Gemmill 44265 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6199898.stm It took this 21-year-old student just 20 minutes to come up with an idea which made him a million dollars in four months. So what did he do next? Alex Tew completed just one term of his three-year business degree before deciding he'd do just fine without it. If the $1m in his bank account is anything to go by, he's right. The 21-year-old student started the Million Dollar Homepage to help pay his university fees, but it ended up making him a dollar millionaire in just four months. The site sold pixels, the dots which make up a computer screen, as advertising space, costing a dollar a dot. The minimum purchase was $100 for a 10x10 pixel square to hold the buyer's logo or design. Clicking on that space takes readers to the buyer's website. Alex invested £50 setting up the site. Friends and family bought the first $1,000 worth of pixels. The proceeds of the first sale of ad space went on putting out a press release, which brought the site to the media's attention. From there it snowballed. As he made money, more people talked about it and the more people talked about it, the more money he made. At its most popular, the Million Dollar Homepage got 863,000 unique users in one day, it still gets about 7,000 a day even though every pixel has been sold. But what has happened to Alex since the last pixel was sold in January? He'd completed just one term at Nottingham University before deferring his degree when the site took off. He thought of going back and completing it but decided to work on his business ideas. "I'm not good at studying in the traditional sense anyway," he says. "I have a short attention span. I'm always thinking about something new, I have lots of ideas." He's bought a car with his earnings, but that's about the extent of his big purchases. He's moved to London from his family home in Cricklade, Wiltshire, but is renting a flat instead of buying one. "Obviously the money has changed my life in some ways but it hasn't in others," he says. "I don't get recognised in the street or anything like that. I pretty much see the same people I used to and do the same things." After the success of the site, job offers and investment opportunities from around the world flooded in. Some were very attractive, but in the end he turned them all down in favour of doing his own thing. His mother is still his PA, but he has employed two other people, one to look after his sites and one to look after customers. "I like to think of it as a internet time capsule," he says. "I want it to sit there for as long as possible, for decades." Most of his time has gone into coming up with a new business idea. The Million Dollar Homepage was a one-off but Alex knew the concept still had legs and could be developed. He came up with Pixelotto, which goes live on Tuesday. His new venture will turn one lucky web surfer into a millionaire. Again he will sell a million pixels as advertising space, but this time for $2 each. He will get $1m and the other million will be given to one random visitor. One month after the final pixel is sold, a draw will select one of the site's adverts at random. Someone who clicked on that particular advert will be picked via a second random draw. The next round of Pixelotto will then begin, giving someone else the chance to become a millionaire. The winner can also nominate a charity to receive a $100,000 donation. "This idea has longevity," he says. "I don't know anyone who doesn't want to win $1m dollars, so I can keep doing it again and again." But what about in the long-term future? Even if his latest venture is a success, he says he will still move on to something new. "I don't think I will be running this company for 25 years. I always want to do new things, I have a very short attention span." Ridiculously good idea and the little twat is a dollar millionaire in 3 months! I hate students! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6670 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Is that spawny or ingenious?? Don't think there's much luck involved tbh, he's just exploited and avenue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 44265 Posted December 5, 2006 Author Share Posted December 5, 2006 I know it's not really spawny man ffs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatful Of Hollow 0 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Most of Gemmil's vitriol is aimed at the fact he's a student. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 44265 Posted December 5, 2006 Author Share Posted December 5, 2006 Most of Gemmil's vitriol is aimed at the fact he's a student. A MILLIONAIRE student actually. The worst kind! I bet he still pays for Boots Meal Deals with a cheque though, the twat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6670 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Most of Gemmil's vitriol is aimed at the fact he's a student. A MILLIONAIRE student actually. The worst kind! I bet he still pays for Boots Meal Deals with a cheque though, the twat! Jealousy is a cruel trait Scott.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleftpeg 0 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 The beeb did a big article on him during the summer where he still had a few to sell, that exposure probably helped him to fill the site. I have to say, fair play to the kid, he was only looking to do it to cover his fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottish Mag 3 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 The beeb did a big article on him during the summer where he still had a few to sell, that exposure probably helped him to fill the site. I have to say, fair play to the kid, he was only looking to do it to cover his fees. The whole concept was "sold" on a very good PR campaign, much like the guy with the paperclip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone want to explain to me how this works? What service does it provide exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus 0 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone want to explain to me how this works? What service does it provide exactly? Er.... advertising? