAZY. Sriracha hot sauce and yogurt covered pop rocks are two of our most popular toppings…you aren’t gonna find that at TCBY, Red Mango or Pinkberry.

5) Do you have any recommended strategies for getting customers who buy once to come back and buy from you again – other than of course good service?

Yogurtini is almost a lifestyle. Our brand reflects the lifestyle of those who want to eat healthy, have fun, want to create their own treat and most of all get away into a fun environment for a few minutes, enjoy your yogurt and listen to some great tunes. When you find a favorite, you keep coming back.

6) How does your physical shop market itself online? I see you’re a Twitter and Facebook user; how important is it to use these sites to reach your audience?

If you aren’t using Facebook and Twitter you are way behind. Our “Twitter Tuesdays” have become somewhat infamous at our Tempe location near Arizona State University students. I am always working on the next online marketing tool. Study, study, study.

7) Do you have any suggestions for coping with set-backs, negative experiences?

Get up, dry your tears, move forward, lose the baggage and learn from your mistakes; and my personal favorite “fake it ‘til you make it”. All easier said than done…but sounds good, huh? That is what I try to do.

8 ) How do you keep your business focus – Do you have any suggestions for entrepreneurs who are experiencing challenging times?

It’s not easy for me right now, just like everyone else. I have a lot of distractions in my personal and professional world. I don’t rush what I don’t have to; I work when I have the motivation and that next “big idea”. Sometimes I am not able to focus for a week…then the next week I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and I can’t stop working on it for a month. Is that manic? I don’t know if it’s healthy but it works for me. I have worked for myself for almost seven years now. I think a lot of entrepreneurs go through that. Most of my friends and family work for themselves, so I’m surrounded by other entrepreneurs with similar experiences.

9) What people do you look up to and model yourself on?

That is easy, my mom. She was a workaholic. I am not, but she taught me a good work ethic. There wasn’t a day she didn’t work on something while I was growing up whether it was her career, her masters degree or her other businesses she started. She had a very level head when it came to business. I try to be more like her everyday and find myself thinking “What would my mom do?” – I can’t leave out my father, he has such a great demeanor with people and engaging people in a conversation where you feel like the only person in the world he cares to listen to at that moment, there is no one who doesn’t like my father. I like to think my business partners and employees enjoy me as a person as well, if they do, I owe that to my dad.

One of my first bosses when I worked for an Advertising and PR agency deserves a shout out too, Shawn Buckley. He was young and likeable but we had a respect for him and just a wee bit of fear. I never missed a deadline working for Shawn. I also never missed a party he would throw. He taught me a lot on how to manage people without losing your temper but getting a big point across you wouldn’t ever forget. I also knew I could knock on the door and talk to him as a friend. Plus, he had class. I hope my employees and partners say that about me one day.

10) Do you have any favourite business or related books that you can recommend to other entrepreneurs?

I love to read but it’s not always the business books that inspire me. For instance, I just read one of Chelsea Handlers books and it was hilarious, it put me in the best mood. I felt creative and so motivated after that read! I read ‘Gone With the Wind’, my classic favorite I try to read every few years, and suddenly took on the spirit of Scarlet, she had gusto and a no holds barred, “I won’t take anyone’s crap attitude” – But, if I need to know about a specific subject I do my research. If I am hiring a consultant, you bet I want to speak their language and sound like I know what I am talking about. I am also a huge advocate of public relations and publicity. The best book I read on that was ‘The Fall of Advertising and Rise of PR’ by Al Ries. Every entrepreneur should read that one. I have a few other books that have helped me in the yogurt industry but those are on my secret shelf.

11) What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Personally, a prayer my father gave me during a hard time about accepting things I cannot change and changing the things I can. I believe it is called the serenity prayer. In business, my mom always repeated “don’t let them cheat you”. Maybe that was from a bad experience she had and my sister and I would roll our eyes, but we always remember she probably knows better so we check, check, check. Check your books! Check backgrounds on people you work with!

12) You’ve had a difficult 12 months out of the business. Based on your experiences, what advice would you give to a anxious Young Entrepreneur starting their first business today?

