Name: Ray Cao

City: Toronto

Age: 25

Occupation: Loose Button Luxe Box founder

Started an online apparel company but found the market was saturated.  Switched to Luxe Box, where consumers can sample new beauty products. Thirteen months later, Cao now employs 15 people and his membership base is on track to reach 100,000 people.

I knew I was on my way when… We got one order, then four, then 15. Soon my cellphone was ringing with non-stop orders. Since then we’ve grown extremely fast. It all started with a simple idea we wanted to test and it grew from there.

Just a few weeks ago we launched into the U.S. We are looking to build a platform where all types of products can be sampled and ordered on a subscription basis. We have some crazy growth plans in play. This is just the beginning.

Action Plan

• You’ve got to surround yourself with the right people. Ideas change but as long as you have a strong core team they will help you get through the difficult times.

• Fail fast, fail cheap and fail often. You won’t get it the first time. Most overnight successes are built over 10 years and people have to realize they don’t happen right away

• A lot of first-time entrepreneurs set themselves up for failure and then they give up. Sometimes the extra push makes all the difference. A couple of days could make an incredible difference so never give up.