For Internet tycoon Gurbaksh Chahal, pursuing his dream was never a question.

With a Digital Age replete with successful dot-com entrepreneurs, Chahals story is special, because he fulfilled it before blowing out the candles on his 19th birthday cake.

Chahal started his first company when he was just 16, breaking societys long-standing stereotypes that education and the wisdom that comes with age are the foundations of success. It definitely takes a lot of ambition, willpower and stubbornness, says the now 28-year-old. You have to train yourself to believe that failure is not an option. And fortunately for me, the younger you are, the less fearful you are of taking risks. Chahal took the biggest risk of all when he dropped out of high school to launch his first company, ClickAgents, an advertising network on performance-based advertising. My business philosophy has always been to take whats already working out there, replicate it, and then catch up to the competition through innovation, shares the San Francisco, Californiaresident. Today, the handsome mogul is chairman and CEO of his third venture, gWallet; a virtual currency platform for social media, and spends his downtime contributing to philanthropic projects, including the Gurbaksh Chahal Entrepreneurial Scholarship Program at Pace University. Documenting his life lessons, Chahal penned advice and experience for aspiring entrepreneurs in his memoir, The Dream.

Born in Punjab, India, Chahals first experiences in America were not easy, and his road to success did not come without its obstacles. Sikh by religion, Chahal wore a turban to school and was tormented by his peers. He used the bullying to fuel his passion and determination to succeed by pursuing his studies and uncovering the dream that would bring him to where he is today. Some people look back on their childhood and say theyd never want to do that again, but for me, I think it really made me who I am, he shares. It made me mature a lot sooner and learn what lifes really about. He attended a 4,000-student public high school. Having grown up wearing a turban and following Sikhism, the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, Gurbaksh says he never felt like he fit in with the student body. "You could say I was kind of the odd one," he says. "[But] the fact that I was different allowed me to take the negative noise around me [and] find what I was strong in." When classmates were maneuvering the teenage social food chain, he was already making headway toward becoming a serial entrepreneur. At age 14, Gurbaksh was selling refurbished printers on eBay. The income helped his family and eventually supplied the few thousand dollars of capital needed to start his first business, Click Agents. At that point, the dot-com boom was in full swing and Gurbaksh saw potential. "I wanted a piece of it," he says. And he didn't let his age daunt him. He surveyed the emerging digital landscape and decided Internet advertising would be the best entry point for him. Not having programming knowledge himself, he used some of the money he'd saved to pay a programmer a flat fee to write the software that would power Click Agents. It was one of the first Internet ad companies to charge advertisers per click, as opposed to traditional advertising that paid for ad space on websites. A self-described introvert as a teen, he says doing business forced him out of his shell. Recalling his first sales pitch over the phone, Gurbaksh says it was "horrible," but that didn't stop him from continuing to push. "[I knew] I could get the best pitch out eventually." Two weeks in, Click Agents landed its first contract worth $30,000. Gurbaksh's older brother helped him open a business checking account, and after four months and many more new contracts the account balance had swelled to six figures. This is when Gurbaksh approached his parents about dropping out of school to pursue the business full-time. He remembers that conversation well. "Before you freak out," he remembers saying "just take a look at my bank statement. This is not selling printers, this is something else. And I've been doing it out of my bedroom." They were shocked at first, but once that reaction had passed, Gurbaksh says they realized he was on to something. He had their support, but it came with a condition. His father asked

