How to Make $1 Million Before You Graduate

This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit
Valuable lessons from preternatural wealth builders.
American philosopher Eric Hoffer said, "If a society is to preserve stability and a degree of continuity, it must know how to keep its adolescents from imposing their tastes, attitudes, values and fantasies on everyday life." Too bad Hoffer never met Jamie Murray Wells.
In 2004 while studying for final exams at University of the West of England, Wells, then age 21, went shopping for a pair of prescription glasses. Nonplussed by the $150 pound ($300) price tag, Wells decided to funnel his $2,000 student loan into what would become Glasses Direct, a London-based online retailer that now generates $5 million in annual revenue.
Wells is part of an elite club of preternatural wealth builders who managed to cobble million-dollar enterprises before they graduated from college. The "million-dollar" measure refers to either total revenue generated or the value of the enterprise built (as opposed to the size of the total profit pile). That's no mean feat for any entrepreneur, let alone one who can barely buy a drink legally in the States.
The nine entrepreneurs featured in our slideshow -- six from the U.S. and three from the U.K. -- started launching businesses by the tender age of 15, and one before he broke double-digits. Some of these wunderkinds, like Wells, identified problems and created companies to solve them; others turned their hobbies into money-making ventures. Some teamed up with friends, siblings and mentors; others plowed ahead on their own. Their common thread: singular focus, preternatural financial savvy and the optimism and confidence to wrest financing from seasoned investors.
Here's a look at how a few of them pulled it off.
Smelling Opportunity: Jamie Murray Wells
When Wells was bemoaning the price of his lenses, four retailers dominated the U.K. prescription glasses market; all relied on pricey retail stores to move their merchandise.
Wells figured he could move the entire purchasing process online. All he needed was a factory to make the lenses, assemble them with frames and package them. He would then ship them to shoppers, who would simply e-mail or mail in their prescriptions and pay for their glasses online. Without the costly infrastructure, Wells could sell glasses for about one-tenth the price of the established brick-and-mortar players.
Getting Started
A nifty new business model isn't nearly enough to launch a thriving company, let alone when you're 21 and have no track record. "I was knocking on the door of an industry, saying, 'The way that you're selling glasses is wrong, and I've got a better idea,'" says Wells.
Luckily he had friends and family members who agreed to put up a few thousand pounds to help him get started. Wells didn't disappoint: In the first year, Glasses Direct's revenue topped $2 million. And unlike many zealous entrepreneurs, Wells figured out how to manage his cash flow to bootstrap the business. The company took credit card payments upfront but didn't pay suppliers for another month. Wells used part of the float to hire a public relations firm to hype his low-cost strategy.
The next year Wells turned to professional angel investors. "With some investors, I simply walked in to a meeting with a sales graph and let that speak for itself," says Wells. As demand grew, Wells raised $34 million in venture capital from the likes of Highland Capital, Index Ventures, and Munich-based Acton Capital Partners. That should tide Wells over until he turns his first profit.
Asking for Help
Wells believes his age and inexperience helped him. "Having a young founder helps to add a lot of personality to a business," he says. Still, you can't cover payroll with personality.
Recognizing his limitations (yet another challenge for many entrepreneurs), Wells sought out mentors, including ophthalmologist Dr. David Spalton, and David Magliana, a marketing guru who helped bag the 2012 summer Olympic games for London. While Spalton lent credibility with the eye-care community, Magliana worked with Wells on getting the word out about Glasses Direct.
"As an entrepreneur, it's a lot easier than you'd think to reach out to people," says Wells. On the flipside, "entrepreneurs love to be written to and asked for their advice," he adds. "If your question is appropriate for them and they're emotionally interested in you, you will get a letter back, and you will get to meet them for coffee."
Running on Empty: Michael Furdyk
