Unusual Business Ideas

How do you imagine a successful businessmen? Probably same as I do – middle aged man in exclusive suite driving his luxurious car on the way to Manhattan. Well, real life sometimes is quiet far from these stereotypes. Here are the stories of businessmen who earned their first million before graduation!

Enjoy the adventure of business!

In 2002, at the age of 14, Doherty started making jams from his grandmother’s recipes in his parents’ kitchen in Edinburgh, Scotland. Neighbors and church friends loved them. As word spread, Doherty started receiving orders faster than he could produce them at home, so he rented time at a 200-person food-processing factory several days a month.
By age 16, Doherty left school (with his parents’ blessing) to work on his jams full time. In early 2007, Waitrose, a high-end supermarket in the U.K., approached Doherty, hoping to sell his Superjam products in their stores. Within months there were Superjam jars on the shelves of 184 Waitrose stores, hoisting Doherty and his business to new heights.
Doherty borrowed 5,000 pounds (about $9,000) from a bank to cover general expenses and more factory time to produce three flavors: Blueberry & Blackcurrant, Rhubarb & Ginger and Cranberry & Raspberry. Tesco followed, adding Doherty’s products to 300 stores across the U.K. In March, Superjam will launch at Tesco in Ireland.
Last year Superjam hit $750,000 in sales and is on track to double that in 2008 (about 50,000 jars a month). Based on a reasonable valuation multiple of one times revenue–jelly-maker J.M. Smucker trades at 1.2 times sales–Doherty’s 100% stake is worth in the neighborhood of $1 million to $2 million.
Not bad for a 19-year-old. Doherty’s recommendation to other young entrepreneurs: “Have an attitude of adventure, and enjoy the journey.”

There is always so much to learn!

In 2004, at age 14, Detroit native Qualls launched Whateverlife.com, conceived as a personal portfolio with pictures and graphics she created. Later she offered free MySpace layouts and tutorials for teens who want to learn how to do their own graphic designs and coding.
A quote from Qualls on her Web site says the site’s name means “for whatever life you lead.” She goes on to write that her goal is to include “information and fun things for anyone and everyone,” and she seems to be making big strides in that direction. (Qualls did not return multiple calls seeking comment.)
Whateverlife.com, which Qualls owns outright, claims to nab 7 million individual visitors a month and counts Verizon Communications (nyse: VZ - news - people ) as an advertiser. In March 2006 Qualls reportedly received an offer (from an undisclosed buyer) for $1.5 million, but turned it down.
Now 17, Qualls is an emancipated minor. While considered an adult in the eyes of the law, she knows she has a long way to go, evidenced by an entry on her MySpace.com page: “I have lived a lot in the past three years and have only a few things to say about it. There is always so much to learn.”

Fresh mind can do a lot!

In 1999 Hildreth, of West Yorkshire, England, entered the business world at the age of 14 by starting a social-networking outfit called Dubit Limited. Companies like Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) used the site’s members for focus groups to help market their products to young people.
Hildreth served as managing director of the agency for almost four years, leading Dubit to become the most visited teen Web site in the U.K. In 2004, the British Broadcasting Corp. named Hildreth, then 19, one of the U.K.’s 20 richest teens, with an estimated net worth of 2 million pounds, or approximately $3.7 million.
But why stop there? In 2005, Hildreth founded another business, Crisp Thinking, which developed software to protect children from “online groomers”–pedophiles trolling the Internet. According to a recent Cambridge University study, Crisp’s software is 98.4% effective in detecting potentially dangerous conversations online.
Mike Briercliffe, Hildreth’s mentor and Dubit’s chairman, says the young entrepreneur “demonstrates what a fresh mind can do, and one day he’ll be a superstar.” With Hildreth’s combined 10% stake in Dubit and 50% in Crisp Thinking, Hildreth–just 22–has earned that moniker and more.

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