We haven’t had many difficulties to date but my best advice is to find people who will be honest with you who have experience…and use their advice. If your first business fails, try again. No one is a winner every time. Accept that before you even start.

13) What do you like best about the Internet?

It’s fast and immediate; I can create my own brand and impression I am in control of.

14) What do you like least about the Internet?

If someone posts something on your FaceBook you don’t want anyone to know about it and it goes out to all of your friends and family…also accidentally seeing all your exes with their new girlfriends, ick!

15) Have you any plans (personal or business) that you can share with us about your future plans / goals / lifetime goals?

I want Yogurtini to grow into something bigger than my family ever imagined when we first had the original idea for one shop. I want to create a business atmosphere of fun and growth with my employees. I love the team and family feel a good leader can create.

Personally, that is easy. I’m still a girl looking for true love, aren’t we all? And yes, the beach house in my secret spot in Hawaii is right underneath that. Learning, understanding and working on sustainable ways to help impoverished countries is on my list too. I currently work with Transformational Development Agency ( http://www.tdaafrica.com ) in my free time and went with them to Haiti. An entrepreneur can use their skills for empowering change globally as well. That is what I would like to be remembered for and would love to work on that with my sister in the future. Yogurtini will be the just a blip on my obituary I hope.

The post Natasha Nelson Interview | Yogurtini Founder Blazes The Way For Young Entrepreneurs appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

Great interview Evan! You can check out his site here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/

1) Tell us about Evancarmichael.com – what is the main goal / passion for this website?

The goal with EvanCarmichael.com is to provide entrepreneurs with motivation and strategies to build their businesses. My passion for this business came from when I started my first company. Instead of trying to do everything from scratch ourselves we looked at famous entrepreneurs who had gone before us and paved the way. We used their strategies and implemented them into our business. I now share the strategies of famous entrepreneurs on my site and we have the largest collection of famous entrepreneur stories online.

2) You have used your name for your website – but your site is so much more than a personal blog – it is a complete entrepreneurial resource in my opinion. Tell me if you have found any particular advantages or disadvantages in using your own name like this.

For example why did you not call your website: entrepreneursoundingdomainname.com? When I started the site it was more of a hobby. I was being invited to speak to young entrepreneurs around the world and created EvanCarmichael.com as an information site about the work I was doing. It soon became a popular destination site and we built it out from there. The name has its plusses and minuses. It would be easier to remember if I had a more recognizable name like entrepreneur.com does. However, the personal branding also has helped us as people form a personal connection with the site because it’s under my name.

3) You have been appeared in the New York Times, Venturemagazine, and on CBC News at 6 and so much more. What advice would you give a young entrepreneur who wants to be gain media attention?

Position yourself as an expert. Reporters don’t like to be pitched stories but love to talk to experts about current trends. If you give yourself up as an expert you make their job easier. We used to do three press releases a month and built up our own mailing list of reporters. Make sure that what you are offering has real value and it’s not just information about your new product that nobody cares about. If it’s too self-serving your email will get deleted. Offer real value and you’re far more likely to get a response. If you can get the media to showcase your product or service then they will do the job of selling thousands of potential customers for you so it’s definitely worth it.

4) I understand that you have over 1,700 contributing authors offering 42,000 pages of content, how did you manage to achieve this? In particular how did you manage to \”recruit\” so many contributing authors? What tips / suggestions would you make to other website owners in this respect?

It didn’t happen overnight. I started with people that I knew and asked them to contribute. They started seeing that their articles were ranking at the top of Google because they were on my site so they talked about me to their colleagues. Soon we had people contacting us asking how they could get involved. Then I went out to try and get some big names on board. One of the first guys I recruited was Guy Kawasaki, author of “The Art Of The Start.”? He said yes and I was then able to use his name to get other popular authors like Michael Gerber, Jack Canfield, Zig Ziglar, and Donald Trump. The key is to create momentum and never let it go.

5) If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what business related advice would you give yourself?