In 1996, as the dot-com boom started to simmer, Michael Furdyk started a Web site, called MyDesktop.com, an online computer magazine, in the basement of his parents' home in suburban Toronto. Furdyk was 16 and a bona fide computer geek. His site was filled with tips and advice Furdyk gleaned in online chat rooms, where he also came across fellow teenager Michael Hayman in Australia. The twosome figured they could turn their passion for technology into a paying business. Hayman was so convinced that he moved to Toronto to get things started.
Just one problem: Their only source of income was Furdyk's paper route. Solution: barter. In exchange for Web site storage space, they ran their host's ads on MyDesktop.com. They negotiated cheap rent on their modest office by designing their landlord's Web site.
Soon MyDesktop.com was bringing in $60,000 a month in advertising revenue from blue-chip clients like Microsoft and IBM. Furdyk and Hayman used some of their excess cash to scoop up smaller technology sites for $5,000 to $10,000 apiece. By 1999 the company was attracting 1 million unique visitors a month (serious numbers back then). Furdyk, Hayman and a third partner sold the company to Internet.com for "over $1 million," says Furdyk.
Absorbing the Blows
As part of the MyDesktop sale, Furdyk and company received a small amount of venture capital funding for their next project, a product review site called Buybuddy.com. They raised an additional $5 million and brought on an outside management team. But the good times were short-lived. In 2001 the tech bubble burst; Buybuddy suffered and shut down within three years.
Furdyk hasn't soured on entrepreneurship; indeed, he is promoting it via TakingITglobal.com, a nonprofit social networking site he launched for youngsters and educators interested in using technology to solve global problems. "Never be afraid of failure," says Furdyk. "Just learn from it. When you're young you have even less to lose."
Going With the Flow: Fraser Doherty
While his fellow mini-moguls were making a mint on the Internet, Fraser Doherty was doing things the old-fashioned way. 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 received orders faster than he could fill them, so he leased space at a 200-person food processing factory several days a month.
By age 16 Doherty left school to work on his jams full time. In early 2007 Waitrose, a high-end supermarket in the U.K., came knocking, and within months there were SuperJam jars on the shelves of 184 Waitrose stores. Doherty borrowed $10,000 from a bank to cover general expenses and more factory time to produce three flavors: Blueberry & Black Currant, Rhubarb & Ginger and Cranberry & Raspberry.
Spreading the Word
Last year Doherty ramped up the company's marketing efforts, printing 50 million coupons in newspapers across the U.K. He also ran a promotion in the Sun newspaper offering readers a free jar of jam. Good moves: SuperJam's revenue hit $1.2 million in 2009, flat from the prior year. Doherty's retailers now include U.K. chains Asda Wal-Mart, Morrisons and Tesco. This year he plans to introduce three new flavors.
Doherty remains the company's only full-time employee, although he hired three part-time staffers to hand out samples in grocery stores. Within the next four months, he hopes to produce mini jars for airlines, hotels and gift boxes. Based on a reasonable valuation multiple of one time revenue (jelly maker J.M. Smucker generally trades between 1 and 1.5 times revenue), Doherty's debt-free stake is worth between $1 million and $2 million.
As for taking SuperJam up a notch, Doherty asserts that his supply chain and operations can safely scale to meet heavier demand. "We're sticking with what works," says the entrepreneur, now a seasoned 21 years old.
MyYearbook.com: Catherine Cook
In 2005 Catherine Cook, 15, and her brother Dave, 17, were flipping through their high school yearbook and came up with the idea to develop a free interactive version online. The Cooks soon merged their social networking site with Zenhex.com, an ad-supported site where users post homemade quizzes, more than doubling traffic to their site. By 2006 MyYearbook had raised $4.1 million from the likes of U.S. Venture Partners and First Round Capital. The business attracted advertisers such as Neutrogena, Disney and ABC, grew to 3 million members worldwide and raked in annual sales in the "seven figures," says Catherine.
Whateverlife.com: Ashley Qualls
Conceived by 14-year-old Detroit native Ashley Qualls as a personal portfolio with pictures and graphics, the ad-supported site evolved to offer free MySpace layouts and tutorials for teens who wanted to learn how to do their own graphic designs and coding. Whateverlife.com, which Qualls owns outright, claims to nab 7 million unique visitors a month and counts Verizon Communications as an advertiser. In March 2006 Qualls reportedly received an offer (from an undisclosed buyer) for $1.5 million, but turned it down.
Click here to see the full list of How To Make $1 Million Before Graduation.

