Dominic McVey was born in 1985 in England. He launched his first business at 13 and became a millionaire by 15. How? One day, while surfing the web, he tried to visit the famous credit card company “Visa” but typed “Viza” instead. That tiny typo opened a door that would eventually earn him five million dollars.
Instead of Visa, the site that loaded belonged to a U.S. company making micro-scooters. Like any kid his age, Dominic instantly wanted one—but he knew his parents couldn’t afford it. Showing a spark of genius, he emailed the company and said he could sell a lot of scooters in England—if they sent him one for free.
They refused at first. But soon came back with a counteroffer: if he bought five scooters, they’d throw in a sixth for free. Dominic didn’t waste a second. He hustled to raise the cash—selling off things like toys and audio CDs with his friends—until he had enough for five scooters and earned the sixth.
He was thrilled, and he was also practical: if he wanted to keep this business going, he had to flip those five fast. He sold them in a week, ordered ten more, and sold those in another week. So, is age a barrier for an ambitious young person? Definitely not.
Dominic moved tons of scooters over the phone, then launched a website that drew over 30,000 visits a day. He sold seven million scooters online and another four million through other channels.
But he wasn’t done. Watching London’s daily traffic jams, he imagined commuters zipping to work on scooters instead of sitting in gridlock. During a school break, he took his scooter to Liverpool Street Station and started handing out flyers. The police chased him for distributing promo material—but he darted through on his scooter, passed out a stack of leaflets, and sold a lot of scooters to office workers and railway staff.
Today, Dominic McVey is writing about his journey as a young entrepreneur. He’s also a consultant for Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment and an advisor to numerous institutions and organizations in England. In 2009, The Sunday Times named him the most influential businessman in the U.K. under 30.
His future plans? Run for Mayor of London at the coming election—and then for Prime Minister of the U.K. Honestly, it wouldn’t be shocking; he only needs the votes of the 11 million people who ride the scooters he sold them.
Takeaway: Success belongs to the person who can turn a mistake into an opportunity—and who grabs the chance when it appears.
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