You still have the right to hope for the best and move forward even if you face adversity just as you reach the pinnacle of your accomplishments. This 23-year-old entrepreneur is proof that hard work and determination can pay off.

Derek Cheung is a former college student who got into rental arbitrage. He was an intern when he discovered the company that operates short-term rentals for properties it doesn’t own.

In 2018, he began engaging in rent arbitrage by acquiring his first two apartments. Derek’s first steps weren’t smooth sailing. He did a lot and did extensive research to ensure he was following a solid business plan.

Derek learned the legal paperwork and communication skills involved in real estate and rent arbitrage transactions, especially since many landlords have specific preferences for working with such parties — he even went through around a hundred landlord leads.

He also made sure he knew how to service the property, maintain fixtures, decorate it, and approach landlords in negotiations. Since his first deal was with an agent who represents multiple landlords, his career took off from there.

Derek’s first annual leases were signed in February 2019. One-bedroom flats cost $1,215 per month while studios cost $999. He put down a $500 security deposit on each flat, plus the first month’s rent. Short-term rentals were permitted under the terms of his additional contract.

As a result of working part-time while in school, Derek was able to save $8,000. He also had a $5,000 credit card limit, which was sufficient at the time. He spent $5,000 on secondhand items from Facebook Marketplace. He rented U-Haul to move things and asked two friends to help. After he had set them up, he took photos of the units and posted them on Airbnb.

He kept moving forward with the strategy, and soon he was managing and cleaning six apartment blocks. He had reached a terrifying $10,000 in liability and rent expenses, but he was convinced that he had to risk money in order to make a lot.

Unfortunately, the pandemic hampered travel and bookings. At that time, he owed $20,000  in monthly expenses. He began calling builders, corporate movers, and insurance housing agencies weekly to offer his units, and advertised on Zillow, Corporate Housing by Owner, Furnished Finder, and Craigslist. His top priority was serving customers who had booked 60 days in advance.

When the pandemic subsided, he created a new plan to make up for his losses. Derek lowered his prices just enough to break even or make a small profit. He was also keen on securing long-term visitors and started taking reservations from people in the area who were in between leases, evicted from their homes, or were staying in hotels because their insurance wouldn’t cover them.

Derek had 50 properties by the end of 2021, with 44 of them being fully functional. His revenue increased by about 22% this year.

“People might tell you that you’re the odd one out. Remember you’re not, you too are the mainstream. The world might try to make differences a pejorative thing, but I’ve carved out a whole career by celebrating it,” says the 62-year-old film director, Gurinder Chadha, in her recent candid interview with The Guardian.

Gurinder Chadha was born in Kenya, then a British colony. Her family was part of the Indian diaspora in East Africa. They moved to London when she was two and rented a single bedroom. She recounts being shoved into a metal bed frame by their landlord’s son. Her mother was devastated but couldn’t comfort her. “I still remember the indignity and injustice,” she adds.

For a while, she even refused to eat Indian food and had her chapatis with jam and butter. At age 10, she ran away from home and considered it an “escape” to be more British.

Gurinder considers the 2002 box-office hit ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ she directed a watershed moment. She tells The Guardian that until then, the perception was that Indian girls in the UK were obeying and submissive to strict families, but that wasn’t their experience.

“As an immigrant kid, you realise early on you and your parents live different realities,” she adds, “You can fight and rebel, or accept your parents for who they are, work around them, and get on with it. That’s what we did.”

It took three years to get the sports comedy-drama film green-lit. Everyone told her an Indian girl playing football wouldn’t attract the audience. However, it’s the only film to be released in every country since it debuted 20 years ago. “For people on the margins all over, it was transformative”

Unfortunately, her father died suddenly in 1999, and he never got to see Gurinder’s biggest achievements. This made her unappreciated her success for a long time as her father wasn’t there to share it with. It changed when she became a mother of twins in her late 40s, “Having my children celebrate my work has seen something shift within me. Finally, I’ve started to let myself believe it”

With zero funding, Filipino entrepreneur MJ Loleng built her start-up company, Ecobriqs Charcoal Briquettes, an innovative eco-friendly charcoal business from waste coconut shells.

She was able to attract investors with her idea who also had a passion for sustainability and providing employment to those who are poor in the Philippines, as she said that she experienced being poor herself. MJ wants to show that poverty is no reason to give up on ambitions.

MJ wrote on her Facebook, “For the past 4yrs I was just crystal focus on surviving and making things happen. I know I’ve always wanted to help, and I know that I can do it by building a business.”

When “Samgyeopsal” or Korean BBQ restaurants became popular in the Philippines, Ecobriqs experienced a surge in popularity. Briquettes were the ideal kind of coal to use since they did not produce smoke or odor and could be used more than once.

The pandemic drove several eateries to close, putting Ecobriq into a major setback for half a year, but MJ thought of another idea. She collaborated with her friends and opened their own Korean BBQ restaurant, Umma’s Samgyup Café, with a starting capital of P5,000 ($90).

As a result of MJ’s expanding business portfolio, she is now able to bring in more than P100,000 ($2000) per month, and learned stock trading in order to increase her income.

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to be persistent in achieving their goals, “I also didn’t know how we got this far. I just keep the faith, believe in my team, took the risk, give it ALL IN, and did my best” 

Who would have thought that the odd jobs of a janitor and a street vendor would lead to such a great story? This is what actually transpired to John Andrew Dangca, the owner of a Filipino restaurant in Canberra, Australia.

Before establishing his popular restaurant among Filipinos, he worked as a street vendor and janitor. Despite his difficult beginning, he was determined to succeed. He saved money and eventually opened his own restaurant. His business success has allowed him to provide for his family. 

Salu-Salo Restaurant, which has been serving Filipino cuisine in Canberra, Australia was also impacted by the pandemic. Fortunately, he was able to adapt by pivoting to a delivery and take-out model. 

He says that they’ve been able to weather the challenge because of the support of their customers. Andrew admitted that he reaches out to his customers to order some food, and if they do, he personally travels to them, regardless of the distance. 

His journey to Australia began when he was young and open to the idea of studying or working abroad. His aunt sponsored his trip to Australia in 2013, where he enrolled in college and began training as a cleaner. It was never easy for him to juggle a job and schoolwork, but he did it because he wanted to provide for his family.

Andrew’s story demonstrates that it is possible to achieve success despite challenging circumstances if one is willing to work hard and never give up. “I put in a lot of effort and always try to do my best in order to be where I am now,” he stated on a Philippine TV show. 

He proved that beginning in a low position, such as working as a janitor or street vendor, is not an obstacle to future success. Rather, this will serve as the fuel that propels you forward toward achieving your goals.