“I started my very first company at my kitchen table after being laid off, broke, scared, and honestly, depressed.”
All I had was what everyone called a “crazy idea”: to start an internet company. No one believed in me. No one… except my 82-year-old grandma.
She didn’t even know what the internet was but she believed in me. She loaned me $10,000, becoming my very first investor.
The pin version of bowling is often played on a flat wooden or other synthetic surface (which can be oiled in different patterns for different techniques), while in target bowling, the surface may be grass, gravel or a synthetic surface. The most common types of pin bowling include ten-pin, nine-pin, candlepin, duckpin and five-pin bowling, while in target bowling, bowls, skittles, kegel, bocce, carpet bowls, pétanque, and boules, both indoor and outdoor varieties are popular. Today the sport of bowling is played by 100 million people in more than 90 countries worldwide (including 70 million in the United States), and continues to grow through entertainment media such as video games for home consoles and handheld devices.
From Kitchen Table to $235 Million
I sat at that kitchen table for three long years.
I maxed out all my credit cards. I lived with constant fear that I would fail. Every day I wrestled with doubt… wondering if the voices telling me I wasn’t good enough were right.
But I kept going.
I poured everything I had into that little company, fueled by late nights, big dreams, and the unshakable belief that if I just didn’t quit, I might make it.
Years later, all the sacrifice, struggle, and sleepless nights paid off. I sold that company first for $20 million and later for $235 million.
When I went to tell my grandma, she couldn’t believe it. We celebrated together with a trip to Italy, where we rode in a Ferrari. It was my way of saying thank you for believing in me before anyone else did.
Paying It Forward
Since then, I’ve built, invested in, and led multiple companies. I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality. But what I’m most proud of isn’t the exits or the headlines.
It’s the chance to pay it forward — to mentor the next generation of dreamers, risk-takers, and believers who are brave enough to bet on themselves… just like my grandma once did for me.
Because if my story proves anything, it’s this: one person’s belief can change the entire trajectory of a life.
Today, as a mom of four and mentor to thousands of entrepreneurs, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned.
Not the polished highlight reel, but the messy, real mistakes that became the building blocks of my success.
I’ve discovered that success isn’t built on perfection, it’s built on mistakes. Every wrong turn, every “no,” every failure I thought would break me… actually became the foundation for my greatest breakthroughs.
That’s why I wrote my new book, Mistakes That Made Me a Millionaire. To show you that your setbacks can become your stepping stones. You don’t need to have it all figured out to win big. You just need the courage to start, the resilience to keep going, and the belief that even your biggest mistakes can lead you somewhere extraordinary.