10 Inspiring Young Online Entrepreneurs
Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by Adam in Business, Entrepreneurship, Internet
One really awesome thing about the Internet is that there’s no such thing as age discrimination when it comes to being successful. It doesn’t matter if you’re 12 or 72 – you have just as much chance as anyone of becoming rich and famous through an online business. To illustrate the point, here, in no particular order, are 10 young entrepreneurs who are making their dreams a reality through internet businesses.
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Jonathan Mead, 23 of IlluminatedMind.net – Full-time blogger and life coach Jonathan Mead delivers a steady dose of inspiration and how-to content on his blog, and through his popular e-books, Reclaim Your Dreams, and The Zero Hour Workweek – How I Liberated Myself From the 9 to 5 by Getting Paid to Be Me. At just 23, Jonathan has figured out the “secret formula” for becoming a successful entrepreneur by sharing his story and expertise through blogging. Twitter: @jonathanmead |
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Michael Dunlop, 21 of IncomeDiary.com – Michael Dunlop started his first profitable website when he was just 16 years old. Now, at the ripe old age of 21, Michael is truly living what he calls the Internet Lifestyle. Michael’s blog is all about helping others achieve this same dream. Through interviews with some of the true thought-leaders in online marketing, as well as instructional content, Michael brings great information to anyone looking to become a pro blogger. Twitter: @michaeldunlop |
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Pete Cashmore, 24 of Mashable.com – From the Mashable site: “Pete Cashmore is the 24 year-old CEO and founder of Mashable.com, a Technorati Top 10 blog worldwide. He founded Mashable in a small Scottish town in 2005 at age 19. In 2009, Cashmore was chosen as one of Inc Magazine’s 30 Under 30, Forbes’ Top 25 Web Celebs and the Huffington Posts’ Top 10 Game Changers 2009.” Twitter: @petecashmore and @mashable |
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Adam Horwitz, 18 of AdamHorwitz.tv – 18-year-old Adam Horwitz says on his site that he has a goal to make a million dollars a year by the time he’s 21. All signs point to that becoming a reality. Adam started out in Internet marketing at the age of 15 and has become an expert in the areas of affiliate marketing and PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. Now he makes money teaching others to make a living in these areas. His blog is full of informational videos, tips, and lots of goofy stuff that might not make you a better entrepreneur, but just might make you laugh. Twitter: @AdamHorwitz |
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Kevin Sproles, 25 of Volusion.com – Kevin Sproles started designing web sites at the age of 16. After receiving lots of requests for a shopping cart solution, Kevin, with very little money and a great deal of perseverance, started coding shopping cart software. Now, at the age of 25, his company supplies the most award-winning e-commerce solution to over online 100,000 entrepreneurs as well as major companies. Twitter: @volusion |
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Gurbaksh Chahal, 27 of gWallet.com – Gurbaksh Chahal has an amazing entrepreneurial story. After dropping out of high school in San Diego at age 16 to start ClickAgents, a performance-based ad network, he grew the company for two years, at which point it was acquired by ValueClick in a $40 million all-stock deal. His next venture, another ad network called BlueLithium, was acquired in 2007 by Yahoo! for $300 million cash. Gurbaksh started gWallet, a virtual currency platform for social media, in September of 2009. In 2008, Gurbaksh published his memoir in a book called The Dream. Twitter: @gchahal |
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Catherine Cook, 20 of myYearbook.com – Since co-founding myYearbook with her brother in 2005, at the age of 15, Catherine Cook and her team have raised over $20 million in capital and have grown the site into one of the largest US social media sites with over 20 million members. The site makes meeting new people easy by introducing members to innovative social games that are all tied together by a single virtual currency called “Lunch Money.” Twitter: @myYearbook |
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Sam Lessin, 26 of Drop.io – After graduating from Harvard, Magna Cum Laude in 2005, Sam Lessin started Drop.io. Drop.io is a simple, private, real-time, sharing, collaboration, and presentation site where users can upload files of any kind and have the ability to access, share, and edit those files from any Internet-connected computer. Sam is also the co-founder of SocialGreat.com, a location-based social media site with a growing user-base. Twitter: @lessin |
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Ryan Allis, 26 of iContact.com – Ryan Allis is the co-founder and CEO of iContact, a leading provider of email marketing tools for small businesses. Ryan has built North Carolina-based iContact from its start in 2003 to its current size with more than 175 employees, 50,000 customers, and $28 million in annual sales, while raising $10.8 million to grow the firm. Ryan is also the author of the book Zero to One Million, which reached the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list in 2008. Twitter: @ryanallis |
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Derek Johnson, 25 of Tatango.com – Derek Johnson was bit by the entrepreneur bug early in life, starting his first business of selling candy bars to fellow students at recess by the age of eight. Derek, a self proclaimed workaholic, puts in 100+ hour workweeks to help fulfill the vision of Tatango.com. Originally launched as networkText.com in 2007, Tatango has since facilitated the sending of tens of millions of text messages to groups of varying sizes, through their simple-to-use group texting platform. Twitter: @TheDerekJohnson |
Once you’ve seen these success stories, you might want to ask yourself: What can they do that you can’t? Chances are you won’t find that they have anything special, beyond a drive to succeed, the belief that it’s possible, and a willingness to work as hard and as long as it takes. So whatever your age, whether you’re younger or older than those above, know that you too can make your dreams of business success a reality, if you’ll just go for it and keep at it through whatever may come.
