At 23, he quit his accounting job to start an eBay business—today, his company brings in $167 million a year

Right aft graduating from assemblage successful 2015, Gurmer Chopra, 32, landed his archetypal firm relation astatine a "Big Four" accounting firm. But aft little than a twelvemonth connected the job, helium decided to quit.

"Four months into it, I [was] like: 'I freaking hatred it here.' It was conscionable the astir boring work, and I felt similar I was making zero quality successful the world," Chopra told CNBC Make It.

"At 1 point, I [started studying] for my [certified nationalist accountant exam]... Then I opened the publication [and] I retrieve conscionable speechmaking the archetypal page, and I deliberation that's virtually erstwhile I realized I cannot bash this with my life, oregon I'm gonna conscionable not beryllium a blessed person," said Chopra.

At that time, helium was besides moving connected an e-commerce concern connected the broadside with his older member Dashmeet Chopra. In their escaped time, the duo went into Downtown Los Angeles to root items specified arsenic T-shirts, jeans and shoes astatine wholesale prices and resold them connected eBay.

Their eBay broadside hustle has since go YoungLA, a manner covering marque that brought successful implicit $167 cardinal successful 2024, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Originally from India, Chopra and his household immigrated to the U.S. successful 2002 and spent their archetypal 4 years successful New Jersey earlier landing successful California. Chopra said helium got his entrepreneurial chops from his dad, who worked astatine a souvenir store aft moving to the U.S.

His dada yet started a wholesale souvenir concern and managed immoderate acquisition shops successful Los Angeles. Chopra and his member became progressive successful their dad's concern endeavors astatine a young age.

"That was honestly the commencement of maine becoming an entrepreneur with my brother, due to the fact that ... I was 12 years old, and helping my dada with moving this business," said Chopra.

After immoderate clip moving these brick-and-mortar stores, Chopra's dada realized that helium had amended occurrence by selling their goods online. Inspired by his discovery, the 2 brothers decided to experimentation with e-commerce themselves.

In March 2014, Chopra was studying economics and accounting astatine the University of California, Santa Barbara, erstwhile helium and his member archetypal opened their eBay account.

"Initially, maine and my member pulled unneurotic $5,000 and that's each we've ever invested successful the company. And we've ever been capable to conscionable reinvest," said Chopra. The 2 utilized this wealth to root their archetypal fewer products.

"We were buying jeans, Converse, Vans ... Tupac shirts, Biggie shirts ... We would conscionable bargain a batch of worldly from Downtown LA, and benignant of conscionable propulsion a clump of things connected the wall. Whatever listings that would commencement popping off, we would [put] much clip and effort into that," helium said.

Besides selling connected eBay, Chopra and his member besides expanded to Amazon and Shopify, which they decided to sanction YoungLA.com — inspired by a DJ connected their section vigor presumption called "Young California."

From there, they shifted their absorption from lone reselling items they bought wholesale to going all-in connected the YoungLA brand. Chopra said they began manufacturing their ain products and would adhd the sanction "YoungLA.com" to the tags of their items to make marque recognition.

The concern brought successful its archetypal cardinal successful gross successful 2017, Chopra said. Ultimately, determination were 2 cardinal successes that catapulted the brand's maturation further: "drop culture" and influencer selling — some of which are inactive halfway parts of the concern today.

Drop civilization is simply a selling strategy wherever brands merchandise limited-edition items, oregon "drops," astatine circumstantial times, to make exclusivity and buzz connected societal media.

"In 2018 we started ... focusing connected our website, and we wanted to benignant of make a "drop culture," said Chopra. "So whenever a caller merchandise came out, we would similar effort to hype it up beforehand and past driblet it connected the website."

In 2019, YoungLA signed its archetypal large declaration with an influencer, and by 2020, the concern had deed implicit $6 cardinal successful revenue, added Chopra. Last year, the concern brought in, connected average, much than treble that magnitude successful monthly revenue.

When asked if helium is blessed that helium near his accounting job, Chopra said: "I don't deliberation I could beryllium happier. [I'm] very, precise satisfied with wherever we've been, but it is decidedly stressful."

"I deliberation a fewer years into moving the business, you recognize [that] cipher could person prepared maine for this... I deliberation immoderate of the hardest things successful the opening was firing an worker ... oregon conscionable dealing with truly pugnacious situations, dealing with stress, getting sued and things similar that too," helium said.

"You larn truthful overmuch erstwhile you're really successful it ... But I deliberation figuring those things retired teaches you truthful overmuch astir the world, but besides astir yourself."

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