Yanni Hufnagel is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time. He went from a college dropout to a self-made multi-millionaire before he was 30 years old, and he has done it without ever giving investors or venture capital firms a single penny. His company Lemon Perfect has been on the Inc. 500 list for ten years in a row, which is incredible considering that many other companies that have made that list have taken millions and millions of dollars from venture capitalists and private equity investors. This article will discuss three secrets to Hufnagel’s success.
Hufnagel never launched a lemonade stand when he was young.
While most people who start their businesses do so with the hope of becoming rich, this young Hufnagel was driven to build his own business with an intense desire to help those in need. His first job out of college was selling lemonade at a large convention in New England where few other salespeople were selling. This experience inspired him to start a business of his own, and he decided to establish Lemon Perfect to help strangers worldwide who needed his help.
Yanni Hufnagel didn’t look like a tough guy when he started working in construction.
When Hufnagel was still in high school, he decided to join the construction industry, a job at the time that most high school dropouts avoided. Hufnagel might be an odd fit for the industry, but during his years as a bricklayer, he became one of the best in his trade. He quickly gained loyal clients so impressed with his work on their projects that they would recommend him to friends and relatives.
Yanni Hufnagel had a brilliant idea without an original.
Hufnagel started by working with a friend from college who was a full-time bartender. Together they would drive around his hometown in New England and sell their homemade lemonade, but this wasn’t producing nearly as much revenue as the pair had hoped. Hufnagel realized he needed to develop an effective marketing strategy for commercial lemonade. He decided on one that would become the heart of Lemon Perfect: Each glass of lemonade sold represented a plate of food served to someone hungry or in need.
Concepts that have worked well for others may not work for you once you give them a chance. This is especially true regarding business, which requires risk and huge financial commitment. No matter how well you think your idea has been tested, there are always two sides to every story, and Hufnagel faced his share of challenges while starting his lemonade business. To date, he has sold over $1 billion worth of Lemon Perfect products and continues to create innovative solutions that help make life better for people worldwide.