Once upon a time, about 2 or 3 years ago (before I deleted my
I knew that "Ashbo" was young, but I never knew the story behind Ashley Qualls until Fast Company's article,
It is so amazing that a 9-year-old can teach herself HTML. It is awe-inspiring that a 15-year-old can start her own website.
I'm flabbergasted that a 17-year-old can be a self-made millionaire!
I think there is a lot that big time companies can learn from this young business woman. She is very in touch with her customer base; she makes personal connections and answers emails herself. She is always updating and coming up with new ideas and features. The majority of her designs are available completely free. She worked with advertisers to make sure that the ads appearing on her page were likely to appeal to her audience.
Ashley has figured out the equation for attracting and keeping her audience. Give them what they search for (free layouts), create a need for something they didn't even know they wanted (tutorials), and give them a comfortable, fun environment in which to learn and have fun (Whateverlife magazine).
Thinking about how this site doesn't even sell anything, but still manages to make over $70,000 a month opens up all kinds of possibilities. I don't think the typical person realizes just how much advertising dollars can pay when you have a popular site.
Whateverlife started as a hobby, and turned into a huge success. I hope Ashbo inspires many more people to do what they love, and maybe, just maybe, a CEO position will open up in their own basement.
3 comments:
I agree with you fully, it completely flabbergasted me that a 17-year-old could earn that much money and be so successful. -Jill K
I was really impressed with Ashley's html knowledge as well. You are really lucky to have had experience with whatever life before reading the article.
great success story..i love it
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