Christopher Gray, a man raised in utter poverty, knew he could never graduate from college because his parents could hardly pay and provide for his everyday needs. Although he truly believed he could never financially reach the day when he would receive a college diploma, it was still a big desire he had to get a college degree. Gray got right to work applying for scholarships and financial aid. Miraculously, Gray received over a million dollars to the college he wanted to attend. Because of his own personal experience, being blessed by the absolute generosity of others, and his heart for people in poverty, much like himself, Gray wanted to start up a platform that could help students who are seeking a college education but have limited resources to do so. He began processing ideas and brainstorming possible solutions to this ongoing issue in society. As a result of his brainstorming, Gray founded an online platform that assisted college students financially. How did it do this? His platform, called Sholly, assisted students in their financial barriers for college by helping them find the best scholarships and financial aid out there. Because of Gray’s personal experience and devastating troubles in poverty, he sought to help others in the same way he was helped through scholarships. Gray created Sholly to make the process of finding and achieving financial scholarships quicker, with larger sums of financial help. College is a decision of dedication. Even for people who do not find themselves in poverty, college is still a big chunk of money. Imagine students like Christopher Gray, who desire to continue their education but do not have the resources to do so. Gray is a brilliant millennial entrepreneur for his unique and intentional business model. 

Sources: Millennial Entrepreneurs Who Made a Fortune | Reader’s Digest (rd.com)

 Brian Chesky and his buddy Joe Gebbia were the creative founders of Airbnb who started their idea small, but it slowly began to grow exponentially over time. The whole idea of Airbnb all started when Chesky and Gebbia realized how limited they were financially. Living in San Francisco, they wondered how they could create some kind of business to help formulate a better income. They started contemplating and constructing ideas but came to the conclusion of starting a business where they would rent out air mattresses to the people in the apartment complex, or just simply to the people in the surrounding areas of San Francisco. They found this business idea beneficial because the hotels in the surrounding areas were often completely booked. Competitively, Gebbia and Chesky truly began their journey. They called their air mattress rental business “Air Bed and Breakfast.” As this small idea began to grow, “Air Bed and Breakfast” was later condensed to what we now know as “Airbnb.” As the air mattress idea began to grow, the development of Airbnb expanded to a greater idea of renting out houses, cabins and many other traveling rentals. As Airbnb began to rise in our society, it became some of hotel’s biggest competitors. In fact, Airbnb seemed to disrupt the hotel market. This seemed to be the case for the uniqueness which provided privacy, better experiences, and neater views. Today, Airbnb has a worth of $31 billion more than Hilton and Wyndham hotels together. Additionally, Airbnb is slowly disrupting the Marriott. What seemed to be a small business of air mattress rentals, became a shockingly popular trend of destination rentals that have changed society. It all started with two broke men who thought of a simple need for the community around them and ended in a multibillion-dollar business. This could be your story too. 

Sources: The Inside Story Behind the Unlikely Rise of Airbnb – Knowledge at Wharton (upenn.edu)

From a very young age, Michelle Phan enjoyed creativity, specifically using her creativity through makeup. Because she was too young at the time to do her own makeup, she would do it on her mother. Phan says she loved makeup so much because she believed it was almost like creating a story or narrative using her extensive creativity. Fast forward a few years, and Phan had to decide the route which she would take for schooling after high school. Her mother really wanted her to go to school to become a doctor or teacher. However, Michelle wanted to pursue her passions even if it sacrificed a greater salary. Pursuing her love and passion for makeup, Michelle committed to an illustration school where she could continue to use her creativity and imagination. Michelle had an exceptional work ethic which was exemplified through the way she worked her way through illustrator school. Michelle got a job at a restaurant during her schooling to assist herself financially. Eventually, Michelle longed to have a legit occupation. She applied for a sales position at Lancome (a cosmetic company). Unfortunately, Michelle did not get this job and began to consider other job possibilities other than the restaurant which would benefit her creative side. Phan started up a YouTube channel where she talked about herself and beauty tips for girls. The viewers appreciated the beauty tips very obviously, so Phan focused on cosmetics in her videos.
After many years of YouTubing, the head of Lancome contacted Michelle after seeing one of her videos including a non-sponsored Lancôme product. Phan’s video popped right up when the owner of Lancome researched a question about a cosmetic product. It was after this that the owner of Lancome reached back out to Phan to see if she would accept their job offer as official video makeup ambassador. Phan accepted the job offer and has loved her job since. Using her YouTube platform, she invented the idea of Ipsy in 2011. Ipsy is a community of people who value cosmetics and ship sampling bags to the subscribers of Phan’s platforms. Ipsy included most cosmetics involving hair, makeup, or skincare. Because of her commitment to her YouTube platform and subscribers, Phan’s company, Ipsy, now holds a value of more than $500 million today.

Source: Michelle Phan, Entrepreneur – Into The Gloss | Into The Gloss