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25 Responses to “10 Inspiring Young Online Entrepreneurs”
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Sean McPheat
27. Aug, 2010
Hey!
What’s classed as young!?
I won Young Entrepreneur Of The Year In The British Business Awards in 2007 aged 35!
;-) LOL
Seriously, these guys have done an awesome job and just shows the potential that is out there.
If you’ve got a great concept and are not afraid to work hard then you can accomplish anything and it’s never too late. I didn’t leave my proper job until I was 28 to set up on my own. I wish I’d have done it when I was 18!
I would have been a millionaire far sooner!
Have fun, take a risk or two and go for it!
Sean
Sean McPheat
Jake Adams
27. Aug, 2010
Young Money! Definitely some inspiring dudes. But you’re right, if they can do it some can anyone with a little ambition.
ZineGuru Website Marketing
27. Aug, 2010
Very inspiring. It’s amazing how an Internet business can change the lives of so many. These people have the passion, followed their dreams and took action, that’s what counts after all.
Samuel
28. Aug, 2010
Awesome! great list man! keep the good work up and thanks for sharing
JohnAtBlogtrepreneur
28. Aug, 2010
@Sean: LOL Yeah, ‘young’ is a state of mind, right?
These guys really are inspiring and proof that anyone can be successful today with the right focus.
Thanks all for the comments!
Andrew
30. Aug, 2010
This is a really encouraging post! Age does not really matter when we talk of succeeding, all it matters is, to quote what you’ve said, “a drive to succeed, the belief that it’s possible, and a willingness to work as hard and as long as it takes”.
Gerlaine Talk
30. Aug, 2010
I am very inspired. I hope to be on lists such as this one in the near future. Working on it. Yes!
Abhishek-seekersfind.com
30. Aug, 2010
This is awesome list.I really feel Michael Dunlop is the most inspiring young entrepreneur among this list.I am one the fan of him.
Thanks For Sharing List
Abhishek
JohnAtBlogtrepreneur
30. Aug, 2010
@Andrew: You’ve said it! That’s definitely what it takes.
@Gerlaine: You’ll get there if you want it enough. Love your site btw.
@Abhishek: Agree that Michael Dunlop is very inspirational! When it comes to monitizing your blog, he really knows his stuff.
Carlton
31. Aug, 2010
Young Entrepreneurs are always motivate others and give passion. Pete Cashmore from Mashable is my favorite.
car battery
01. Sep, 2010
Pretty phenomenal collection of entrepreneurial wonders, I have to say. It’s hard to pick a favorite among them as each have had their own brilliant way toward success. They serve as inspiration to every new young or old person who’s just getting their feet wet in this world.
tires
01. Sep, 2010
Age should definitely not be a number that should stop anyone from achieving their success, Really great to see these young entrepreneurs doing so well at an early age, I am sure there are ATON of other entrepreneurs who have made their success online that we don’t know of.
Till then,
Jean
The Homeschool Entrepreneur
01. Sep, 2010
Awesome article! (Do young people still say ‘awesome’?) This is a great blog post that I know will inspire many young entrepreneurs that are still not sure if they can do it. Confidence is one common denominator with all of these, don’t you think? I also agree with Andrew’s list..
Thanks Blogtrepreneur -you did it again!
Computer Tips Tricks
02. Sep, 2010
I’m somewhat younger than all listed above >.< … and am working hard to make my dream to reality. I believe passion and hardwork are everything we need to be successful in internet business.
Joko Susilo
02. Sep, 2010
Great post. All of them are the entrepreneurs get success in young age. very wonderful!
Credit Girl
02. Sep, 2010
This seriously makes me feel like I am SOOO behind. I guess it’s time to really get started!
College Degree Online
09. Sep, 2010
So awesome and inspiring to see some young people like them. I am too old for this kind of adventure in life. Sigh.
Fitness Products
09. Sep, 2010
Great post. I love reading lists like this. It gives me hope that I too can one day make money online. If so many others are doing it, why can’t I … right?
Can’t believe the oldest one on this list is only 27.
Carlton
14. Sep, 2010
@credit girl, I hope you will be there one day too ;)
seo services
15. Sep, 2010
Gurbaksh Chahal, Pete Cashmore and Jonathan Mead are good sorry to highlight these name i mean to say all are the best..and one more thing i am strongly agree with it is that in internet business their are no age limit..u cal lead just because your big though and planning. To Become a entrepreneurs u need to have a good self image with big vision and things become easy for u…
Be Positive with Realistic Goal..
Cheers for the future
Vineet
Trinity
20. Sep, 2010
Wow..they really serve as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneur.
watch anim
21. Sep, 2010
Young Money! Definitely some inspiring dudes. But you’re right, if they can do it some can anyone with a little ambition.
bikram
23. Sep, 2010
This is very impressive. They are very young guys.
Free Software
02. May, 2011
@Bikram : Yes, u right they very young guys :D :D
Sardegna
02. Nov, 2011
Confidence is one common denominator with all of these, don’t you think? I also agree with Andrew’s list..