Starting a business on the side is a good idea. Whether you’re seeking a personal challenge or a new source of income, becoming an entrepreneur could be a good fit for you. After all, we’ve heard several stories about now-colossally successful firms that began as tiny endeavors. The most encouraging feature is that almost all of those who launched those programs continued to work regular jobs during their endeavors and were still effective. This means you may keep going in the same direction and still achieve the amount of success you’ve always desired for yourself. Let’s look at five examples of small endeavors that blossomed into profitable businesses worth one million dollars each to inspire you.
From a small start-up to an industry-leading live streaming service
Real-time video streaming service Twitch is one of the most visible examples of how some companies that are now worth billions of dollars began with very little. When the company’s founder, Justin Kan, was still a student at Yale in 2005, he began the website design process. Initially known as Justin. tv, it broadcasted his life around the clock. As the demand for live streaming grew, he and his colleagues came up with the notion of creating a service akin to Big Brother. Kan remarked that the website did not have a lot of success right at first. People’s initial reactions to the reality show concept were negative, which contributed to their negative reactions. Pranksters continued to report bogus gunshots and stabbings in Kan’s flat during the early days of Twitch, adding to the difficulty of those early days. Despite this, more viewers began to tune in, and several of them asked Kan how they could get their life feeds up and running. After a while, Justin. tv stopped exclusively live streaming Justin’s life and started allowing all users to start their live streams. Soon after, Kan and his team chose to focus on gaming, and as a result, the website’s name was changed to Twitch. After a few years, Amazon completed the $970 million purchase of the website. Indeed, even modest efforts can result in significant financial rewards.
A small project that eventually grew into Slack
Stewart Butterfield, Slack’s creator, and his team set out to create a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) but instead changed the way people communicate in the workplace. The fact that Slack began as a side project is easily its most intriguing feature. Let’s start from the beginning to understand how everything came to be. Stewart Butterfield had already made a reputation for himself in the world thanks to the establishment of Flickr at the time. After being placed up for sale, the picture hosting service became an overnight sensation and was immediately purchased by Yahoo. After selling Flickr, Butterfield chose to pursue his longstanding dream of creating a video game. While he and his team were working on the game, they realized that they needed a better form of business communication. They created the instrument for their use while also working on the game’s design. They didn’t realize the full potential of their application until much later, which led to the creation of Slack. The name is derived from the backronym “Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge,” which accurately reflects its function. When Slack attained a $1 billion value after only eight months in operation, it became the startup with the fastest-ever growth rate. This is one of the best examples of how even small tasks can be performed successfully.
A mailing list that eventually became a business
If you’ve ever done any form of internet purchasing, you’ve certainly come across Craigslist. It wasn’t always the case, but Craigslist is now one of the most popular online listings for those looking for jobs, services, and items. Craigslist began as a small venture and was only a list in its early phases. Craig Newmark, the company’s creator, relocated to San Francisco in the early 1990s to build a name for himself in the local community. He decided to make a list of gatherings where he could network with noteworthy people. Craigslist arose from his conclusion that the list is something that a large number of people would like to have access to. Nonetheless, it was initially little more than a shared email list with a few other people. Newmark’s effort appeared to be a success, as an increasing number of people expressed interest in using the list. He quickly converted the list into a respectable website, but he chose to keep the word “list” in the domain name. Craig eventually quit his job to dedicate his entire time and efforts to Craigslist. The company’s current market worth is at least three billion dollars, and it is steadily growing in popularity.
A million-dollar startup was founded by a casino bartender
Internet casinos have grown in popularity over the last many years. The online gaming business as a whole is rapidly expanding, and the major online gaming site is following suit. A company called AskGamblers is one of the clearest examples of how a little initiative may succeed. It now includes over 1,000 online casinos and provides players with all of the information they need to make an informed decision. However, it, like the other companies on this list, began with very little money. Igor Salindrija, the company’s founder, was looking for work when he took a position tending bar in a casino. When Salindrija realized the potential of iGaming, he chose to build his gaming-specific website. He founded AskGamblers only 14 years ago, and the company was recently purchased by Catena Media of Malta for EUR 15 million. The portal receives 7.5 million monthly pageviews, which is impressive in and of itself, but it appears that this figure will only climb shortly.
The scarcity of resources eventually resulted in a successful enterprise
Some new enterprises are the result of years of meticulous planning. Some startups, on the other hand, do not require nearly as much time as others. Take, for example, the website Houzz. Simply search for anything related to home improvement on Google, and this website will appear at the top of the results. The fact that the website was created in response to a lack of materials concerning home repair is what distinguishes it. Adi Tatarko and Alon Cohen, a married couple, were primarily interested in renovating their property. They decided to establish their website after browsing the internet and coming up empty-handed. It was discussed with local architects as well as other parents at their children’s schools. It was an instant hit, and the company expanded as a result of its popularity. Houzz now has over 40 million monthly users, and the couple has a combined net worth of more than $4 million. Be patient if you still don’t know what you want your tiny project to be about if you’re trying to decide. You’ll think of it at some point, and there’s a chance you’ll have the same amount of success as Tatarko and Cohen.
As can be seen, some of the most successful businesses in the world began as little ventures. The founders put enough time and effort into their ideas, and as a consequence, they were able to achieve the amount of success that they desired. Putting work into a notion can help it prosper even more than its authors expected, regardless of the industry or nature of the idea.