Gurbaksh to give the business one year -- if it failed, he would learn from the experience and reenroll in school. However, the business never failed. It only grew bigger. "On the Internet, I didn't have to be a 16-year-old, I just had to be a businessman," he says. In pitching to clients and investors, he says he shut out his age from his mind. If he presented himself as a strong businessman, and didn't think of himself as a teenager, he found he was taken seriously. "I forgot how old I was. I had so much responsibility if you perceive yourself to be a 16-year-old, they're going to treat you like one." For prospective young entrepreneurs, Gurbaksh offers some pointers. "The first thing is research. Take baby steps and don't be afraid to change something." Start-ups are in a constant state of fluidity, he says. "If you're not prepared to change, you're so rigid and focused on that idea, you're probably going to fail." He also says that companies don't necessarily need millions of dollars of start-up money to be successful. "The greatest ideas come with thousands of dollars and a whole lot of sweat equity," he says. Aside from having the drive, the next step is to surround yourself with like-minded thinkers. This means that the first employees you hire are going to make it or break it for you. From there, any more hiring will likely be done by those first hires. "From day one you understand you're not going to be able to do this all on your own," he says. "Hire the best first 20 employees that live, die and breathe the success of the company." Gurbaksh has found that success comes from taking risks, and some of the best risk-takers are young. "The younger you are, the more guts you have," he says. With age comes mounting responsibilities and obligations. It gets harder and more costly to take big risks. "A lot of people get dismantled by realizing they want to make money, so they get stuck in a situation where they're not happy they end up living lives that are not rewarding to them day to day." Gurbaksh's take? Find out early on what you're good at or what your passion is, figure out a plan for how to do it and don't worry about the economics right away. "[Putting] the money -- the agenda and economics -- at the end of the rainbow instead of the beginning is probably the best strategy," he says. "The job that people need to find is one that has them leap out of bed in the morning and say, 'I actually want to go to work,'" he says. Not every day is like that of course, but as long as it happens regularly, "it lets you know you're doing something you love." Because he thrives on the adrenaline rush of seeing things succeed, Gurbaksh says he doesn't see himself ever settling down and not pursuing new projects. Doing what he loves, and balancing material things with the immaterial is what it's all about. "I feel there's a lot I can do in life," he says, "and a lot I still want to do."

Key Lessons from the worlds youngest self-made millionaire 1. Always surround yourself with people who want you to succeed. That seems simple on surface, but when you get out there, in the real world, you will discover that most people are rooting for you to fail. STAY AWAY FROM THEM 2. Whatever you do, wherever you are, never forget that GOD IS WATCHING. 3. People tend to think that in order to start a new business they have to come up with something new and dazzling, but thats a myth and its often propagated by venture capitalists.A company can be similar to the competition as long as it has the right people and right leadership, as long as IT IS COMMITTED TO BEING BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHER PLAYERS. 4. Its a mistake to try to REINVENT THE WHEEL when youre coming out of the gate. Start slow and steady, get to parity, then innovate. 5. Never do anything for money or, at least, solely for money. Of course, one want to make money, but if thats the only goal, it will adversely affect all of your decisions. They will be colored by greed. SO DONT LET MONEY DEFINE THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY; MAKE MONEY THE RAINBOW THAT COMES AT THE END. 6. If you genuinely want something, dont wait for it teach yourself to be impatient. PATIENCE MAY WELL BE A VIRTUE, BUT IMPATIENCE HAS ALWAYS WORKED BETTER FOR PEOPLE. 7. The biggest lessons come from the biggest mistakes. Never put yourself in a position of vulnerability. ALWAYS OWN YOUR MISTAKES 8. Dont tell people what they ask you, tell them what they need to hear to FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU. 9. Dont chase the money. Chase substance. If you have substance, the MONEY WILL FOLLOW. 10. FIX THING BEFORE IT BREAKS, rather than dont fix it if its not broken.

