He stole thousands of dollars from his mother to become a millionaire: who is Andrew Michael

The millions that are generated today through Internet They facilitate the emergence of innovative businesses. Andrew Michaela young English entrepreneur, made a decision to start his digital strategy and turn a small business into a million-dollar company.

This businessman decided to take unusual risks and, in his case, financed his company in a controversial and reprehensible way: using without permission his mother’s credit card.

What Andrew Michael was like before he was a millionaire

The current businessman was born in Cyprusbut grew up in United Kingdom, where he lived with his mother in a house in the city of Cheltenhamwest of England. In 1997, as a 17-year-old teenager, Andrew shared his time between studies and his passion for technology. With a natural inclination for business, he dreamed of one day building a successful company in the digital field, although he did not have the necessary resources to get started.

During his days as a student, the young man and a friend became interested in creating a websitea project that awakened in both of them the desire to venture into the world of web hosting. Although they had little experience, they detected a growing need in the market: the lack of hosting accessible for small businesses and individuals looking for a practical and economical solution. This discovery inspired Andrew to work on a solution that would simplify the website creation process for this segment of the audience.

The young man wanted to not only fill a gap in the market, but also develop an innovative business model that would be accessible to everyone. As he delved deeper into the industry, the entrepreneur began to dream of a project of his own, a company that could revolutionize web hosting in the United Kingdom. Although he lacked experience and resources, he was determined to pursue his dream.

How Andrew Michael Became a Millionaire

Andrew’s business idea began to take shape in his room, where together with his friend they designed the outline of their future company, which they called fasthosts. They needed a fast internet connection, something that was expensive at the time. Without the means to finance the installation, the teenager made a drastic decision: he used, without permission, his mother’s credit card to cover the $38,000 necessary to obtain the service.

“I stole US$38,000 from my mother to make millions,” Michael later confessed, noting that it was a calculated risk. Their plan was to gain enough customers in the first month to be able to cover the cost of the card before the statement arrived. Surprisingly, their strategy was successful. “At the end of the month we had enough clients and money to pay for the internet line and advertising,” he said.

Despite the risks, Fasthosts’ business grew rapidly. While his friend decided to continue studying at university, Andrew abandoned his academic plans to dedicate himself full-time to the company. In nine years, he sold Fasthosts for a staggering sum of 78 million dollars, of which he received about $60 million, since he owned 75% of the company.

What happened after the sale of Fasthosts

After the sale of his first company, the businessman became a prominent figure in the business world. However, the experience of selling Fasthosts left him with an unexpected feeling. “I remember being in the office when the money entered my bank account and I thought that would make me very happy,” he said in an interview. “But in fact, I had a feeling of emptiness when I realized that I had sold everything, that everything was summed up in one figure on a spreadsheet.”

Despite having millions in the bank, Andrew felt dissatisfied. Looking for a new challenge, in 2008 he founded livedrivea cloud storage company that also found success and sold for tens of millions of dollars.