Plan ahead. When I first started I never imagined having so many authors and articles it wasn’t part of the game plan. I actually never even thought of it as a real business until I discovered that I could make money online through programs like Google Adsense. As a result I had to change how all of my articles were added (I used to have to do it manually one by one) and create a system for authors to add articles themselves. If I had done this from the beginning it would have saved a lot of headaches!

6) Do you think that entrepreneurialism is something that is in your blood? Or is it something that can be learned?

I think as long as you have a passion for it you can learn anything. If you go into business just for the money it’s going to be hard to be successful. Focus on what you’re really passionate about and be the best in the world at it. If you can do that you will find a way to make money. Starting your own business allows you to create something where you can be the best in the world it’s an amazing opportunity that anybody can capitalize on!

7) Is there anyone that you look up to and model yourself on? (You can name more than one)

I always recommend that entrepreneurs look at people who have achieved success in their industry and analyze the success factors. For myself, I’m in the publishing business so I try to model myself after people like Martha Stewart (MSLO), Ted Turner (CNN, TBS), Rupert Murdoch (Fox), Hugh Hefner (Playboy), Henry Luce (TIME). Basically anybody who sells advertising as their business model is of interest to me. I’ve learned something different from each of their stories. We’ve now also created profiles of them off of EvanCarmichael.com.

8) Do you have any favourite business related, internet marketing or personal development related books that you can recommend to other entrepreneurs?

My favourite business books are “Think and Grow Rich”? by Napoleon Hill, “The Martha Rules”? by Martha Stewart, and “The Art of the Deal”? by Donald Trump. “How to Win Friends and Influence People”? by Dale Carnegie is another great one. They are general books about how to build a business. I haven’t found a good book on internet marketing. By the time they hit the shelves a lot of the information is out of date so I rely on different blogs and forums for my internet marketing development.

9) What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Follow your passion. Do what you’re excited about and you have a drive deep in your belly to do. If you follow that passion there is no way you will fail.

10) What advice would you give to a Young Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

Besides following your passion my second most important bit of advice is build around a customer. Most young entrepreneurs start up with a product or service but no customer. You end up building in the wrong features and not having a product that is ready for market and go broke. The best way to build a business is to find a customer that is willing to pay you for your product or service and build around them. Cash flow is king in a start-up business as the first stage is about survival. Then you can worry about making your millions.

11) Your website features a comprehensive list of Free Resources at http://www.evancarmichael.com/free/free-resources.htm Can you perhaps suggest 3 Downloads that would be most appropriate for Young Entrepreneurs?

That’s a tough one because we have so many great downloads. I would say three really valuable ones are: Business plan sample, Cash flow forecast samples, and Confidentiality agreement. They are practical documents that every entrepreneur will need as some point in their business career.

12) We live in a time not only of increasing young entrepreneurs in business but also teen entrepreneurs and even some people starting their first business before the age of 12.

How do you feel about people getting into business so young (age 13 – 15 for example) and what advice might you give them? I think it’s great! I had my own micro businesses when I was that young as well. My only concern is to be careful about the information you reveal about yourself. Once you put information out on the Internet, it’s there forever. Somebody will keep a record of it and when you’re 45 years old you’ll have to live with the words you published online when you were 13. That’s a lot of time for things to come back and haunt you!

13) What do you like best about the Internet?

It’s so available. I can connect anytime, anywhere and have the world at my fingertips. I can run a business from the Caribbean islands on a cruise (which I have done) and nobody would know the difference.

14) What do you like least about the Internet?

It’s so available. I can connect anytime, anywhere sometimes it’s too hard to turn off and I need to escape to the lake house to recharge the batteries (where there is no high-speed Internet connection).

15) Have you any plans (personal or business) that you can share with us about your future plans / goals / lifetime goals?

My biggest goal is to be the number one website for entrepreneurs. It’s a five year goal of ours and so far we’re hitting our targets.

The post Interview with Evan Carmichael – Advice from Famous Entrepreneurs appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

To better understand how to build a world famous company, you need to dive into how other entrepreneurs have created theirs.

