Brian Chesky is the 37 year old CEO of the company Airbnb. The idea for the company started back in 2007 when Brian and his roommate Joe Gebbia struggled to find the resources to pay rent on their apartment. With no ideas left they began to rent out an air mattress in their apartment for $80 a night, and somehow it worked. The small idea grew quickly and by 2008 they launched their company Airbnb. Since the opening of Airbnb the company has been used by over 300 million people in several places around the world, and is still continuing to grow. As of May 2019 the company is worth $38 billion dollars.
Even after the company took off Brian Chesky still chose to live a fairly modest lifestyle. For several years after the grand opening he still continued to live in the same apartment and rent it out, this time with a lower price and the addition of a couch instead of an air mattress. The story of the founding of Airbnb is a great example of what it looks like to find a need and fill it. While they were not fixing a public need, they did solver their own financial need and went above and beyond what they initial anticipated it to be. They used an entrepreneurial mindset to try and fix the present need at hand.
In an article about the company found on business on businessinsider.com, Chesky (speaking to kids) states, ” I want to show them that their dreams are not bounded by what they can see in front of them. Their limits are not so limited”. What an encouragement and challenge to this generation of potential entrepreneurs. We can learn from Chesky that no idea is to far off, and that even the simplest things might be worth investing in. Sometimes it takes being bold and putting yourself out there, you never really know what ideas will make a lasting impact on the people around you.
I had no idea this is how Airbnb come about. Its fascinating that the most Creative ideas come from the smallest solutions. Just by solving a need that they have and making it into a profitable business is incredible.m
It is so interesting to learn how the company started. I have always been a fan of Airbnb because you can find such nice places for a fairly cheap price. The fact that it all started from an air mattress at $80 a night is hilarious to me.
It is so cool to learn about Airbnb’s humble origins. It really proves that a simple idea can become something truly amazing and be a way to make a lot of money. I also really like how his idea not only is making him money, but also everyone who has a house can now make money with it.