Allah always with us..so be with Him!

I remembered last 2 years when I was so upset …I feel like I can’t stand anymore with all of things that I’m doing…sort of I lost my strength to continue with it…without doing what I’m supposed to do at that moment, I started ‘youtubing’ and…and I found this video which make me smile again…so now I feel like to share it…it wasn’t a new clips but it’s good to here again and again…cause its remind you that you’ll never be alone =)

I love to share the lyrics here as well cause I found it meaningful for all of us…

I am not afraid to stand alone....
I am not afraid to stand alone.... If Allah is by my side
I am not afraid to stand alone.... Everything will be alright
I am not afraid to stand alone.... Gonna keep my head up high

Single mother raising her children
Now she's a Muslim
Started praying and wearing a headscarf
Was a healing for her heart

Struggling with no one to lean on
But with prayer she would be strong
Got a job but then she was laid off
Got a better education and it paid off

Got a call for a job that she dreamed of
Close by, great pay -she was in love - they said...
They brought her in, said she's the number one pick
You got the job, but you gotta lose the outfit"

It's a tough position that they put me in
Cause Ive been struggling with my two children
But I'll continue looking for a job again
My faith in my religion now will never bend


Peer pressure, they were insisting
And I was resisting
Some days I felt I would give in
Just wanted to fit in

I know when I'm praying and fasting'
They be teasing and laughing
So I called to my Lord for the power
For the strength every day, every hour...

Then one day there's a new Muslim teacher
Single mom and the people respect her
Just seeing her strength I get stronger
They can break my will no longer

You don't see me sweating when they're jokes're cracking
Never see me cussing' with my pants saggin'
I aint never running yo I'm still standing
I ride with Allah to the very end

I am not afraid to stand alone...

Now, I'm a tough one, who can bear their blows
The rest play dumb, they don't dare say no
Scared of being shunned, but its clear they know
I aint never gonna run, I aint scared no more....

Man, these sisters be resolute
Never stressed when the rest say they wasn't cute
And the get the respect of the other youth
Come best with the dress yo and that's the truth

These sisters are strong gonna hand it down
So me I'm a brotha gotta stand my ground
I aint gonna shudder, when the gangs around
Peer pressure whatever, its my planet now

Others may fall, I'mma hold my own
With Allah's help I'll be strong as stone
And I'mma be brave and let Al Islam be shown
Cause you I know I not afraid to stand alone

IKAN

pok cik din bersama ikan kesayangan beliau.

ni alat untuk mengukur kualiti air

ikan kelisa..red tail arowana.

salam to all...
sejak dua menjak ni,aku dok sibuk pasal akuakultur. al maklum lah, benda hidup nie kalau tak sibuk dgn dia mampoih atau terbantut la jawabnya.ikan kelisa aku dah tak bernyawa sbb tu la kot...tak jaga betoi2. sibuk jugak aku dok cari potensi spesis terbaik kot2 nanti ke depan nk set up aqua farm sendiri.

kalau kira beberapa faktor yg ada skrg nie aku dok nampak ikan keli(Clarias sp.) antara yang berpotensi..sbb senang ternak n pasaran. kalu kat Malaysia nie antara spesis yg byk di ternak keli kayu(Clarias batrachus), keli bunga (Clarias gariepinus) dan kacukan leli eksotika dgn keli kayu.

ikan keli punya kadar hidup tinggi iaitu 80%. Makanan pulak pelbagai mcm ikan baja dgn dedak padi dan makanan rumusan. kalau betoi2 jaga 3-4 bulan dah cukup utk keli tu mencapai saiz 25cm - 30 cm panjang atau berat 150g-200g seekor.

ikan keli punya senang nak ternak, dalam kanvas pon boleh. belakang rumah la biasa org dok buat sebagai hobi. kaedah mcm nie mesra alam dan menghasilkan ikan yang berkhasiat tanpa masalah bau lumpur( off flavour).

