IIP 006 : Making $1M From A Single Tweet – Stacey Ferreira co-founder Of MySocialCloud

Inspiring Innovation Podcast
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“Richard And I Will Invest Dollar-for-dollar In Your Company”

How many people do you know that made a million dollars from Twitter?

How many people do you know that got funded by Sir Richard Branson, on their first startup?

How many people do you know that did both – before they turned 19?

“Mom, we have some really, REALLY good news”

Today’s guest is Stacey Ferreira Co-founder of MySocialCloud. Stacey’s story has been told again and again over the last two years, and for a very good reason.

Stacey Ferreira
Stacey Ferreira, co-founder of MySocialCloud

When Stacey finished school, she moved to California to live with her brother and work on the project which is now MySocialCloud. They shared an apartment in south central Los Angeles, not the area where you would want to live. The apartment was very small. They set up their office in the living room, and in typical entrepreneur style – Scott slept on the coach while Stacey slept on an air mattress. Stacey says that they lived the project that summer, sometimes not going outside for weeks at a time.

One morning Stacey was on Twitter and saw a tweet from Sir Richard Branson. The tweet said that If you donated $2,000 to the charity of his choice, you could attend the 25th anniversary celebration of Virgin America and meet him in Miami for intimate cocktails. Stacey was skeptical that someone like Sir Richard Branson would send out such a tweet, but she decided to go for it, afraid that someone else will steal her opportunity. She replied and asked if she and Scott could participate – even though they were underage. At 2am, Stacey and Scott got a positive response.

Of course, they didn’t have $2,000 – never mind $4,000 for the two of them, plus expenses. So they called their parents in the middle of the night, asking for a loan. Stacey and Scott’s parents were dubious; but decided it would be a good learning experience for them. Two days later, the siblings were on a plane to Miami. On the first night, they waited with about 18 others to meet Sir Richard Branson. It just happened that Stacey was by the door when Richard Branson entered. Stacey took the opportunity and introduced herself. After telling him a bit more about their project, Stacey boldly asked for his contact information, and was delighted when he gave it to her.

Stacey Ferreira & Richard Branson
Stacey with Richard Branson

Getting Funded, A Dream Coming True

Once the Ferreiras returned home, they focused on building the initial product. They kept Branson updated on what they were doing with regular emails. Eventually he suggested that he introduce them to a friend of his – Jerry Murdock. They talked with Murdock by phone, explaining their vision and what they were planning. A few weeks after their initial conversation, Jerry flew out to California.

The cofounders went over the product and gave Jerry a little demo. That night at dinner, Jerry announced, “Here’s the deal. Branson and I are going to invest dollar for dollar in your company.” Stacey and Scott were amazed by Jerry’s announcement. It was such an incredible opportunity. Now with investors, they could build their product!

And Today…

Two years have passed, and a lot has changed. The MySocialCloud story became world known. Stacey dropped out of college and moved to the west coast to work full-time at MySocialCloud. But more important — so many lessons were learned, mistakes made, achievements reached – and all of those Stacey shares with us today.

stacey and scott ferreira
The Ferreiras

In This Episode You Will Learn

  • How Stacey & Scott Ferreira got $1M funding for their startup because of a single tweet
  • The secret to making huge things happen for you.
  • How to build your team and what are the crucial things to pay attention to
  • What kind of prototype do you really need in order to get an investment from Richard Branson himself, Jerry Murdock, or someone of such caliber
  • How to keep your business going in the right direction
  • What challenges did the MySocialCloud team face since funding, and how they overcame.
  • How does a free tool like MySocialCloud make money
  • What are Stacey’s thoughts and tips for young entrepreneurs that are about to start college
  • How to effectively execute your ideas
  • How to find an opportunity, make a goal and make it happen

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Transcript

Continue reading IIP 006 : Making $1M From A Single Tweet – Stacey Ferreira co-founder Of MySocialCloud

Create Your Own Life: Entrepreneurship Lessons From Mysocialcloud’s Co-founder Stacey Ferreira

Last month I had the pleasure of interviewing Stacey Ferreira, co-founder of MySocialCloud. The story of how Stacey and her brother Scott brought their company to existence is truly exceptional.

