From College Dropout to Logistics Ventures: Building a Billion-Dollar Empire

Looking back over my 28 years, it is clear that entrepreneurship has always been my calling.

In hindsight, the connections are obvious. In the midst of it, being an entrepreneur often feels like an ongoing personal crisis. You're constantly pondering your next move.

My upbringing took place on a farm in Woodstock, Georgia. My father's roots were in a South Carolina trailer park, but he became a field engineer and dedicated nearly four decades to BellSouth.

Despite what you might expect, my parents instilled in me a deep belief in limitless possibilities. This belief is shared among my siblings, who pursued careers as an actress, nurse, attorney, and educator.

My entrepreneurial journey began in elementary school when I was just seven. I started by selling items on platforms like Craigslist and eBay, posting signs announcing my readiness to buy and fix electronics.

Early Ventures and Education

As I progressed to middle school, I diversified into selling phone accessories. By high school, my ambition grew, and I expanded into auto parts sales, empowered by the purchase of my first car. Teachers were often frustrated with my perpetual phone use during classes, as I managed emails and customer inquiries.

Accumulated savings of $30,000 allowed me to explore numerous ventures. I experimented with an app to connect opposing sports fans in stadiums, ventured into the stock market with my father, and even dabbled in creating e-commerce content on YouTube.

Discovering Logistics

Logistics consistently drew my attention. Before starting college at Georgia Tech in 2015, I interned with the global metal processing company HUEHOCO, attending five of their international factories.

I observed inefficiencies in their shipping expenses and saw an opportunity. I launched Stord during my first year of college, with a mission to democratize e-commerce beyond just large retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

Stord's presence might be more visible to you than expected—in shipping guarantees, insurance offers, and post-purchase experiences—Stord orchestrates these processes.

Building Stord

While at Georgia Tech, I fully invested in Stord, hiring new staff and securing a seed investment of $2.5 million, alongside contributions from startup accelerators and angel investors. I opted to leave college before completing my fourth semester.

This decision was solidified when I secured the Thiel Fellowship—an opportunity that necessitates a focus away from traditional education in favor of entrepreneurship.

Valued at $1.3 billion today, Stord's fulfillment processes reached 11.5% of U.S. households last year, with expectations to nearly double that reach this year.

With growing international operations, particularly in Europe, the UK, and Canada, Stord assists brands with strategic inventory placement amid fluctuating tariffs, supporting brands in navigating market changes.

The Foundational Question

Reflecting on my success, a recurring question inspired my path: Why shouldn't you be the one? Realizing that the influential structures around us stem from people like us, I embraced that energy to reshape an industry.