Items25The creator’s order
  1. 1Sara BlakelySara BlakelyBlakely spent two years developing her hosiery idea while selling fax machines, using savings from that job. Neiman Marcus gave Spanx an early retail opening, and she left her sales job in 2000. Her story is especially useful for the unglamorous middle: finding a manufacturer, demonstrating an…0i
  2. 2Ben FrancisBen FrancisBorn 4 Jun 1992Francis fitted Gymshark around university, pizza deliveries and training at the gym, working with co-founder Lewis Morgan. His wages allowed money from the business to go back into it. Clothing sales and the demands of attending events eventually changed that arrangement. This is a practical…0i
  3. 3Emily WeissEmily WeissWeiss began Into the Gloss while working as a fashion assistant at Vogue. The beauty interviews found an audience before she committed to the site full-time; that community later helped shape Glossier. Her magazine experience, industry access and subsequent investment all matter. Follow the…0i
  4. 4Daymond JohnDaymond JohnBorn 23 Feb 1969John made and sold FUBU clothing while keeping his job at Red Lobster. Co-founders, his mother's sewing knowledge and financial support helped the business grow, while musicians brought visibility. It is a revealing example of demand arriving before the cash needed to fulfil it. The family's…0i
  5. 5Huda KattanHuda KattanBorn 2 Oct 1983Kattan's beauty blog began alongside her work as a make-up artist. Questions about the lashes she customised for clients led to a product line, launched at Sephora in Dubai in 2013 with help from her sisters. Blogging, professional technique, family support and retail distribution worked together.…0i
  6. 6Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth PaltrowBorn 27 Sept 1972Paltrow started Goop as a newsletter in 2008 and became its CEO in 2016 as it developed into a retail and media business. This is the celebrity version of the side-project route, with an existing audience and access to investors. The useful distinction is between lending a name to a brand and…0i
  7. 7Pierre OmidyarPierre OmidyarBorn 21 Jun 1967Omidyar built AuctionWeb over a holiday weekend as an experiment while he had a day job. Charging sellers helped cover the site's growing costs, then revealed a business that could support him. The first employee arrived in 1996. His account offers a clear transition from a personal project to paid…0i
  8. 8Craig NewmarkCraig NewmarkBorn 6 Dec 1952Newmark's email to friends about San Francisco events grew into Craigslist as people added jobs, housing and other listings. He continued contract programming before committing full-time in 1999. The interesting choice was keeping the service simple while finding limited ways to pay its bills,…0i
  9. 9Ben ChestnutBen ChestnutChestnut and Dan Kurzius created Mailchimp alongside their web-design agency, initially serving smaller businesses with email tools. The product's recurring income eventually justified winding down client services. Look here for the decision between selling more hours and improving something many…0i
  10. 10Jason FriedJason FriedBorn 7 Apr 1974Fried's design agency built Basecamp to keep projects, feedback and responsibilities organised. Clients saw it in use and wanted access for themselves. Once product revenue overtook design work, the company stopped taking that work on. This is a particularly clear example of a tool built inside an…0