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Even as a teenager working minimum wage jobs, Scott Hughes was already chasing his passion in the few hours he had outside of work. At the age of 19, he created OnlineBookClub.org, a website for book lovers to chat about books they read wither others from all over the world. For years, he paid his bills by working various jobs including grocery store clerk, restaurant server, and bartender, all while also building OnlineBookClub.org on the side.
Sixteen years later OnlineBookClub.org is the go-to place for book-based discussion with over three million members – and its President, Scott, now 35, is a best-selling author with five books of his own.
So how did a minimum wage worker from a small city in Connecticut who never took so much as a single college class create the world’s largest online book club? Hard work, perseverance, and an overarching passion for something worth much more than money, says Scott Hughes.
Speaking of his long slow journey to success, the entrepreneur said: “I started OnlineBookClub.org as a teenager in 2006, and I paid myself nothing—less than nothing really—for years, from 2006 to 2014. I donated time and sweat equity to this project in my spare time, day after day, year after year. It was a lot of sweat, and a lot of years.”
“During those years I bartended and served at local restaurants to keep my family afloat financially, it was tough finding the time to run the business. In the first part of 2014, I was actually working as a bartender at two different restaurants at the same time, one on weekdays and one on weekends, all in addition to running OnlineBookClub.org.”
“At the end of 2014, I gave up my side jobs and started working 80 hours a week solely for OnlineBookClub, while living in a two-bedroom apartment with my two kids. The kids each had one of the two bedrooms and made the living room into my office and bedroom.
“I paid myself a salary of twenty thousand dollars, which was just barely enough to get by myself while still leaving the company enough finances to survive too. I remember one month I had to go to the coin machine at the bank to cash in my spare change just so I could cover the rent, on the tenth of the month when it was due.
“It was hard, and it was a lot of pressure when also responsible for two young kids, but I did it. I barely did it, but I did it. I’d never change the cards I was dealt as I truly believe that triumph without challenge is hollow and unreal. If you are spoon-fed success, then it’s not even really success.”
Scott Hughes’s dedication and passionate work has resulted in the incredible success of OnlineBookClub, an inclusive and free community that allows book lovers from all over the world to chat about what they’re reading with others at any time of the day or night.
Additionally, a team of professional reviewers working for club read through thousands of books each year to provide exclusive tough honest reviews for OnlineBookClub members about the best up-and-coming literature.
Scott Hughes, who has a personal following of over three hundred thousand followers on social media, has clearly amassed a personal wealth outside of the multi-million dollar business.
His exact net worth is not publicly known, but the father-of-two, who lives with his children in Manchester, Connecticut, did however reveal his most recent luxury purchase, a brand new 2022 Tesla.
Hughes added that he felt that the most luxurious thing he can now afford is time away from his desk to spend with his family “for the first time in well over a decade”.
Asked what advice he would give to his younger self, Scott said: “I believe strongly in the principle of Amor Fati and unconditionally accepting what you cannot change, including the past. I wouldn’t change anything about the past. What advice give to someone who is currently in a similar position to what I was is this: Considering giving up the 70 to 80-hour workweeks much earlier. For years, I had to work 80 hours a week just to keep the company afloat and put on my table, but once I was in that habit I kept going for years even after it was no longer needed just to pay my bills.”
“Taking more free time for myself personally actually makes me more creative and thoughtful, so ironically it has also helped the business grow even more.”
The veteran entrepreneur said that some of his best ideas for the business have come to him while sitting in his hot tub staring up at the moon and stars.
Scott’s positivity is inspirational, to say the least, and the author has continued to spread his philosophy of unconditional love and inner peace. Fans eagerly await the release of his newest book, ‘#InItTogether: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All’.
His previous books include Achieve Your Dreams: Why You Don’t and How You Can, which became an instant Kindle bestseller, and ‘10 Step Plan to Promote Your Book: Online Book Marketing on Any Budget.
Lastly, Scott has written one fiction book; Justice: A Novella.
Scott, who is twice divorced, says much of the work he does stems from his deep passion for helping others survive tough times so they can achieve their goals and dreams.
On pursuing dreams, he said: “You have to be driven by something other than money and I’ve seen that those who desperately chase money are the least likely to find it.
“When you work hard on yourself and your real dreams, the money chases you. Without some kind of vision or passion to be the real end, the real goal, the real dream, it’s like driving a car with no gas.
“When someone overvalues money itself, that person often tends to end up getting paid to work on someone else’s dream in exchange for money.”
Tattooed on Scott’s forearm is one of his favorite quotes, “Just Love Everything”, which is a paraphrasing of Ram Dass as quoted by Mike Posner.
Asked to share his top tip for leadership Scott advised business owners to harness the power of delegation, a skill that allows him to grow the site and business “exponentially”.
“It’s a simple formula, I delegate whatever and as much as I can and hire new people as needed.
“Then I take the time of mine that’s been freed up to do extra work or new projects that I wouldn’t have had time for otherwise.
“I also push that pattern down the chain as much as possible so that the other people I have working for me delegate what they can to others, especially new hires, freeing up themselves to take on more work.”
But it’s not all plain sailing Hughes admits, as the pressures and challenges involved in running a company are still very much part of his everyday life.
Hughes said: “Even now there is risk. Running any business is risky, most new businesses fail, most start-ups fail. And when they fail, it usually doesn’t put you back at merely zero; instead, it’s likely bankruptcy or severe debt.
“Having built this business from nothing and with no schooling, I’m always more aware that it’s a continuous fight I have to keep winning, rather than an end goal I’ve reached.”
Scott Hughes can be found on Twitter @scottmhughes, Instagram @scott_hughes, and Facebook.com/ScottMichaelHughes.
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This content is brought to you by Jacob Lee.
Photo provided by the author with written permission from owner, Scott Hughes.