Here are ten of the world’s most gigantic businesses that started in garages.

10 Famous Garage Startups

#1 Amazon

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 as an online bookstore. At the time, it was completely run out of his garage in Bellevue, Washington.

He sold his first book in July 1995 and issued his IPO two years later in 1997.

Today it’s the world’s largest online retailer.

Address: 10704 NE 28th, Bellevue, Washington

#2 Apple

In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, ages 21 and 26 respectively, started Apple Computers by selling 50 units of Wozniak’s Apple I Computer at $500 apiece to a local retailer. Jobs took the purchase order to a parts distributor and ordered the parts. “The Steves” and their small team hand-built 50 computers in 30 days from a garage in Cupertino, CA.

Today, Apple is the most valuable technology company in the world.

Address: 2066 Crist Dr, Los Altos, California

#3 Disney

About 45 minutes down the road from Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA, there’s a house in Los Angeles where The Walt Disney Company got its start.

In 1923, the house belonged to Walt Disney’s uncle, Robert Disney. Walt and his brother Roy moved in with their uncle and set up “The First Disney Studio” in the one-car garage out back. There they started filming the Alice Comedies which was part of the original Alice’s Wonderland.

Today, Disney is the highest-grossing media conglomerate in the world.

Address: 4651 Kingswell Ave, Los Angeles, California

#4 Google

As Stanford Graduate students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin started what’s now known as Google from Susan Wojcicki’s garage in September 1998.

Soon the project was interfering with their schoolwork, so they tried to sell it to Excite for $1 million. Excite rejected the offer and now Google is the most trafficked site in the world.

Address: 232 Santa Margarita Ave, Menlo Park, California

#5 Harley Davidson

In 1901, 21-year-old William S. Harley drew up plans to create a small engine to power a bicycle.

Over the next two years, Harley and his childhood friend, Arthur Davidson, built their motor-bicycle out of their friend’s 10 by 15-foot wooden shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the equivalent of a garage because they didn’t have cars.

They officially founded Harley-Davidson in 1903 and today it’s the most well-known motorcycle brand in the world.

Address: Somewhere in northern Milwaukee, Wisconsin

#6 Hewlett-Packard

In 1939, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in Packard’s garage with an initial investment of $538.

Their first product was an audio oscillator and one of their first customers was Walt Disney, who purchased eight oscillators to develop the sound system for the movie Fantasia.

The HP Garage in Palo Alto is known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley and HP is now one of the largest companies in the world.

Address: 367 Addison Ave, Palo Alto, California

#7 Lotus Cars

In 1948, at the age of 20, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman started Lotus Cars by building the first Lotus racing car in stables behind The Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. Chapman used a 1930s Austin Seven and a power drill to build the Lotus Mark I.

Today Lotus Cars is one of the premier racing car manufacturers in the world.

Address: 472 Hornsey Rd, London N19 4EF, United Kingdom

#8 Maglite

In 1950, Tony Maglica moved from his war-torn home of Croatia back to America. Knowing very little English, he settled in Los Angeles and took jobs wherever he could find them.

In 1955, after saving $125, Tony put a down-payment on his first lathe. Then he started working out of a Los Angeles area garage to manufacture precision parts. He incorporated Mag Instrument in 1974 and released their first flashlight in 1979.

Today, Maglite is the standard issue flashlight for all police officers in the US.

Address: Somewhere in Los Angeles, California

#9 Mattel

Harold “Matt” Matson and Elliot Handler founded Mattel out of a garage in Southern California as picture frame company in 1945. To get the most out of their materials, they started using picture frame scrapes to create dollhouses.

Soon their dollhouses were selling better than their picture frames so they turned their emphasis to toys.

Today Mattel, Inc. is the highest-grossing toy company in the world.

Address: Somewhere in Southern California

#10 Yankee Candle Company

In 1969, at 16 years old, Michael Kittredge made his scented candle in his garage out of melted crayons as a gift for his mother. The neighbors took notice and expressed interest in buying Kittredge’s candles, so he started mass-producing them.

