Seth Goldman

Seth Goldman
Honest Tea

Goldman started out brewing the tea in his kitchen and storing it in thermoses. After only five weeks spent perfecting the brewing process, he brought samples of and a mock-up label to a meeting with the company that is now Whole Foods Market, hoping that they would place a small order. They asked for 15,000 bottles. Honest Tea is now the top-selling bottled organic tea in the U.S.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow

Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor

Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor

Juicy Couture

Skiast-Levy and Nash-Taylor didn’t want to start a business in debt. Instead, they started their clothing empire with $200 of their own money, and applied for a revolving line of credit.  Neither took a salary for two years while they designed and produced the now-ubiquitous terry and velour tracksuits that would make them famous. Juicy Couture Clothing is now sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus, and Bloomingdales.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow

Jake Neuberg and Ramit Varma

Jake Neuberg and Ramit Varma
Revolution Prep

Neuberg and Varma, who both had experience as tutors, met in business school and launched their test prep company in 2002, financing themselves with personal credit cards. After nearly going broke the first year, the company started becoming profitable. By 2004, Revolution Prep had more than $1 million in revenues, and by 2007, their first-quarter sales topped $3 million.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow

Mena and Ben Trott

Mena and Ben Trott
Six Apart

Husband-and-wife team Mena and Ben Trott developed Movable Type as a tool for Mena’s personal blog posts. When they offered it online, there were over 200 downloads within the first hour. From their apartment, the Trotts (who were also high school sweethearts) launched software company SixApart, now a multi-national provider of blogging tools with more than 10 million estimated users.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow

Ryan Hoak, Michael Benbow, and Todd Essman

Ryan Hoak, Michael Benbow, and Todd Essman
RealGM.com

Hoak and Benbow “met” on an internet message board and came up with the idea for a site that lets fans analyze hypothetical NBA trades. Based in Illinois and Australia, respectively, the two collaborated on Trade Checker, later enlisting the help of Essman.

Not only was the idea a hit among NBA fans, it also attracted the attention of real NBA general managers.  In addition to licensing RealGM software to teams for approximately $30,000 a year, RealGM.com has become one of the world's most popular sports websites, attracting over 20 million page views per month.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow

Dana Levy

Dana Levy 
Daily Candy

The snappy email newsletter that highlights everything from restaurant openings to eyebrow waxing was first sent in March 2000 to a 700-name email address list, authored by Levy herself. In a few short years, the subscriber base approached 3 million, e-mails were targeted locally, and spin-offs (Daily Candy Kids) became profitable in their own right. Comcast purchased Daily Candy in 2008 for $125 million.

So there you have it–a few inspiring success stories we all can relate to. At Resource Nation, we work with thousands of entrepreneurs a month, and one thing is apparent: There’s no “sure thing” business or industry. Whether you’re starting a software company from your garage or an exercise class at your local community center, dream big. These entrepreneurs are proof that those dreams really do come true.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow

A.J. Scribante - Majers

A.J. Scribante started off selling bleach to supermarkets and other stores around the Midwest. But Scribante had bigger things in mind. He wanted to find a better way to compare regional differences in retail prices, so that he could make more sales.

He started collecting newspaper grocery store ads from various cities to show to grocery stores in different markets. He put all those ads into a single booklet. He realized how valuable the information was when companies started requesting price data for competitors. Thus, the idea for MAJERS, what would become a multi-million dollar marketing information company, was born.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Ben & Jerry’s

The now-legendary duo decided to open a business after taking a correspondence course on the art of ice cream making. They discovered that just about the only college town without an ice cream shop was Burlington, Vermont. With $8,000 in savings and a $4,000 loan, they leased an old gas station in Burlington, purchased equipment, and began coming up with ideas for "unique" flavors.

( Source: http://www.businesspundit.com)

Brian Scudamore - 1-800-GOT-JUNK

Brian Scudamore

1-800-GOT-JUNK

Scudamore started his company, which he describes as “the FedEx of junk removal,” with $700 in start-up capital and his own beat-up truck. He dropped out of college with only a year left to run the business full time. 1-800-GOT-JUNK now has nearly 100 franchised locations across North America.

(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/) Merrin Muxlow