Hated His Job at 40, Bought A Business, Now Nearly A Billionaire

[MJ DeMarco]

A great story despite the click-baity title.

Lots of awesome takeaways, from getting started older in life, to productocracies, to buying a struggling business and turning it around, to domain experience in an industry, to reading books to figure out solutions.

It's everything I ramble on about!!

Enjoy!

At 40 he had a job he hated, now he’s worth half a billion dollars

How the Fevertree co-founder hit the big-time with a big gamble.

www.marketwatch.com

 

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[Wouter]

Great read! Actually discovered their tonics this year and I think they're great, they sell them at my local supermarket. As a tonic aficionado, I have yet to find a tonic I like better...

 

[JunkBoxJoey_JBJ]

40 to 62 and the guy crushes it after putting it ALL on the line...awesome, quick read.

 

[Vadim26]

I’ve thought one has to be <35y to have a chance at being successful. I was wrong!

/s

 

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[becks22]

Wait I thought if you were over the age of 30- you were too old?

Great read-- thanks MJ

 

[MTF]

What's interesting is that one of the investors in Plymouth Gin was Richard Koch, the author of The 80/20 Principle. He shares some cool details about it in his book The Star Principle.

 

[inputchip]

Some major takeaways here:

- You can become an industry expert in your field through learning on your own (mostly free resources at that!)
- Age is just a number
- Happiness is the end goal. Even at age 40 he knew he was still unhappy and he decided to do something about it.
- If you are not innovating, you will die.
- Look for old products that are stuck in the traditions and have not seen major changes in the last hundred years and find ways to innovate.

 

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[socaldude]

this is obviously fake he is too old to be a success

 

[Azure]

I sell a considerable amount of FeverTree products.

They're well made at every step of the way. The bottle fits well in the hand, is very nice looking and is durable enough to not shatter into pieces when dropped most of the time.

You can readily taste the quality of care that goes into ingredient selection and manufacturing process. They taste crisp, clean and don't carry any harsh lingering after tastes. Try one of the popular brands of ginger beer in your country then have a Fever Tree ginger beer. It's like comparing a beater Mazda to a Tesla.

It's 2-3 times more than cheap alternatives, and it outsells any other brand we carry by a massive margin.

High quality bars refuse the alternatives when stocked out.

 

[Tourmaline]

Great read, thank you.

 

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[Rawseed]

I'm forty. So, that story really hit home for me.

It shows that most barriers are self-built.

 

[Champion]

Thanks for sharing MJ, what a great story!

Im currently 26 and so many times I let myself get blinded by others around me and the stories I hear:

"Have you heard? The co-founders from xyz startup just got Series A funding worth 5 million dollars and they're only 22 years old. Omg yeah, I heard he declined Harvard to found that company."

"Did you know that Martin is CEO of a company that manages over 100 employees and hes only 21? What a go getter!"

I have to admit, everytime I hear stories like this, I look back and reflect at my own life.

I realize that I have wasted a lot of time until I was around 21-22, thats when I really started turning things around. I often feel regret and wish I had started earlier. But so what? Its still so much time to come!

This story is just another proof that it is never too late to start, no matter your age, and its always worth embarking on the journey of entrepreneurship!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Never heard of the guy’s company and no sooner than 2 hours later I see his product in Costco! I bought some to check it out.

 

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[Empires]

Thanks for sharing MJ, what a great story!

Im currently 26 and so many times I let myself get blinded by others around me and the stories I hear:

"Have you heard? The co-founders from xyz startup just got Series A funding worth 5 million dollars and they're only 22 years old. Omg yeah, I heard he declined Harvard to found that company."

"Did you know that Martin is CEO of a company that manages over 100 employees and hes only 21? What a go getter!"

I have to admit, everytime I hear stories like this, I look back and reflect at my own life.

I realize that I have wasted a lot of time until I was around 21-22, thats when I really started turning things around. I often feel regret and wish I had started earlier. But so what? Its still so much time to come!

This story is just another proof that it is never too late to start, no matter your age, and its always worth embarking on the journey of entrepreneurship!

Success stories are always amazing to hear, but you have to remember you are not them and they are not you.

Comparing yourself to them will just slow you down. Their story doesn't define you. You are free to define your own story, success is never the same for anybody. Focus on your own path and be the next story that others look up to.

 

[paulmp]

I'm 38 and have recently hit completely broke again and my self talk has been "you are getting too old, you've left it too late, your window is closing"... time to tell myself to shut up.