Four years later, Kittredge outgrew the garage so he moved the Yankee Candle Company to an old mill in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Today it’s the largest manufacturer of scented candles in the US.

Address: Somewhere in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

What’s the Point?

Everything starts as nothing.

It’s easy to look at the world’s largest companies and think, “I could never start something like that.” And you’d be right. Most of these companies took decades to get where they are today.

They didn’t start by trying to create Amazon, Apple, and Google. They started by creating an online bookstore, a computer, and a search algorithm.

Whether it’s a garage, a basement, or a dorm room, every business has humble beginnings. It’s not about where you start. It’s where you end up.

Post written by WebMakeMoney writer, Nick Tart.

The post 10 World Famous Companies that Started in Garages appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

Hi Everyone,

This video features one of my favorite young entrepreneurs Cameron Johnson – whom I have been fortunate enough to meet and also to have interviewed in the past.

Cameron Johnson has been featured in over two-hundred newspapers, magazines and television stations worldwide including Newsweek, BusinessWeek, USA Today, The New York Times, The New York Post, Time Magazine, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC, and dozens in Japan as well.

Also in this video is Ashley Qualls, the head of whateverlife.com – who I have also interviewed in the past.

Enjoy the interview – it is one of the most inspirational Young Entrepreneur videos on YouTube

Any your comments are welcomed — especially if you are a Teen Entrepreneur or started as a teen entrepreneur.

Michael

Cameron Johnson – on The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet on FOX, sharing secrets from his book on entrepreneurship, You Call the Shots

The post Teen Millionaires – How Did They Do It appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

Get Off your “BUT”

I do not normally do blog posts at the weekend, but I did just want to share this quick video with you – it features Sean Stephenson, a remarkable gentleman that my father, Barry Dunlop met in Necker Island along with Sir Richard Branson.

Sean has written Get Of Your But a book which I have just completed reading this week.

Sean Stephenson is a psychotherapist and a professional speaker with a mission to banish self-doubt and insecurity in a world where they may seem omnipresent. Beginning with the source of his own struggle, a rare and painful disease that causes his bones to weaken and break under minimal pressure, (Only 3 ft tall and confined to a wheel chair) Sean offers a structured and practical approach to Ending Self Sabotage and Standing Up For Yourself.

I really cannot recommend this book highly enough – the most inspiring and practical Personal Development book I have ever read.

Sean has also very kindly agreed to do a Podcast for me which will follow shortly at IncomeDiary.com

This video is just a brief introduction to this remarkable man – I believe he is someone we will be hearing a lot more of.

Enjoy and be Inspired!

Transcription:

Hi, I’m Sean Stephenson.

I’m from Chicago, Illinois. I just recently published a book called, “Get Off Your ‘But,'” so if you say things like, “But, I would do this, but I can’t.” OR “I would be happy and successful, but I’m too young.” OR “But, I don’t have the right parents.” OR “But, I’m not tall enough.” OR “But I’m not pretty enough.” then this book is for you.

Everybody has got a “but”. It’s that self-sabotaging experience, right?

So, my advice to a young adult on this planet is catch yourself whenever you’re sitting back on your “but.” When you’re telling yourself that you’re not good enough, you’re not powerful enough, you’re not attractive enough. Stop that in its tracks. Get up off of that “but” and Take a stand, because you need to be playing much larger with your life. Not so that you can have more fun. That will be a by-product.

Do it so that you can nudge humanity one more inch closer to what it needs to be. I don’t care how old you are. You should not be looking at what you can’t do. You need to be looking at what you can do.

I don’t care how old you are. In fact, I got started young. I wrote my first book before the age of 21. And I’ve done a lot of things that I’m proud of. But, the greatest is, I’ve never let the external conditions define who I am; and you shouldn’t either.

So, make sure that you get up off your “but,” you find what you’re really supposed to be doing on this planet, and you might change your mind a million times. That’s OK, as long as you’re heading forward in your life. If you can do that, you’re doing it perfectly.

I’m Sean Stephenson in Necker Island, in the middle of paradise. Good night.