11. DONT BE JEALOUS. Jealousy is one of the most useless emotions on the planet. 12. Some people are like crabs. If they cant get over the wall, they will PULL YOU DOWN TO KEEP YOU FROM CLIMBING OVER. 13. Take the blinders off. Look around. Dont be afraid to go off on all sorts of unusual directions, since thats where you might just find the MOST INTERESTING AND PROMISING OPPORTUNITIES. 14. Being cheap is good for the company and for the stakeholders, but dont be too cheap. NEVER BE CHEAP WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES. If one of them is a rock star, pay him or her a rock star salary. 15. Its really all about forward movement like riding a bicycle. If youre standing still, its not easy to keep your balance, but if youre moving forward, theres nothing to it. That holds true for business and for life. So KEEP MOVING FORWARD. 16. Learn to move on when its time to move on. Bite the bullet. Let go. START FRESH. Dont look back. Its not as easy as it sounds, but make the effort its worth it. 17. DONT LOSE YOUR MORAL BAROMETER. Lies and obfuscation might give you short-term success, but they make for very unstable relationships. Never compromise your morality. We all need to live by a moral code. 18. CRITICISM is the best form of discipline because it makes you look at yourself. 19. If youve got nothing to hide and you should never have anything to hide DONT SWEAT THE PROCESS. 20. He who knows when HE CAN FIGHT AND WHEN HE CAN NOT, will be victorious. 21. SITTING ON YOUR MONEY IS NOT A STRATEGY; ITS AN ABSENCE OF STRATEGY. 22. LISTEN TO YOUR HEART. We tend to do well at things we love, so find something you love or learn to love what youre doing. 23. Forget noble motivations. Success comes from wanting to win, so youve got to want it bad you really need that killer instinct. At the end of the day, no matter what they say, its not about how you play the game, but about winning. WINNING IS NOT EVERYTHING. ITS THE ONLY THING. 24. ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE. Without the right attitude, youll never succeed. You have to believe in yourself, often to the point of madness, because until you prove yourself the only people who believe in you are your parent. If you have any doubts, get out now. 25. FIGURE OUT WHAT YOURE GOOD AT. Very few of us are gifted, so we need to work with the gifts we have. If youre five-foot-two and you love basketball, let me be the first to tell you. Its probably not going to happen (but dont let me to stop you.) 26. TRUST YOUR GUT. We are complicated creatures. That inexplicable feeling you get sometimes well, it tends to be right a lot more often then it is wrong. Try not to over analyse it. Some mysterious inner you is trying to help by pointing you in the right direction. 27. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. BEFORE YOU START ANYTHING, make sure you know exactly what youre getting into. Ignorance is dangerous. What you dont know can and will hurt you.

28. Be frugal. The only person YOU NEED TO IMPRESS IS YOURSELF, and youll be impressed by success. 29. DONT EXPECT PERFECTION from yourself or others, but never stop striving for it, and try to inspire others to strive for it too. 30. LEARN TO LISTEN. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone is entitled to an opinion, and even wrong-headed opinions can open your eyes to things you might otherwise have missed. 31. Own your mistakes. At the end of the day, every decision you make, even if it was inspired by misguided advice, is your decision. NOBODY WINS WHEN YOU START LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME. Let it go. Keep moving. Forward movement is everything. 32. Never lose sight of the competition. While youre playing, someone else is working and catching up, so learn to play with one eye on the competition. YOURE NOT GOING TO BE ON TOP FOREVER. 33. DONT PROCRASTINATE. Procrastination is just another work for wanting to fail. If youre not hungry enough, if youre too lazy to move forward, youre never going to get anywhere. 34. Dont do anything by half measures. Remember: MEDIOCRITY IS FOR LOSERS. 35. ALWAYS NEGOTIATE FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH. If you need something from the other guy, youve already lost. People want what they cant have.; become the thing people want. 36. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. If youre ready for anything, youll still be unpleasantly surprised but at least youll get through it. 37. PERCEPTION IS REALITY. What they see is more important than what is, so show them what they want to see and tell them what they want to hear. 38. Dont get emotional. LOGIC AND EMOTIONAL DONT MIX. 39. BE FEARLESS. The road to success is paved with failures. If youre afraid to fail, youll never succeed. 40. PICK YOUR BATTLES. The fighting never really ends. Dont let the meaningless skirmishes sap your strength; you are in this to win the war. 41. Grow a thick skin a very thick skin. People will question your ability to succeed and the loudest among them might make you doubt your own talents, so youll need a thick skin to drown out the noise. THE SILENCE WILL HELP YOU FOCUS ON YOUR OBJECTIVE, AND YOU WILL PREVAIL. 42. TAKE CHANCES. Without risk, there is no reward. But make sure its intelligent risk. Only a fool bets against Tiger Woods (until it is time to bet against Tiger Woods) 43. When you commit, you really have to commit. BECOME UNSTOPPABLE AND DONT QUIT. 44. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. You simply need to find out that CAPTURED YOUR IMAGINATION, and then you figured out how to do it better than the next guy. 45. SUCCESS IS REALLY ABOUT MAKING IT HAPPEN. Its about dreaming. Its about finding that one thing you love above all others and then figuring out how to do it better than anyone else.

Chahals unique success story has earned him a great deal of media attention, with an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and a spot on Extra TV as Americas Most Eligible Bachelor. Countless accolades and millions of dollars later, Chahal remains down-to-earth, citing his family as his secret to success. Theyve reminded me of whats most important in life, he says. I havent changed because the people I surround myself with havent changed.