“Make millions from just your laptop!” I know what you’re thinking: That sounds more like a cheesy infomercial or a daydream fantasy. But think again and meet Army veteran Emanuel “Manny” Hernandez, who went from street-corner water salesman to a self-made millionaire.
Yep, you guessed it — Hernandez beat the odds by harnessing his entrepreneurial skills, using just his laptop. (Really!) Need a little inspiration on your own path to entrepreneurial success? Take a page out of Hernandez’s playbook.
A born entrepreneur
Growing up in a small town in Puerto Rico, Hernandez didn’t fit in at school, and his academic performance was poor. But he knew early on that he had another calling in life. “The school system failed me, as it was designed to create workers,” Hernandez told me. “I was not born to be an employee in an office — I was born an entrepreneur.”
Sometimes, it’s the youngest children who see business opportunities most clearly and can teach adults a thing or two about entrepreneurship. Hernandez was one of those kids; he developed a knack for sales, getting his start early by selling gallitos, a Puerto Rican toy made from tree seeds, to his fellow students in grammar school. Later, he dropped out of middle school to sell tires at his cousin’s store.
When the economy took a hit, Hernandez was out of a job. To support his daughter, Hernandez did what he knew best: create money-making opportunities out of nothing. This included selling water on street corners for 12 hours a day while sitting in 110-degree weather.
In 2006, Hernandez joined the U.S. Army, from which he was deployed to combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom while assigned to the Fifth Special Forces. While Hernandez proudly served his country, he also yearned to blaze his own trail. He returned home with his entrepreneurial passion re-ignited.
Googling a simple question
While living in the Army barracks, Hernandez saw a battle buddy becoame devastated over the loss of a girlfriend, who broke up with him while he was serving in the military. To support his friend, Hernandez Googled, “How to get my ex back.”
“I remember my friend’s face while reading the results page, as if it were yesterday,” Hernandez said. “He had a big smile on his face, happy that we found a solution to his dilemma.”
To help his friend out, Hernandez purchased something called The Field Guide to Dating, for $39. But what happened next forever changed his life. When the purchase was made, Hernandez and his buddies expected a hard-copy book to show up in the mail. Instead, the book immediately arrived in digital…