From Food Stamps to Billions

Born in Ukraine in a small village near Kyiv, Jan Koum grew up in a home without hot water or even reliable electricity. His family struggled financially, and by the time he was a teenager, they had immigrated to California to escape political instability and antisemitism. They relied on food stamps to get by, and Jan worked as a janitor to help support his mother, who was battling cancer.

He taught himself computer networking from used manuals and old computers. He didn’t have access to fancy tools or a formal tech education, but he had drive. That drive landed him a job at Yahoo, where he worked for nearly a decade. And even after years of solid experience, when he applied for a job at Facebook, he got rejected.

That rejection ended up being the best thing that could have happened. Koum had an idea brewing. He wanted to create a simple, secure messaging app. Something that wasn’t bloated with ads or gimmicks. Just clean communication. So, with his co-founder, he launched WhatsApp.

They were aiming to build something useful, not necessarily the next big thing. But their focus on user experience and privacy struck a chord. It quietly grew until it was one of the most-used apps on the planet.

Eventually, this story comes full circle... The very company that rejected him, Facebook, made an offer on WhatsApp, and it was acquired for $19 billion.

At this writing, WhatsApp is a core part of global communication, with over 2 billion users. Jan Koum went from a boy on food stamps to one of the most successful founders in tech history. An immigrant. A janitor. A self-taught coder.

We are all just small steps away from building our paths.

I had impostor syndrome for the show I launched about impostor syndrome…

The irony, right?

Thought leadership and expertise don’t mean we have passed the stage of what we are teaching, but sometimes we experience it as we share.

I’ve wanted to host a show for so long, and have had many attempts that didn’t land consistently.

This feels different.

My new show, Made To Rise, is addressing the statistic that 70% of people will experience Impostor Syndrome at some point in their lives. The first episode is linked to the picture below.

What we did before brings credibility and the opportunity to approach something today with experience, but:

▪️We still need to perform and be accountable

▪️We still need to learn every day

▪️We still need to take care of ourselves for the opportunity that comes our way

▪️We can praise our past, but we must be satisfied with how we show up today

To handle this successfully, I have to practice everything I preach to others:

▪️Mental fitness exercises before I go live

▪️Give myself advice on how to bring my best energy as I would to a friend or colleague

▪️Be grateful to have this incredible opportunity

▪️Be kind to myself because I have worked hard to be here

▪️When I’m thinking about all the stressors and work ahead, I focus on what’s in front of me.

▪️Don’t forget to let the people around you know that you appreciate their belief and time given

▪️This is the beginning of more opportunities, so try to enjoy the process

What choices do we have today?

I choose a mind of strength and determination

I choose to control my emotions

I choose to be grateful

I choose to be there for people who need help

I choose to be around people who need me, energize me, and respect me

I choose to spend my time with meaning

I choose to be present

I choose courage, I choose acceptance of what I can’t control

I chose it because I AM IN CHARGE.

WE… ARE IN CHARGE.

Let’s keep moving forward and lift others along the way. Let’s BELIEVE.