Teenage Entrepreneur Finds Success With Web Design Business
Like a scene out of a reality show or a Disney movie, Southgate, Mich., teenager Ashley Qualls’ moment has arrived.
The 17-year-old entrepreneur, designer and self-professed computer geek was in New York City recently, pitching her wildly successful Web site, Whateverlife.com, to ad-buying agencies for the country’s biggest companies. And she made an appearance on “The View.”
“This is in some ways her coming-out party,” said Robb Lippitt, Qualls’ 38-year-old business consultant.
On the cusp of national fame, Qualls is planning to expand Whateverlife.com, which gets more visitors than Oprah.com. She wants to start a social network for the millions of teenage girls who flock to her Web site for free designs to decorate their MySpace pages.
Whateverlife.com generated $1 million in revenue last year and is on track to do the same this year. Already, Qualls has turned down outside funding for her site and a verbal offer from someone willing to pay $5 million to buy her company.