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Dreams really do come true—at least for theses three entrepreneurs that took an idea and created a successful business out of it. Hopefully, these amazing stories will inspire all of you innovators and dreamers to take your idea to the next level and maybe make your dreams come true.
1. Clayton Christopher (Sweet Leaf Tea)
From an early age, Clayton Christopher always believed he would own a business. His father had been an entrepreneur, so running a business was something that ran in the family, and sooner or later it would be his turn.
While Clayton had spent years as a competitive cyclist and charter boat captain, his calling came the day he was introduced to an Alabama businessman. Christopher was enchanted by the passionate way the man spoke about one topic: making iced tea. This was the inspiration Christopher needed.
With only $10,000 to his name and some financial help from his dad, Christopher began making tea that would meet his standards for great taste. After a time of struggling to make ends meet, it finally caught on in huge way. The rest is history.
Today, Sweet Leaf Tea is sold all across the world and has been featured on major television networks.
2. Maureen Kelly (Tarte)
Growing up in a New York suburb, Maureen Kelly was always interested in makeup. As a child, she would apply makeup to dolls and as she got a little older, she participated in makeovers with her friends. But as a young woman, Kelly was frustrated with certain elements of buying and using makeup. The way the packages look, the synthetic ingredients—it wasn’t the way Kelly thought makeup should be.
Kelly took her savings and a credit card and started Tarte so she could deliver a cosmetics product that fit needs not currently being met. She believed makeup should be chic in its packaging and healthy to use, elements of the experience she felt were missing in the current market.
Through strong marketing web presence, Tarte took off in a huge way, and is now a major player in cosmetics. Kelly stresses the importance of the Internet for young businesses, and giving back as part of an overall philosophy (Tarte partnered with Habitat for Humanity).
3. Jeff Walker (Internet Alchemy)
Jeff Walker was a stay-at-home dad in a small Colorado town when he made the decision to order an instructional product about publishing online for money. The year was 1995, so the Internet was still a fairly new phenomenon. But that decision would be the beginning of a multi-million dollar journey for Walker, who used the information to launch his own financial advice emails.
He started out with 19 email addresses. He now makes millions and teaches others how to do the same. He advises entrepreneurs to make connections and network, be patient, and never stop learning things. These are some of the qualities that have taken Walker from small-town dad to multimillionaire.
If you have an idea you’d like to turn into a business, consider these stories as an inspiration and a reminder that anything is possible.
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