Millionaire founders’ advice for success —get started, show passion

Shawn Tsao, co-founder of food-delivery app Caviar.

It may not be easy to build a successful business from scratch — but it’s proven to be possible.

Throughout my time working at CNBC, I’ve chatted with different entrepreneurs, from people who started successful side hustles to the founders of global unicorn companies. Ultimately, I’ve found that it all comes down to beliefs — what one chooses to believe.

These people chose to believe in themselves. They knew it wouldn’t be easy, but they also knew it was possible. With that faith, they went on to risk and sacrifice almost everything for a dream.

The world may see them as inspirational figures, but oftentimes, they are just ordinary people who have faced some setbacks and hard-earned lessons in life.

In my conversations with successful entrepreneurs, I’ve found that those who became successful and “made it” tend to echo the same advice.

Here’s what they credit for their success:

Advice #1: Anyone can do it

Jason McGowan was no professional baker before he co-founded Crumbl Cookies in 2017, but he didn’t let that hold him back from building a cookie empire.

Today, Crumbl is a unicorn company with about 1,000 locations worldwide. The company brought in over $1 billion in sales in 2022, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It.

Crumbl: How we built a cookie company that brings in $1 billion a year

The biggest thing I’ve learned through Solidcore — is you can do whatever you want to do as long as you’re willing to do it.

Anne Mahlum

Founder, Solidcore

Anne Mahlum echoes the same sentiment.

In 2013, she founded New York-based boutique fitness chain Solidcore. One decade later, the company has over 100 locations.

In 2023, Mahlum said she made $88.4 million after cashing out on her equity in the business, making her a multi-millionaire.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned through Solidcore is: You can do whatever you want to do, as long as you’re willing to do it,” Mahlum told CNBC Make It.

Advice #2: Lean into what makes you unique

Another piece of advice Mahlum gave is to lean into what makes you yourself. In fact, it is what she credits for her success.

“I really believe in the power of uniqueness. When we… lean into our uniqueness, it really works in our favor, and it really has been a huge part of my success to do that personally and professionally.”

“I think so many times, we look at entrepreneurs or people who made it — and we think that they just have something that you don’t, or that they have a special set of advantages, and to be honest, that might be true — the world and life is not fair, it never was, and it never will be,” she said.

Everyone has a special set of circumstances, advantages and disadvantages, Mahlum said.

“I think it is up to each and every one of us to figure out what those advantages are, what our talent and skills are and lean into them and make it work for you.”

People tend to think that those who have “made it” have something special about them. However, according to McGowan and Mahlum, they are not special. They just doubled-down on what set them apart.

How I built a billion dollar coffee company called Kopi Kenangan

Advice #3: Be passionate

How I built a $400 million food delivery company called Caviar

“If you’re an entrepreneur and you’re really passionate about the product that you’re building — not because you just want the glory of being a CEO or a founder [but] you’re really passionate about what you’re working on — that will get you through the hardest days,” said Tsao.

Tsao built Caviar for himself. The business fulfilled a need that he personally had, and it was this passion that helped him persevere through the inevitable difficulties he went on to face building the business.

In the same way, Tirtanata loved coffee, Mahlum cared about fitness and McGowan was passionate about cookies — all these founders built something for themselves.

It was with this genuine passion that drove them through the most difficult times.

Advice #4: Just get started

In all my conversations with entrepreneurs, by far, the one piece of advice I’ve heard the most, is to simply get started.

“Nike got it best, to ‘just do it.’ I have a phrase that says: ‘Just have a day one,'” said Mahlum.

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