Canada rejected his work permit. So He built Canada's most valuable company to cope π€―
> Meet Tobias LΓΌtke.
> Born in Koblenz, Germany.
> Had ADHD and dyslexia. Struggled in school.
> Dropped out after 10th grade.
> Joined a coding apprenticeship instead. Fell in love with programming.
> At 17 β writing software for a Siemens subsidiary.
> Fell in love with snowboarding too.
> Moved to Ottawa, Canada to be with his girlfriend.
> Tried to get a normal job. Rejected β no work permit.
> Was told he could start a business instead.
> So he decided to sell snowboards online.
> Found every e-commerce platform clunky and useless.
> Spent two months coding his own from scratch.
> Working out of coffee shops to save money.
> Built the store. Called it Snowdevil.
> First customer came from Pennsylvania. He remembered it for years.
> Other online merchants saw his software β and wanted it more than his snowboards.
> So he forgot about the snowboards.
> Spent 18 months rebuilding the software properly.
> Launched it in 2006. Named it Shopify β combining "shopping" and "simplify."
> 9 million businesses now run on it. 175 countries. π
> Facilitated over $1 trillion in commerce.
> Became the most valuable company in Canada.
> Worth $220 billion.
> Tobi still secretly runs a Shopify store β selling socks. π
> Said "I didn't do market research. I just had a problem and I solved it."
> No work permit. No plan. Just a problem and a laptop.
Absolute legend πΏπ₯
Recorded a podcast with Shawn Ryan.
We talk about everything from Shopify, entrepreneurship, parenting, focus and presence, optimism, and the psychology of it all.
Catch it on the usual podcast apps.
Flashback to July 13, 1985 πΈπβοΈ
40 years ago, the world tuned in, turned up, and came together for a cause #LiveAid made history.
Peace, love, and legendary vibes. Here is one the original surviving t-shirts #LiveAid40
@PeterMeiszner Hopefully, this will help attract new businesses as part of the Blood Alley redevelopment. Itβs been a year, and none of the commercial spaces on the Cordova side have been leased yet.