banyak benda yang nak cerita,sbb esok aku nak pi seminar kat primula resort jadinya tak leh nak mengadap lama2. last sekali aku ada beberapa tips utk menyiang dan membersihkan ikan air tawar.
1.taburkan garam kasar ke dalam bekas ikan yang hendak disiang. dengan cara ini ikan keli senang di siang.
2.lumurkan campuran asam jawa/gelugor dengan sedikit garam pada ikan yang telah disiang dan dibiarkan beberapa minit sebelum dicuci dengan air bersih untuk menghilangkan bau hanyir.
3.sapukan garam pada ikan yang telah disiang dan cuci dengan limau kasturi atau limau nipis. biarkan selama 10 minit dan bersihkan dengan air biasa.
4. cuka dan campuran air beras bersama ramasan daun limau purut atau daun kesum juga boleh digunakan untuk menghilangkan hanyir ikan dengan menggunakan kaedah yang sama.
5. ikan yang bersesungut tidak elok dibuang bahagian mulut dan sesungutnya kerana ia akan mengeluarkan lendir yang banyak!

sekian, wslm.

Keindahan Cinta Sejati

Taj Mahal; salah satu dari tujuh keajaiban dunia yang disenaraikan dan dinilai oleh mata manusia. Keindahan Taj Mahal yang dapat dilihat dengan mata kasar sendiri sangatlah berbeza dari gambar – gambar yang diambil dan dipaparkan di majalah ataupun internet. Keindahan yang bukan sahaja dapat dilihat tapi dirasai. Dunia tahu tentang keindahan Taj Mahal yang dibina atas dasar kasih dan cinta seorang suami kepada isterinya.

Tertarik untuk mengetahui dengan lebih mendalam tentang “Tujuh Keajaiban Dunia”, saya mula meng’google’ article2 yang berkaitan. Seperti biasa tujuh keajaiban yang disenaraikan ialah:

1. Piramid Giza

2. Taj Mahal

3. Tembok Besar Cina

4. Menara Condong Pisa

5. Angkor Watt

6. Menara Eiffel

7. Kuil Parthenon

Namun, saya lebih tertarik dengan satu article yang menyenaraikan Tujuh Keajaiban Dunia yang sebenarnya tak jauh dari kita dan memang ajaib. Katanya terlalu banyak keajaiban yang dimiliki hingga tak mampu untuk disenaraikan tapi memandangkan ramai yang berminat dengan istilah Tujuh keajaiban, hanya tujuh yang disenaraikan, iaitu:

1. Dapat Melihat

2. Dapat Mendengar

3. Dapat Menyentuh

4. Dapat Menyayangi

5. Dapat Merasakan

6. Dapat Tertawa

7. Dapat Mencintai

Terdiam sejenak memikirkan apa yang tertulis. Katanya lagi…Alangkah mudahnya bagi kita untuk melihat pada eksploitasi manusia dan menyebutnya “keajaiban”. Sementara kurniaan Tuhan untuk kita, disebut sebagai “biasa”.

Ciptaan manusia kita agungkan, rahmat Tuhan kita lupakan…

Renungkanlah sejenak

Mengartiskan Ulama,Mengulamakan Artis.

Aku terpanggi untuk menulis satu artikel yang agak menarik berkaitan dengan usaha membawa masyarakat ke arah yang lebih baik.Modal insan yang seharusnya digilap dilihat seolah-olah malap apabila banyaknya program yang dicipta tidak membawa erti sebenar.Seharusnya kemajuan kita kecapi berjalan seiringan dengan nilai yang dituntut. Ketika pengertian Manhaj Malizie didengungkan dalam bangkel, seminar Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia(ABIM) suatu ketika dahulu, dalam tempoh itu juga kedengaran seruan ke arah mengintelektualkan ulama dan mengulamakan intelektual.Proses itu berjalan lancar,kekal dengan ramuan tradisi keilmuan yang ranum sehinggalah mewujudkan kalangan agamawan yang fasih dengan fahaman barat dan kelompok ilmuan universiti yang mampu menghadam kitab-kitab yang selama ini ditekuni di pondok-pondok.
Kalimat "mengulamakan artis dan mengartiskan ulama' bukanlah suatu seruan agar agamawan itu terjun ke pentas dunia lakonan semuanya.Mereka mungkin boleh menjadi pengarah,sutradara kepada sesebuah karya, menulis skrip filem dan drama, mengarang babak dan episod dan menyusun adegan demi adegan.Zaman-zaman mengkritik lakonan lelaki menrangkul wanita atas nama mereka itu suami isteri mungkinkah akan berakhir? kritik ini sudah lama kedengaran.Alasan yang kita kerap didengar adalah "sudah begitu kehendak pengarah".

