Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Everton | Sep 03, 2007 | Comments


I first read about Ashley Qualls aged 17 who has made over a million dollars from a site giving away MySpace themes, on Dosh Dosh. I didn’t read all of Maki’s post, but the facts in the first paragraph got my attention:

  • Ashley Qualls started at 14 and dropped out of school to build her online business
  • First adsense cheque was for $2,790
  • Now earns as much as $70k per month from her Whateverlife.com site

Ashley Qualls

Amazing numbers, but after following a link from the Guardian Blog yesterday, I discovered that her story was even more interesting.

Many of the people Ashley does business with don’t realise that she’s only 17. She’s so young in fact, that because she’s still legally a minor, a court has appointed someone to manage her finances until she’s 18, as sadly her sudden wealth has caused issues within her family. Ashley has recruited a lawyer to try and get herself emancipated and declared an adult.

I think it’s amazing that thanks to the internet, a schoolkid can become a millionaire. At 17 I’d only just finished my first ever jobs working in brick and timber yards over the summer holidays. I remember how proud my parents were that I was capable of doing a real ‘mans’ job, getting up at dawn and working my ass off all day.

I wonder how they would have reacted if I said I wanted to build a website over the summer to make money online! I’m really envious of the opportunities available now. I seriously think that if I were a teenager growing up now, my life would have taken a totally different path. I really doubt that I would have wanted to go to Uni, although I’m sure my parents would have forced me too, even if I was generating money online.

Are there any readers out there who have passed on going to Uni in order to develop online businesses?


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About the Author: Everton is based in London and has worked in the internet and mobile space for over ten years now, and before that worked in corporate strategy and consulting. He has a degree in Economics from Cambridge University.He also writes for Windows 7 News, Windows 8 News and One Tip A Day.

  • I wouldn't say I'd have skipped university but its increasingly looking an inviting option for those who are savvy enough. In fact, what she's doing isn't even that advanced but she's doing it well and targeting the perfect niche. Kudos to her, I say.
  • Well I skipped Uni ... but that was years before there was an Internet and I did not have a good reason to do so. Bill Gates dropped out though, in addition to probably dozens of other big names out there.

    I advocate university for the broad background it can give a person and for the organizational and study habits ... but as preparation to make money? Not so sure.

    As has been pointed out, what Ashley is doing is not 'earth shaking" nor is it something she would have ever learned at Uni anyway. Most good money-making ideas are much less "revolutionary" than "evolutionary" The formula for making money is the same regardless of education ... find a need and fill it ... innovation is strictly optional.
  • Well, I never passed uni to start an internet empire- I built the empire while in uni. Starting with a network of eBBS (remember the days of Zmodem, Ymodem Gmodem?).

    The grand thing about ebusiness is that the service is infinitely scalable if you're selling info. Next to zero COGS!
  • Thanks for the mention, Everton. You might want to note that Ashley doesn't sell MySpace themes... she gives them all away for free and includes detailed tutorials on customization as well. :)
  • Yep, you were so right to point that out, Maki. So many people have skimmed a blog post or two about Ashley and immediately jumped into the "selling" mode. The part most notable is not that she is "selling" the notable part is she is giving away and still getting rich.

    Now how many other ventures, desperate for the next sale could restructure themselves to make money by giving away and capitaizing on the traffic/relationships?
  • @Maki

    Thanks updated. Side question - have you passed 1k subs yet? you haven't added your count to your site yet. Given your technorati rank, I'm assuming you have
  • These kind of stories motivate alot of people. I myself quit my studies to earn online. But i think atleast you have bachelors degree as studies always help you somewhere in your life.
  • If they had a bachelors degree in eBusines- I'd have taken it instead of BS Architecture.

    Almost everyday I meet a new internet millionaire!
  • So if understood this correct, she doesn't actually earn the dough through the myspace layouts directly but through contextual ads such as Adsense?

    Anyway, always a good motivation when young people run past you in revenue.
  • when young people run past you in revenue

    run past you? I think earning over $1m counts as 'blazing past you at light speed', unless you're keeping something from us Adam!
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