Computer entrepreneurship has shaped history forever. And one of the culprits has been WhatsApp. That’s why we bring you 3 tips from Jan Koum, the creator of WhatsApp, to achieve success.
If you have to write to a friend, which app do you use?……..Exactly! Whatsapp is the most widely used instant messaging application in the world.
According to the Statista portal, by January 2022 WhatsApp had 2 billion active users each month; In second position is WeChat (China) with 1.2 billion; and completing the podium is Facebook Messenger, with 988 million.
WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton. And in 2014 it was sold to Facebook for 19 billion dollars. From start to finish it seems like 5 years of glory for the app; but for Jan Koum, the road had its fair share of ups and downs.
It may also interest you: 25 WhatsApp tricks that you may not know yet.
Story of Jan Koum.
Jan, was born in Ukraine in 1976 into a Jewish family. Due to the difficult anti-Semitic situation, Jan, her mother and her grandmother, decided to travel to the United States; but his father could not travel and stayed.
With very little English and at the age of 16, Jan worked as cleaner in a store, while her mother babysat; but that did not get them out of a difficult economic situation. Fortunately, the government helped the underprivileged by giving them coupons called food stamp, which could be exchanged for food; but unfortunately, his mother contracted cancer.
During her time at school, Jan became interested in programming. She later entered the University of San Jose and simultaneously worked for Ernst & Young.
In 1997, David File, co-founder of Yahoo!, convinced him to work for the company; so without hesitation Jan withdrew from the university. he worked for Yahoo! for 9 years but together with his friend Brian Acton (future co-founder of WhatsApp) they decided to retire from their jobs and take a sabbatical traveling through South America.
It was after Jan bought an iPhone and entered the App Store that she realized the app boom was on the way; and by 2009 whatsapp was born.
Currently (July 2018), according to Forbes, with a fortune of 9 billion dollars, Jan occupies box #170 of the billionaires worldwide.
After learning a little about its history, let’s take a look at Jan Koum’s rabbits for success.
Jan Koum’s tips for success.
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It’s never too late.
At this time it is common to see young people between 20 and 30 creating incredible things. Which leads us to think that if we are not very good at something from a very young age, we are already “old” to do something great.
Jan is just one of many signs that this is totally false. She was only able to have her own computer until she was 19 years old. He belonged to a renowned group of expert hackers in digital security (like other successful entrepreneurs such as Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, founders of Napster) and at the age of 35 he created the startup that launched him to fame.
This is one of Jan Koum’s most important tips: it’s never too late to learn and it’s never too late to undertake.
In the following video you will learn about 8 cases of entrepreneurs who were successful after 30:
https://www.facebook.com/ModoEmprende/videos/1522195437826281/
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An ideal partner is indispensable.
Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, compares his duo with Jan, to a Yin-Yang. Acton is the optimist and Jan is the paranoid; Acton focuses on the financial and business side, while Jan focuses more on how the product is doing.
After the death of Jan’s mother in 2010, Brian was a great support for Jan and in difficult times he did not let him give up.
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It doesn’t matter where you come from, what matters is where you want to go.
Despite her difficult start, shortly after arriving in the United States, Jan began to learn programming with second-hand manuals.
After gaining work experience in Ernst & Young Y Yahoo!, he tried to try his luck on Facebook but was rejected. He did not give up, he had an idea, he executed it, and at 5 years old; he signed the sale of his company for 19 billion dollars, in the same place where he went to collect the coupons to feed his family. And as you already know, he sold WhatsApp to the company that rejected him: Facebook.
Conclusion.
Jan Koum’s advice applies to many people. His story shows that he did not have all the facilities to start off on the right foot; but when you feel like it and you see an opportunity, it’s worth fighting for.
Do not think that the only way to success is to develop an application. There are many alternatives. Click here to learn about 51 profitable business ideas.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
