Successful entrepreneurs who had zero capital to start. How did you do it?

No capital? Everyone starts with capital of some sort, even if its just a few hundred bucks or a car.

Quick run down of how I did it:

I started with an 8-yo minivan I was given on my 16th birthday for graduating high school early. Piece of garbage but it ran... for a little while. Didn't do anything but research (and goof around alittle) for 2 years (kind of wish I had started my company then, but being a minor makes it hard to sign agreements and didn't trust my family). Filed my corporate documents literally on the day of my 18th birthday.

How did I succeed? Networked like crazy. I met loads of local business owners, most of whom I knew could at least use my services even if they didn't need them at the time, and built my contact list. I won't deny I had help too. Borrowing equipment, buying used equipment at a major discount, $20 for gas here and there, advice, etc -- there was help. As demand grew for my services, because I had a major need for large vans, I was able to buy used rental vans for next to nothing (around $500/each) from someone I had networked with earlier. By the way, I was in the temp industry at first, I've even wrote a little about it here.

By my 25th birthday I had 600 employees. Then I sold it for enough to do nothing the rest of my life and retired. Around 5 months later, in a fit of boredom and tired with traveling, I started another company rehiring most of my management team (who hated the new owners) and a few of my former employees (~50). That is the company I own today. We're in the same industry but it is a completely different type of business (we don't provide labor). Did $163m last year, will probably hit $210m this year, and before this quarter ends we'll be over a thousand employees. Also, the vast majority of our business (~70%) comes from overseas.

/r/Entrepreneur Thread