Sean Belnick created his first website at the age of 14. His stepfather worked as a furniture seller, so Sean had the idea to sell furniture online. Sean went to work and after a couple weeks of research, a website was built with 100 items up for sale. Sean put $500 into advertising, $100 into website hosting, he designed the website himself and called his business BizChair. The business’s sole purpose was to sell office chairs online, and it was a success. Only a few hours after the launch of the advertising campaign, the first order was received. The number of orders grew, BizChair grew, and eventually it expanded from the office chair market and started selling office furniture and home furniture. Sean later stated that he wished he had expanded his market sooner and that if he had done so BizChair could have cemented a larger position as a market leader. Nevertheless, after seven years Bizchair had pulled in $42 million in total revenue. By the age of 20 Sean had created a successful business that made him millions.
I love that Sean took his skills and interest
in websites and selling things online and applied it to furniture, something his stepfather was familiar with. It is amazing to see someone so young be so innovative and successful.
That’s amazing that Sean created his first website at 14! I’m working on learning how to code websites from scratch (though for most other people, using website platforms are probably better). Less then two decades ago the internet was a new up for any entrepreneur who dared try it. Now its it full of competition and coming up with newer things is getting harder and harder.
I personally think we should all take note of take Belnick’s regret that had he invested more time & effort into his business earlier on he could’ve expanded exponentially. We definitely should not be afraid to invest a little more time and effort into our ideas.
I’m very curious what exactly led to the success of BizChar specifically. The article made it seem so simple: website, research, products, marketing success. But what’s the difference between those the succeed vs. those that don’t? Was online furniture shopping not a huge thing at the time?
This is yet another great example of how commitment towards even the most packed of industries can still lead to success. Many other companies can easily sell chairs online, however Sean ignored this fact and pressed on to create a successful business. This story is inspiring because it shows that even if the odds are stacked against you there’s still hope for success.