 

[ChrisV]

I’ve thought one has to be <35y to have a chance at being successful. I was wrong!

i was waiting for that... as soon as i opened the thread i searched the text for '35' and boom, came right up

 

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[Rawseed]

Never heard of the guy’s company and no sooner than 2 hours later I see his product in Costco! I bought some to check it out.

Your RAS at work.

 

[simplymoto]

Most successful startups are run by people older than 30, even in 40s and 50s. We love to hear the Mark Zug 22 yo genius story, but truth is there are more successful people in the later years.

 

[Process]

A cat doesn’t care if a 16 yr old or a 60 yr is holding its tuna.

Age becomes an excuse when someone’s offer or execution sucks.

 

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[Entre Eyes]

Came here just now only to see the best couple Headlines and JET. Now 18 Tabs open I have to read! Salute M.J. grrrr.

 

[JunkBoxJoey_JBJ]

Never heard of the guy’s company and no sooner than 2 hours later I see his product in Costco! I bought some to check it out.

View attachment 27625

Ha...as an example, when you buy a car and "all of a sudden" you see a bunch of "your car" on the road. It's feels like a subliminal thing sometimes or power of suggestion. Either way...that's too much/funny.

 

[HelpAndProsper]

Most successful startups are run by people older than 30, even in 40s and 50s. We love to hear the Mark Zug 22 yo genius story, but truth is there are more successful people in the later years.

I read somewhere that most most very successful business people make it BIG in their 40s or 50s.....I am 45, financially free/independent, but I'm currently trying to start some kind of business myself. It's never too late really.....There are people in their 60's who start businesses and make it big.

 

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[Walterbl]

That was a great read. Impressive how he managed to improve a product he knew absolutely nothing about.

 

[Pinnacle]

A great story despite the click-baity title.

Lots of awesome takeaways, from getting started older in life, to productocracies, to buying a struggling business and turning it around, to domain experience in an industry, to reading books to figure out solutions.

It's everything I ramble on about!!

Enjoy!

At 40 he had a job he hated, now he’s worth half a billion dollars

How the Fevertree co-founder hit the big-time with a big gamble.

www.marketwatch.com

Would you have read it without that title?

Title is what got me to click on this post.

 

[Dan_Cardone]

This guy should write a book about his journey.

 

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[GIlman]

Age is just a number. What fundamentally would make it easier for a 26-year-old to succeed then a 46-year-old.

The difference is that at 26, many people do not have established patterns or habits. By the time people reach their early to mid 40s, many have deeply established patterns and habits, and refused to make changes.

However, look at many serial entrepreneur who create new businesses throughout their lives. They have no problem creating new businesses at the age of 40, 50, 60, and even 70.

Why is that? Because their patterns and rituals are centered around continual learning, developing, and looking for new opportunities. They are used to starting new enterprises, and so they continue to do it at every age.

I started my first business when I was 12 installing sprinkler systems - I made $7000 over the summer which at the time seem like a ton of money. My second business I started when I was 19, my third business when I was 24, my fourth business when I was 28. Then my fifth business when I was 41. I just started my most recent and six business at the age of 44

Each time I have startEd a new business, the process has been the same. It involves avid learning, experimenting, excepting failures, and creating systems and efficiency. There is nothing about age that prevent you from doing any of this. You just have to be willing to step out of your box, try new things, accept risk, and work through the small failures that happen along the way to achieve success.

The only thing that changes with age, is that many people become set in their ways, and lose the driving curiosity to learn and adapt. If you can overcome those, you can succeed at any age.

 

[Danny Sullivan]

Great story.

Was curious about the product since I'm in love with tonic water since like forever, but different brands became to sweet for my taste over the years. Found Fevertree at my local drinks market as sort of a "try them" package with a "nice" pricetag of around 8,58 $ per liter

 

[lewj24]

“Fortunately, I knew nothing,” says Rolls. “Sometimes it’s an advantage not to know anything about a business. I had no relevant experience.”

 

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[ZeroTo100]

Perfect example of why it’s a good idea to not just JUMP into something but to work in the market (even if that means buying the company) and identify the new opportunities or needs (areas to create value) from that previous experience - which is how he launched his mixer business.

 

[DeletedUser0287]

Where did you get 500,000 Pounds to just buy it outright?

Edit: I could easily do the same thing this guy could if I had money like that.