What does it take to turn a struggling business into a million-dollar success? For Canadian entrepreneur Tuan Le, it took thousands of cold emails and the refusal to quit during a pandemic. Starting with no experience, Le built his portfolio by charging local businesses minimal fees. After a breakthrough third year, during which his income jumped from $12,350 to $110,000, his business scaled rapidly, eventually reaching a staggering $1.4 million in total earnings. What is interesting is how Le started his business after learning video editing on YouTube.
Le shared that in the first year of starting the business, he earned a total of $8500. “I started doing video for local business with no experience or business background. I charged very little to build my portfolio.”
Though he earned $17,000 the year after, he lost most of his clients during the pandemic. He entered year three while still in lockdown and initially made about $12,350. Unfettered, however, he invested all he had in his business, sent thousands of cold emails and his hard work paid off as he ended up making $110,000.
In the fourth year, he hired his first employee and made a total of $350,000. He now has a team of 15 people, and the founder said that some of the biggest brands are his clients. He continued that he earned a total of $1.4 million in the fifth year.
“The third year of this journey was hard. I tried so hard for so long, and nothing was working. I thought about giving up and going back to school,” Tuan Le wrote on Instagram.
He added, “But I’m glad I stuck it out long enough to get lucky. Running a business has been one of the hardest, yet most fulfilling, things I’ve ever done.” he concluded the post with a series of visuals.
Social media reacts:
An individual posted, “Inspiring stuff. I’m finding that by year 5, being more familiar with all the processes is helping me make much better decisions. It’s great when things feel clearer!” Another added, “Do 1 thing for many years, and you become a master. It’s nice you stuck to it and did not pivot, but really persisted.”
A third expressed, “That’s amazing, what clicked for you or what changed during year 3 that got you from 12K-110K?” A fourth wrote, “You’re incredible, you hear me?? Incredible!”
Who is Tuan Le?
Le, on his LinkedIn, mentioned that he joined Toronto Film School in 2019 but dropped out after four months, adding that he “learned everything on YouTube.”
He started his career as a production assistant. Later, he founded his company, where he also assumed the role of CEO.
Entrepreneur who learned ‘everything on YouTube’ builds $1.4 million business, shares his journey