The Girl Who Made $1M From A Single Tweet

Photo of Stacey Ferreira
Stacey Ferreira, co-founder of MySocialCloud

Many people, myself included, referred to Stacey recently as “the 19-year-old girl who got $1M from Sir Richard Branson by sending a single tweet“.

Although that is, in general terms, true – it’s only half of the story.

Yes, she responded to a tweet by Sir Branson and met him in person. Yes, Sir Branson did invest money in Stacey & Scott’s company.

But at least for me, the two siblings’ mindset is what made it happen – and that’s the crucial part of the story.

HOW did Stacey and Scott do it? With an amazing entrepreneur mindset and attitude. With courage. With characteristics that cannot be learned in school and actually defy most educational systems.

And so, I wasn’t at all surprised to see this blog post written by Stacey:

“At 18 years old, and after countless hours of thinking about life and the seemingly long checklist of things I must accomplish in life – I began seriously questioning it. Weren’t we meant to create our own life rather than live the life that everyone else has already lived to some extent?”

Stacey Ferreira, Co-Founder – MySocialCloud.com | Featured on MO.com

I know exactly how Stacey feels. I went through a similar phase myself. I was only 15 years-old when I began my undergrad studies. I started at such an early age because I was already defying highschool education.

For me, highschool was merely a task on the checklist of requirements for college. Besides being this preliminary requirement, I see highschool as an advanced baby-sitting service.

So I left highschool and went to college, and I was having the time of my life.

I started dreaming about graduating and pursuing an academic career. I was approached by a Stanford University professor, who wanted me to come and spend the summer at their labs. I already had the M.I.T. sign-up kit for a master’s degree filled in. I was so far ahead of the game, being able to accomplish all of this before the age of 18.

Or so I thought.

Then a car accident changed my life for ever

It was almost midnight, and the last rain of the season was falling. I was standing in a traffic light less than 5 minutes away from home. As I was waiting for the light to change, I was suddenly blinded by headlights that appeared out of nowhere. I don’t even remember the crash. My next memory is the complete silence.

I later learned that a speeding driver approaching the traffic light has lost control due to the poor weather conditions, and smashed his car directly into the front of mine.

I ended up laying down for months over months. I was unable to return to class. In bed, my entrepreneur gene raised its head. I decided to start my own business from bed, while I was recovering.

When it was time to return to school, I came to a staggering realization: I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care about school and its education anymore. I realized that none of the obstacles that I was struggling with in my new business will be solved by anything I was taught in school.

Actually, the opposite was true. The mindset that students were supposed to develop in (most) undergrad-schools, of hard-working, self-learning, task-completion, working-solo, grade-centric way of thinking, actually guarantees you will be an excellent employee, no more and no less.

I couldn’t help but wonder – What if I’m not prepared to spend my life working for someone else?

“What if I’m not prepared to spend my life working for someone else?”

Stacey & Scott were working on MySocialCloud as a summer project. When Stacey’s holiday ended, she was supposed to go back to school. Still, wanting to keep her new business running, clash was inevitable:

“My heart was no longer set on education in the way I had been receiving it in the classroom; instead it became more set on learning through doing – at this point in the form of building a business.

And when I noticed college was forcing me to give up the life I truly wanted to live, I became extremely frustrated with school, it’s cookie cutter requirements and its hindrance of my learning (the learning I actually wanted to do rather than the school requirements). “

Stacey took a brave choice, and it changed her life for good. Now she’s co-running MySocialCloud, and getting more experience under her belt than any undergrad student can even dream of.

It seems that the best answer for you, more often than not, is being yourself, and doing what you want, not what society’s norm expects you to do! It’s impossible to be extraordinary if you only take ordinary actions. (Click here to tweet this)

Get My Interview With Stacey + Free 3 Months Subscription To IN Mag

If you want to get my full video interview with Stacey – where she tells her whole story, including one little secret that made it all happen – it will be coming up on the September issue of Inspiring Innovation magazine. Click here now to get the Inspiring Innovation Magazine and claim your free 3 months subscription.

If you have an aspiring entrepreneur friend, please share this page with him now. It might just change his life.