While traveling around the world on a study abroad program, Jeff and Ryan took interest in the fabrics of native people living in the areas they visited. They saw the beautiful colors the interesting textures and the ancient techniques used in making so many cloths in Africa, Asia, and Central America. Each town and culture really described themselves through their fabrics, taking their specific resources and creating beauty.

But these people, although creating beautiful fabrics still lived in very poor conditions. Jeff and Ryan decided to create a business that would  better distribute these beautiful fabrics in order to make “positive change” in these third world countries.

Starting out in their dorm room, they purchased fabrics from twenty-five different countries and used them to make pocket tees. 10 percent of their profits go back to improving the lives of the people who made them, as well as keeping up old fabric making traditions, which is important considering we live in the day and age of mass production. Their business, Serengetee, officially started in 2012.

This is a great example of a successful business with a social aspect to it. In today’s day people really want to support fair trade markets and go past all the middle men or suppliers. Serengetee has found a way for people to connect and help other parts of the world, as well as experience the fabric makers culture as they go about their day. To quote the founders “The stories of these fabric makers and causes are baked into every product we make, so when you wear Serengetee you are truly wearing a piece of the world.” Entrepreneurs are people who grow, broaden, and even create markets, they have an eye for what is beautiful and what people will want. These guys traveled the world and with no experience in the fashion world created a market for beauty to be shared from culture to culture.

A key factor in being a successful entrepreneur is having confidence in yourself. Anyone can have a great idea for a product, but for most people there is too much risk involved in starting a business from scratch. Luckily Sam Ovens is not most people. Taking his future in his hands, Sam Ovens quit his office job and set off on his own. With no investors or backers, Sam began thinking up ways to satisfy the constant consumer needs of Americans. Working in his parents garage, he began by creating several apps that completely flopped. He was frustrated by trying to figure out the mind of the market, and started reading everything he could about how to make a successful business. Finally, Sam realized his own problem, of understanding what the market wanted, was the problem he was going to fix.

Sam started his own consultant company for businesses, which eventually turned into an online schooling system called Consulting.com. Within five years Sam turned his 30,000-dollar debt into an 18-million-dollar profit. Through his website, Sam’s mission is to help others reach his level of success, while doing what they are passionate about. So far, Sam has taught about 10,000 students in 72 different countries. Out of Sam’s students 21 have become millionaires and over four hundred are making six-figure salaries.

In an interview, Sam was asked what his best advice would be for rising entrepreneurs, he gave four tips:

1. Build your personal brand fast (People will be more willing to buy from you if the know you)
2. Monetize your networks (Your first clients or investors could be people you already know)
3. Never stop learning
4. Get over rejection