Jon Koon. Chinese. American. Made a million by 16. Wants a billion by 30.
“A Milli” by 16.
Jonathan Koon defines entrepreneurial. Koon initially created a market in NYC for after market car parts, using his asian connections to import decals and tuning parts to make cars STUNT. All this before MTV’s ‘Pimp My Ride’
“It was almost like a virus that spread,” says Koon.
Koon made a million in one year. And that was when he was going to high school at 16 years old.
Top tips for millionaire hopefuls: Get a business plan.
Koon saved $5,000 to start his first company, but the business plan helped him get substantial backing. “Investment is always tied to a clear opportunity for profit and that exact stream of profitability needs to be identified from the beginning,” he says. (Reuters)
He had connections. When he went to university and shut down his car business, he says that his business in asia got him special connections to some high power manufacturing houses. That’s when he got into fashion.
Private Stock label
Pimping and monetizing asian fashion was what Koon set out to do next. Koon was scouring the asian markets for things he could bring to america. After partnering with various designers and brands including Young Jeezy’s 8732 and Domenico Vacca who designs garments for celebrities and after creating a holding company he reports to be worth $80m, Koon launched his own brand – Private Stock – this year.
Featuring high class street wear, “fusing the lifestyles of the eastern and western worlds… Private stock products signify true distinction and exclusivity: custom weaved Japanese denim, hand-polished Brazilian leather bags, Swiss-made compacted movement watches, Italian cashmere jackets”.
Gold plated business cards
Koon is remarked by Diesel’s head of marketing in the states, Maurizio Marchiori, to not be a designer, but a visionary. And Koon has that vision. He’s shown that he can create great wealth in a short time. He takes risk and is highly innovative. People say he’s ‘one of the most inspiring people I will ever meet’, go ahead, maybe you’ll catch him at the next trade show in NYC, you might even walk away with one of his 18k plated business cards.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_03/b4211074000503.htm
http://blogs.reuters.com/reuters-money/2011/10/04/secrets-of-wealthy-whiz-kids-how-to-make-a-million-by-21/
http://privatestockdenim.com/about-jon-koon.html