Gurmer Chopra, 32, is the co-founder of clothes model YoungLA.
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Proper after graduating from college in 2015, Gurmer Chopra, 32, landed his first company function at a “Huge 4” accounting agency. However after lower than a yr on the job, he determined to stop.
“4 months into it, I [was] like: ‘I freaking hate it right here.’ It was simply essentially the most boring work, and I felt like I used to be making zero distinction on the planet,” Chopra instructed CNBC Make It.
“At one level, I [started studying] for my [certified public accountant exam]… Then I opened the e-book [and] I bear in mind simply studying the primary web page, and I believe that is actually once I realized I can not do that with my life, or I am gonna simply not be a contented particular person,” mentioned Chopra.
At the moment, he was additionally engaged on an e-commerce enterprise on the facet along with his older brother Dashmeet Chopra. Of their free time, the duo went into Downtown Los Angeles to supply gadgets comparable to T-shirts, denims and sneakers at wholesale costs and resold them on eBay.
Their eBay facet hustle has since develop into YoungLA, a way of life clothes model that introduced in over $167 million in 2024, in response to paperwork reviewed by CNBC Make It.
From souvenirs to garments
Initially from India, Chopra and his household immigrated to the U.S. in 2002 and spent their first 4 years in New Jersey earlier than touchdown in California. Chopra mentioned he bought his entrepreneurial chops from his dad, who labored at a memento store after shifting to the U.S.
His dad finally began a wholesale memento enterprise and managed some reward retailers in Los Angeles. Chopra and his brother turned concerned of their dad’s enterprise endeavors at a younger age.
Brothers Gurmer and Dashmeet Chopra with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“That was actually the beginning of me turning into an entrepreneur with my brother, as a result of … I used to be 12 years previous, and serving to my dad with working this enterprise,” mentioned Chopra.
After a while working these brick-and-mortar shops, Chopra’s dad realized that he had higher success by promoting their items on-line. Impressed by his discovery, the 2 brothers determined to experiment with e-commerce themselves.
Initially, me and my brother pulled collectively $5,000 and that is all we have ever invested within the firm. And we have at all times been capable of …simply reinvest.
Gurmer Chopra
Co-founder, YoungLA
In March 2014, Chopra was learning economics and accounting on the College of California, Santa Barbara, when he and his brother first opened their eBay account.
“Initially, me and my brother pulled collectively $5,000 and that is all we have ever invested within the firm. And we have at all times been capable of simply reinvest,” mentioned Chopra. The 2 used this cash to supply their first few merchandise.
“We have been shopping for denims, Converse, Vans … Tupac shirts, Biggie shirts … We might simply purchase lots of stuff from Downtown LA, and sort of simply throw a bunch of issues on the wall. No matter listings that will begin popping off, we’d [put] extra effort and time into that,” he mentioned.
Moreover promoting on eBay, Chopra and his brother additionally expanded to Amazon and Shopify, which they determined to call YoungLA.com — impressed by a DJ on their native radio station known as “Younger California.”
From there, they shifted their focus from solely reselling gadgets they purchased wholesale to going all-in on the YoungLA model. Chopra mentioned they started manufacturing their very own merchandise and would add the title “YoungLA.com” to the tags of their gadgets to create model recognition.
The enterprise introduced in its first million in income in 2017, Chopra mentioned. In the end, there have been two key successes that catapulted the model’s development additional: “drop tradition” and influencer advertising — each of that are nonetheless core elements of the enterprise right now.
Drop tradition is a advertising technique the place manufacturers launch limited-edition gadgets, or “drops,” at particular instances, to create exclusivity and buzz on social media.
“In 2018 we began … specializing in our web site, and we needed to sort of create a “drop tradition,” mentioned Chopra. “So each time a brand new product got here out, we want attempt to hype it up beforehand after which drop it on the web site.”
In 2019, YoungLA signed its first main contract with an influencer, and by 2020, the enterprise had hit over $6 million in income, added Chopra. Final yr, the enterprise introduced in, on common, greater than double that quantity in month-to-month income.
Classes realized
When requested if he’s completely happy that he left his accounting job, Chopra mentioned: “I do not assume I might be happier. [I’m] very, very happy with the place we have been, however it’s undoubtedly nerve-racking.”
“I believe a number of years into working the enterprise, you understand [that] no person may have ready me for this… I believe among the hardest issues to start with was firing an worker … or simply coping with actually powerful conditions, coping with stress, getting sued and issues like that too,” he mentioned.
“You study a lot if you’re truly in it … However I believe figuring these issues out teaches you a lot concerning the world, but additionally about your self.”
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