Gurbaksh Chahal – Dropout to Millionaire

Why do we travel the paths that we do? What triggers set us on course for our future? Early influencers are the home environment, relationships, family and the decisions we make in the present that determine our outcomes for the future. If we dislike our present, we simply have to make better informed choices to be and have what we want.

Gurbaksh Chahal – The Early Days

For Gurbaksh Singh Chahal it was overcoming his unpleasant school experience that shaped his extraordinary future. Now a successful millionaire, this was not always the case. Bullied in school for wearing a turban, being different singled him out for constant physical and verbal abuse.

Born to an Indian family, Gurbaksh was 4 years old when his family decided to move to the United States. His parents, siblings and grandmother, a total of 7 all crammed into a one-bedroom apartment.

Gubaksh was bullied and teased in school for looking different and he would often come home crying. His grandmother would always reassure him that everything would be ok. The physical and emotional abuse in school is what Gubaksh says toughened him and gave him the strength to use the ‘negative noise’ to create positive energy. Once he accepted that he was different due to his appearance, he was able to move forwards and identify his passion seeking clarity on specifically what he wanted to do with his life.

“Struggle becomes our purpose.” Gurbaksh Singh Chahal

Dropout to Millionaire

Eventually, Gurbaksh dropped out of high school and at the age of 16 he started a company – ClickAgents, a company focusing on online advertising.  Advertisers would be charged when potential customers clicked on their advert. He was completely mesmerized by the internet and the dot com industry and successfully made his first deal in 90 deals having discovered the unchartered territory of online advertising. Acknowledging that he now had a real business, his business skyrocketed. At the age of 18 Gurbaksh sold his company for $40 million. After selling his business he was unable to start a similar venture due to a ‘Non-compete’ clause. Once the 3 years lapsed, Gurbaksh started another similar company BlueLithium and Yahoo later acquired it for a staggering $300 million.

Gurbaksh states that his intention was never to make money and that when your decisions are guided by greed, you inevitably make the wrong decisions. Gurbaksh was fortunate in that when he started his company, the internet was in its early days. However, despite the bullying in school he managed to overcome the experience and realised that he wanted to control his destiny and be accountable to no one.

Gurbaksh has continued to create successful businesses, RadiumOne and Gravity4.

In life we are shaped our experiences and how we choose to move forwards is entirely up to us. We can either allow a negative experience to fester or steer our destiny towards insurmountable success.

“It doesn’t matter if the glass is half empty or half full. Be grateful you have a glass – you’re the only person that can decide what’s in it.” Gurbaksh Singh Chahal