Buy Get Of Your But at Amazon

“Sean is an amazing person with an important message.”

—President Bill Clinton

“Sean Stephenson is the Yoda of personal development, with less pointy ears.”

—Jimmy Kimmel, host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live

“As we struggle with inertia to become the best that we can be, Sean Stephenson’s book informs and inspires us to stand up and keep moving forward. Thank you, Sean, for your life, your work, and your abundant sharing.”

—Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager

“Sean Stephenson is a hero to me. When you read his book, he will be a hero to you as well. His moving stories about himself and others who have found the gifts in their pain will teach you so much about courage and, just as important, you will learn how to build your own sense of confidence when it comes to health, career, relationships, and more. Do yourself a favor read this book! “

—Susan Jeffers, Ph.D., author, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway and Embracing Uncertainty

Get Off Your Butt is a must buy book for anyone serious about living a happier, more productive, more satisfying life

—Michael Dunlop ~ Founder WebMakeMoney.com and IncomeDiary.com

The post Sean Stephenson – End Self Sabotage and Stand Up For Yourself appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

Anyone can be a top young blogger, I recently was approached by my good friend Charlie, as I am sure you all know by now. He is just 15 years old and wants to start saving for doing up his first car and so I suggested he started blogging about something he’s passionate about and he came up with the idea to create a car blog for those who want to modify their cars. Charlie has already shown in just a couple weeks you can start pulling in traffic and build a strong platform for a blog.

Speaking With New Young Blogger’s

On Monday Charlie and I went over to Chichister for our first of many Young Entrepreneur meet-ups I hope. We met up with one of WebMakeMoney’s forum moderators called Shane and had a long conversation about blogging and making more money online. I asked them a few questions about how they have found creating their blog’s so young and they share with us the tips and tricks they have learnt so far. I would definitely look out for these two young blogger’s over the next year because I expect big things!

I would just like to say that talking with these young blogger’s was like talking to a professional blogger, the depth of knowledge they have at such a young age is inspiring! But they aren’t the only ones, I have had over 100 people submit themselves to our top young blogger’s list and every day its growing, I really didn’t expect to see such big names and so many of them on the list! You all deserve a pat on the back.

They Will Never Have To Get a Job

What I can’t get over is how in just one generation the way of business has completely changed. These young entrepreneurs may never have to get a job, why would they if they are making at least a couple thousand dollars a month at such a young age? It is quite odd knowing that I won’t ever have to get a job, the only way for me is up! Could you imagine before the internet saying you will never get a job? The internet has given everyone the opportunity to create their own business and start making money? Or you need to have is a passion for something and that’s what you create your business about. Having never had a job has its huge benefits as Steve Pavilina mentions but it also has its draw backs, you would realise how employees think and act, for example:

– 25% of Employees steal from their work place

– Employees will typically try to cut corners, if they can get away with not working, they will!

– They aren’t your friends and nor should they!

– They aren’t entrepreneurs so for them its a means to a end and will only try so hard.

– Customers Are Usually Wrong but You Got To Tell Them They Are Right

I briefly worked for my local Supermarket when I was 16 because my dad insisted that their are a lot of lessons to be learnt. Although at the time I was earning someday’s more from my website in a day then I would at the supermarket in a month I went ahead and took his advice and got a job. I witnessed all of the above and on a few occasions HAD to roll my eyes at customers who lacked to understand the most simplest things, didn’t usually go down well but then they didn’t come back to my till, so I was happy. It just goes to show that some customers are and always will be complete idiots and you got to cater for that on your website, you got to tell them exactly what to do, theirs no chance of you teaching them to fish, you just got to give them it.

Work With The End In Mind

When building your blog, website or business, it is important to have a end in mind, for me its selling my website’s for millions of dollars as soon as possible, for you it could be to duplicate your 9 – 5 income with in 6 months. Do you think that for all these successful entrepreneurs that it just happened? No, of course not, they thought about what they wanted and went after it, so kids if you are trying to make money online then focus, get of those computer games and get busy!

