A common misconception is that the adolescents who “make it” in the entrepreneurial world are the kids who thrived academically and stood out as leaders among their classmates. Under closer examination, kids who choose innovative routes on their own are the same kids who stood out from the crowd in some way… and not always for being the best. In Erik Finman’s case, he leaned in the opposite direction—failing miserably within public school, his intelligence stifled by the constricting atmosphere. On all sides he was met with conflict and bullying—by teachers as well as students, one warning him he would end up working at McDonalds. Detached from the world of academics, Finman found himself more often looking outward. His recognition of the fundamental flaws in the public school system formed the basis of his first startup, Botangle, an online education company, which reflects this desire for young students to thrive in a school system that inspires them to pursue learning rather than view it as meaningless drudgery.
His journey from high school dropout to millionaire was the seed of an early investment in Bitcoin as a fifteen-year-old. Finman’s next step was to make a deal with his parents that if he became a millionaire by the time he turned 18, he wouldn’t have to go to college. He succeeded.
Finman cites his life goal as to “fix the education system,” and now at 19, he is the successful founder of an online education company called Botangle, which allows people to create a virtual “school” for any subject.
“Find what you’re good at, and find a way to make money doing it,” is Erik’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Indeed, Erik Finman’s seemingly arduous process of weeding his way through criticism and apparent failure to reach the pinnacle of success should inspire young people of all interests to think outside the apparent restrictions of what is considered possible.
Visit Erik’s business Botangle here: https://botangle.com/
Whoa, what an incredible story! It’s true that we tend to be biased towards the “educated” crowd, but this goes to prove that entrepreneurship has no limits. I like how Finman didn’t let what people perceived as failure stop him from finding something he enjoyed. He even took it one step further and made a lot of money off of it. And he did all this when he was a young teenager! That’s super cool.
Finman is an incredibly inspirational person who did not let the public education system stop him from achieving success in the world. It breaks my heart when I see people struggle academically because of the constricting box the public education system has in place. I love that Finman is using his success from investments to create a product that will help other students, like himself, who struggle academically. Great post, inspirational and well written!