Aspiring entrepreneurs often look to success stories to get motivated and inspired. These tales of young innovators who have achieved success at a young age can go a long way towards helping others unlock their own business ambitions. Whether it be through hard work, creativity, or simply having the right idea at the right time, these entrepreneurs provide valuable insight into what it takes to reach success. Learn from the best with these successful business stories!
Mark Zuckerberg: Founder of Facebook
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Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most famous young entrepreneurs in the world. He created Facebook when he was a student at Harvard University, and today it’s one of the most popular social networks worldwide. After dropping out from Harvard, Mark continued to lead Facebook’s development and growth into what it is today—one of the largest companies in the world with over 2 billion users. The example of Mark Zuckerberg serves as an inspiration to young entrepreneurs around the world that hard work and intelligence can pay off.
Jan Koum: Founder of WhatsApp
Jan Koum is another example of a successful young entrepreneur. He founded the popular messaging app WhatsApp in 2009 when he was only 30-years-old. After graduating from college, Jan spent years working as an IT security tester and then eventually became one of the early engineers at Yahoo in 1997. His experience at Yahoo helped him gain valuable knowledge around social networks and this inspired him to create WhatsApp. In 2014, Facebook acquired his company for an eye-watering $19 billion, making Jan one of the wealthiest people in Silicon Valley at just 39-years-old. The success story of Jan Koum proves that age does not define one’s potential to make it big in the business world.
Evan Spiegel: Co-Founder of Snapchat
Evan Spiegel is the youngest self-made billionaire in history. In 2011, he co-founded Snapchat with his friends Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown at just 22 years old. What started as a photo messaging app quickly became a global phenomenon, reaching 1 billion monthly active users in 2017. Both Evan and Bobby developed Snapchat’s advertising product which has become one of the most successful on the market today. Evan’s $3 billion net worth shows that hard work and smart decisions can lead to incredible success before 30.
Bridget Hilton: Founder of LTSN Sound Co.
Bridget Hilton’s story is an inspirational one for aspiring entrepreneurs. At 24, she made the bold move of founding LTSN Sound Co., a highly successful audio equipment company. She noticed an opportunity in the market and poured every dime into making it a reality; today it has achieved sales of over $1 billion each year, proving her to be a remarkable businessperson.
Tiffany Pham: CEO and Founder of Mogul
Tiffany Pham is an inspiring example of how dedication and hard work can help individuals succeed. She has overcome numerous obstacles on her way to success, showing that even difficult trials can be conquered with courage and determination. With a degree from Yale and Harvard Business School, she was able to develop the first version of Mogul, a tech platform dedicated to helping women globally. Thanks to her combined efforts, Mogul reaches millions every week! To further help others achieve their dreams, she’s releasing an app May 1st, and a book titled Girl Mogul on April 2nd. Through these ventures, Tiffany Pham wants to spread the power of self-belief and show people the secrets of success.
Nicholas Boehnlein: Co-Founder of Aiisma
Nicholas Boehnlein is a shining example of an ambitious young entrepreneur succeeding despite competing against more seasoned professionals. Growing up in a family with an entrepreneurial history, Boehnlein graduated with an MBA and went on to co-found Aiisma, one of the world’s first data marketplaces. To do he needed to balance his education and gain practical experience in the field. He credits the combination of these two elements as the secret to his success. This inspiring story shows that hard work, determination, and drive lead to success regardless of age or experience.
“As a young entrepreneur, having one foot in education and one foot in the professional life is an absolute must”
Keiana Cave: Founder of Sublima Pharmaceuticals
Cave is one of many entrepreneurs who have achieved success through hard work and dedication. Her story gives young girls hope and shows them that with a little time and work, anything is possible. She shows that you can be successful in school, extracurricular activities, and running a business all at the same time.
In 2014, Drew Brees awarded Keiana Cave $10,000 at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, starting her entrepreneurial journey. Her accomplishment garnered the attention of Chevron and $1.2 million in funding for her University of Michigan research. Her research earned her a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Entrepreneurship.
Henry Burner: Founder of Buttonsmith Inc.
Burner’s entrepreneurial success shows that people with learning disabilities can have great business ideas and succeed. His inspiring example demonstrates that you don’t need good grades to start and grow a business from the ground up.
Although he was diagnosed with dyslexia, he persevered and created a significant business that provided Walmart with its supplies. Buttonsmith began as a business that sold pinback buttons at a farmer’s market and later developed into an e-commerce website. After a 2015 Kickstarter campaign, the company opened a Carnation, Washington store with 18 employees! Henry Burner’s story proves you don’t need excellent grades to create a successful enterprise from the ground up.
Jack Parsons: CEO and Founder of The Youth Group
Jack Parsons, once a vulnerable young person, is now an inspiring example of entrepreneurial success. Despite his difficult upbringing, Parsons managed to build a successful business and now gives back to those in similar situations.
At just 26 years old, Jack Parsons is proof that success stories of young entrepreneurs are possible. Parsons experienced a difficult childhood and lack of school support but turned it around to become the CEO and Founder of The Youth Group – a UK-based initiative supporting over 1 million vulnerable young people in reaching their full potential. His advice for other budding entrepreneurs? Focus on the task at hand and never lose sight of the vision. He’s built strong professional networks, creating placements and employment opportunities for non-academics.
Mariia Plotkina: Co-founder of Geek Teachers
Mariia Plotkina’s success story is a shining example of how inspiring, and truly innovative individuals can make an impact on their communities. She bravely founded Geek Teachers as a young teacher deflated by her country’s education system. With no prior business experience, Plotkina’s determination and passion paid off when she was recognized as Female Entrepreneur of the Year (Europe) by Youth Business International and awarded $5000 from the Citi Foundation to develop her now flourishing business. Her 15-person team provides technology-in-the-classroom masterclasses to over 40,000 Russian users. After this success, this ambitious entrepreneur wants to expand into the US and create an “exchange program” with American businesses.
Fung Lam: Founder and Executive Director of New Aim
Defying all odds, Fung Lam proves that ambition and tenacity can turn small dreams into big accomplishments. His inspiring story shows how even small steps can lead to success. An entrepreneur through and through, his career exemplifies how a strong foundation can lead to great visions being realized.
Fung Lam, a young entrepreneur from Melbourne in his 30’s, is a shining example of success. After graduating from Monash University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology in 2003, Lam utilized the web to source items from two-dollar stores to sell on eBay. He used Chinese product-sourcing networks to turn his startup into one of Australia’s top online marketplaces without outside funding. Today, New Aim under Lam has an annual turnover of $300 million and employs at least 300 people with goods including tools and furniture being supplied to major marketplaces such as Amazon. Despite this tremendous success, Lam finds the hardest challenge he faced while transitioning from graduate to business leader is managing people due to the complexity of human behavior.
“Data doesn’t have emotion; it doesn’t change what it says. Understanding human behavior is difficult but you need to understand why people think the way they do”
Conclusion
Despite their age or inexperience, many young people have the vision and drive to take on big challenges and become entrepreneurs. These success stories show that students or those changing careers to follow their passions can start revolutionary businesses. Inspiring tales such as these show that it’s never too early nor too late to realize your aspirations. If you’re reading this now, consider yourself provoked to make that next step tomorrow!