Novelis, sutradara Habiburrahman El-Shizary yang mesra dikenali sebagai Kang Abik turut mengeluh hal yang sama apabila karya beliau Ayat-Ayat Cinta diangkat sebagai filem."ada benyak adegan dipotong dan ada pula yang ditokok tambah," katanya ketika mengulas. Kesinambungan daripada kekesalan itu, beliau bersama karyawan lain telah mengadakan program realiti TV untuk mencungkil bakat-bakat baru dalam menjiwai perann dalam filemnya yang kedua.Akhirnya, beberapa pelakon baru yang mirip kepada watak yang dinukilkan di dalam novel itu telah berjaya ditemui.Lalu,proses pembikinan filem pun bermula dengan beliau sendiri mengarahkannya dan turut berlakon di dalam karya beliau itu. Sama ada Kang Abik boleh diangkat sebagai model kepada seruan 'mengulamakan artis dan mengartiskan ulama', hal itu boleh lagi dibahaskan kemudian.
Sebagai termaklum,dakwah wali Songo di Tanah Jawa bermula dengan seni persembahan wauang kulit . Di Tanah Melayu, ketika zaman Tok Kenali sedang berjuang di medan penulisan lewat majalah Pengasoh, seorang tokoh ulama lain,Tok Selehong dikatakan gemar pada bunyi-bunyian. Pada zaman pergolakan antara Kaum muda dan Kaum tua itu, Tok Selehong turut ditegur kerana menjadikan bunyi-bunyian sebagai alat beliau berdamping dengan rakyat sambil berdakwah. Tok Kenali berdiam diri ke atas sikap sahabtnya apabila ada rungutan orang ramai terhadap hal tersebut. Mungkinkah antara kedua-dua tokoh ini sudah terjalin persefahaman lalu mereka berjuang mengikut kaedah masing-masing? Apa yang penting, sikap berdiam diri Tok Kenali ke atas peribadi Tok Selehong itu membuktikan bahawa tidak menjadi masalah besar bagi seseorang ilmuan agama untuk berdampingan dengan alat-alat hiburan. Apatah lagi, jika hal itu ada kaitan dengan maslahat membawa agama ke dalanm jiwa masyarakatnya.Hal yang sama juga dapat diperhatikan apabila mantan mufti Perlis,Dr Asri semasa masih dalam jawatannya sebagai Mufti pernah menulis lirik lagu untuk sebuah kumpulan hiburan.Akibat momentum yang tidak begitu kuat yang ditonjolkan oleh kumpulan hiburan tersebut,maka mesej dakwah yang sepatutnya disebarkan tersekat begitu sahaja.
Apakah boleh diusahakan supaya pelajar jurusan agama didedahkan dengan kursus penulisan skrip drama,filem,radio,pengacara, dan sebagainya yang ada kaitan dengan pengajian sekarang?Apabila semakin ramai dan bertambahnya pelajar aliran agama dalam bidang ini, barangkali pada suatu ketika nanti akan lahir bermacam juga persoalan yang boleh dikaitkan melalui karya-karya filem,drama arahan mereka.

Gambar dgn Ust Azhar.

lokasi : pantai batu burok...

Biotechnology.

Biotechnology is a general term initially used to describe the production of valuable products from cheap precursors by living systems.In recent years,the field of biotechnology has frequently been highlighted in newspapers and learned journals as a new science because of its ability to absorb new innovations and remarkable developments in diverse scientific disciplines such as genetics, cell biology, molecular and developmental biology,applied microbiology, biochemistry and genetic engineering, natural products chemistry and chemical engineering,informatics,structural biology and proteomics.
Today,we can only think of biotechnology as an area of science that to harness the amazing variability and complexity as the natural world for useful purposes.Biotechnology will be key area of science in the 21st century and will keep on touching our lives in many ways.In Malaysia,biotechnology is one of the priority areas for wealth generation and employment in the new millennium.