It is important to write down your goals, I write down my goals every day for what I want to achieve, I also have 3 goals I want to achieve over the new couple years which I have stuck up at the back of my wardrobe to remind me every day. Ryan Allis has done a great video about working your way up and achieving those goals. When he was 17 he wrote down he wanted to do a million dollars in sales by the age of 21, find out how he did in his video. I find that writing a daily to do list makes me at least 5 times more productive, could you imagine how much more work you could get done?! You have to make progress every day because otherwise you will be at the same place you are now in a years time and that’s not a good feeling.

Being a Young Blogger Opens Up Opportunities

Would you ever expect to be emailed by company’s such as AOL, DELL, MTV, BBC and Yahoo!? Well I have, in fact lately I was asked to move over the pond to LA to be the lead role in a new MTV show just because of my website! That’s not all, BBC have contacted me asking to pop round my house (As they do) and interview me about my business. I don’t think any of this would of happened if it wasn’t for having a website and putting my name out there so if you are young and take a picture and stick it up on your website and let the world know your young and doing big things! You have the best thing going for you, your age! So use it to your advantage and show the world and maby this time next year you could be in a hit new tv show for MTV.

To our success,

Michael Dunlop

PS. Who is young favorite Young Blogger and why?

PPS. What are you working towards?

The post Anyone Can Be A Young Blogger appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

A couple of more videos from slightly older entrepreneurs — giving us Young Entrepreneurs business help and tips.

The first video is from Martin Coburn – I have known Martin all my life (close family friend) and I actually built Martins first website a few years ago – for a Villa he owns in Fuerteventura.

Martin specializes in Personal Development and Mindset Change for business and individuals.
He is also an amazing Public Speaking coach. As Martin puts it – his service is for people who want a coach for results not recreation!

Find yourself a Model Of Success and Follow it — the school of hard knocks is over-rated!

More on Martin at:
http://martincoburn.com
http://twitter.com/martincoburn

Our second video is:

Advice and inspiration for Young Entrepreneurs from Lisa Johnson – Lifestyle Connoisseur

Lisa Johnson – Goals Expert, Motivational Speaker, Lifestyle Connoisseur!

More on Lisa Johnson at
http://livingitwithlisa.com
and
http://twitter.com/txlegz

The post Young Entrepreneur Videos appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.

Being Young and In Business Is Great

Press – Being young and successful will always be an interest to people. Take for example Carl Ocab, his website is one of many in the making money online niche but because he has been making money online since he was 13, he has people blogging and talking about him almost every day. The same can be said about WebMakeMoney.com. I find it quite easy to create link bait with interviews, lists and blog posts. However, if I was to do similar posts about middle aged entrepreneurs, I wouldn’t have anywhere near the success as I currently do.

Energy to Work – “The biggest challenge for a blogger is finding the energy to keep going – luckily, young people have plenty of that.” Pete Cashmore

Money – The best thing about being young and running a business, everything you earn you can put back into your business. Some of the youngest online entrepreneurs still live at home and pay little or no rent, and also do not have large expences for food, cars etc…

Time – Your young, you got no responsibilities, no 9-5 job, no kids to look after, get out there and become rich!

Opportunities – A lot of large companies today want to know what teenagers want. You are a teenager and you know what you want – get out there and make a name for yourself, maybe even end up consulting for these larger companies.

Support – There is a lot of support out there for young entrepreneurs, such as; Young Enterprise, Young Presidents’ Organization and The Prince’s Trust in the UK

Financial Freedom – While all your friends are earning $5 an hour at their local super market, you’re earning $50 an hour while you sleep. You have the financial freedom to do what you want, when you want

Parents – If its all goes wrong, your still young and can fall back onto your parents till you get yourself up and running again. (Maybe?)

Internet – We are the internet generation, when our parents were young they didn’t have the opportunities we had. Starting a business online is 10x easier and more profitable then starting a business offline.

Fun – We often run our business’s at such a young age because we find it fun, we are working for ourselves, no responsibilities or boss.

The post 10 Reasons why being a Young Entrepreneur Rocks appeared first on Young Entrepreneurs.