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 think what you learn in UNi u can use to earn money. but you still need to have the entreprenaurial drive and acumen. which this young lady obviously has.
  • Yeah i passed on Uni for online business and i am happy with the outcome =)
  • @Phil

    lol 'Everton' is my middle name (honest), so it is kind of my real name. Blair is my mother's maiden name so I'm kind of allowed to use it.
  • ha ha - real names Everton - now rearrange these words: "kettle, black, pot, calling.." :-)
  • COOL! I admire her!
  • woow cool :) I wanna bi millionaire like Ashleyy
  • @John
    College for webmasters is ridiculous because it is like having a degree in art I would much rather hire someone who has a fantastic portfolio than a college degree that only learned basics and not experience in styles etc.


    Again, this isn't just about college, it is about High School as well. You claim she is in fact still working on classes, but all I have to go on is the article claiming she dropped out. So, lets say she didnt drop out and will get a diploma.

    A portfolio is good, but she doesn't do her own site, she outsources it, so she cannot even really add it to her portfolio. She might have done the design and outsourced the HTML, so if she were out for a pure design job, she might get it depending on the person hiring. If I were hiring for design, I would look at a portfolio certainly, but she only has one site, maybe 2 now, which is not enough of a portfolio to even warrant a phone screen. How do you know she is versatile enough to design for anything other than cutesy teenage girl look? Look at the site on the waybackmachine. The earlier versions of the site (before she got 'financed' and possibly taken over) shows a more accurate view of this girls web design skills. She likely hired a firm to do the design for the current site in all honesty. I know I would if this kind of money was going around and I was soon going to be in magazines. Its a smart business move.

    So, the job she would be looking for would be as a project lead or manager or some business role I would be guessing. Her technical skills are fairly poor.

    Do you think someone would hire anyone in the business realm without an MBA or other degree? Honestly here folks. It does all depend on what she wants to do after this, but artist she may not be and super HTML guru she is not. Smart and in the right place and the right time more than likely, but for all jobs I could see her *wanting*, she isn't qualified for.
  • I was certainly poised to miss uni but i had no choice and i had to attend it. But now i definitely see a quantum change in the attitude in even my neighborhood. More and more parents and guardians are letting there kid follow his dreams if he is good at it. I had a girl living next door to me became quite a famous singer at the age of 14 and what was amazing that her parents supported her all the way. She never went to school after she was 8 and was doing music practice all the time. I just wish i was born in this phase may be i could have done more.
    Cheers
    Abhishek
  • Well i understand that. But as soon as she's 18 she gets it all. Which is just amazing. Oh I'm going to start my site now. Forget waiting.
  • @Filthy

    None of the income is in her name as she's a minor
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