Ashley Qualls (born June 4, 1990) is an American entrepreneur from Lincoln Park, Michigan. Originally as a hobby, in 2004 at age 14, she started a website called whateverlife.com, designed to provide free Myspace layouts and HTML tutorials for people in her age demographic, and supported entirely by advertising revenue. The basement of her home is her office. In addition to employing her mother, she employs friends from school. The website receives several times more traffic than circulations for popular teen magazines Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and CosmoGirl! combined.
A quote from Qualls on her Web site says the site’s name means “for whatever life you lead.”
Qualls has turned down numerous offers to acquire her company including an offer for 1.5 million dollars and her choice of any car. In September 2006 she paid cash for a $250,000 home in a fenced-off subdivision in the community of Southgate. She lives there with her mother Linda LaBreque and younger sister Shelby. At the age of 17, she obtained legal emancipation, giving her the same legal status as an adult.
Think about what you can make of your hobby(ies), passion, career. Get out there, make a difference, make some money, rule your world!