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone want to explain to me how this works? What service does it provide exactly? It was like a self-fulfilling prophecy as far as i can tell. The more noise about the idea, the more traffic he got and hence the more demand for space on the site. At 800,000 + visitors at its peak and payments for the adverts linked to traffic, he made a million. It was just a gimmick that created traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 People click on the page and they might win a million? It doesnt explain that before it starts talking about his next venture-is that the same concept for his first one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone want to explain to me how this works? What service does it provide exactly? It was like a self-fulfilling prophecy as far as i can tell. The more noise about the idea, the more traffic he got and hence the more demand for space on the site. At 800,000 + visitors at its peak and payments for the adverts linked to traffic, he made a million. It was just a gimmick that created traffic. Have I missed something? What was the gimmick that drew in the site traffic for the first one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 30221 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone want to explain to me how this works? What service does it provide exactly? It was like a self-fulfilling prophecy as far as i can tell. The more noise about the idea, the more traffic he got and hence the more demand for space on the site. At 800,000 + visitors at its peak and payments for the adverts linked to traffic, he made a million. It was just a gimmick that created traffic. Have I missed something? What was the gimmick that drew in the site traffic for the first one? It was a page full of adverts where companies paid for them by the pixel. Thats all it was, simple idea and he made lots of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone want to explain to me how this works? What service does it provide exactly? It was like a self-fulfilling prophecy as far as i can tell. The more noise about the idea, the more traffic he got and hence the more demand for space on the site. At 800,000 + visitors at its peak and payments for the adverts linked to traffic, he made a million. It was just a gimmick that created traffic. Have I missed something? What was the gimmick that drew in the site traffic for the first one? It was a page full of adverts where companies paid for them by the pixel. Thats all it was, simple idea and he made lots of money. I honestly have no idea how that offered anyone an incentive to visit the site? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 30221 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 It didn't, he got the story in the media and people visited the website on the basis of that. It didn't actually offer the visitors anything apart from the story of how he did it. http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufc4ever 0 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 It was a page of 1000x1000 squares and companies paid a dollar for a square to advertise and hyperlink on it. Once word got around and it started making the news a shitload of gambling sites started buying up all the squares. It looked a right fucking mess tbh, but he got it filled in the end, $1,000,000 better off. It was all done on word of mouth, as other have said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 It didn't, he got the story in the media and people visited the website on the basis of that. It didn't actually offer the visitors anything apart from the story of how he did it. http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/ Fair play to him, but he is exceptionally lucky to have made so much money out of that. I think it has to be chalked up as an exception that proves some sort of rule about very shit concepts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 44265 Posted December 5, 2006 Author Share Posted December 5, 2006 It didn't, he got the story in the media and people visited the website on the basis of that. It didn't actually offer the visitors anything apart from the story of how he did it. http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/ Fair play to him, but he is exceptionally lucky to have made so much money out of that. I think it has to be chalked up as an exception that proves some sort of rule about very shit concepts. So he was spawny then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Patrokles Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I have a great idea to exploit a very under-populated niche. I've had the same idea for around 3 years, though, which perhaps attests to my lack of motivation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zico martin 89 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I have a great idea to exploit a very under-populated niche. I've had the same idea for around 3 years, though, which perhaps attests to my lack of motivation. yeah? what is it then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus 0 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I have a great idea to exploit a very under-populated niche. I've had the same idea for around 3 years, though, which perhaps attests to my lack of motivation. yeah? what is it then? selling used dildos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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