When your entrepreneurial aspirations seem a bit too far-fetched, take a look at this success story for inspiration. Ashley Qualls, 17, started a website at the age of 14 with $8 she borrowed from her mother. Now her site, whateverlife.com, is grossing more than $1 million a year and helping Qualls' family live more comfortably. Prior to the launch of her site, Qualls lived in a one-bedroom apartment with her mom and sister. Since starting her site, she's been able to purchase a four-bedroom home for her family and has hired her mother as her manager.

Qualls got the idea for Whateverlife when she noticed her friends personalizing their MySpace pages. She began creating and sharing designs for MySpace backgrounds through her site. Advertisers quickly began flocking to Whateverlife, and Ashley quit school to focus on growing her biz. These days, the website guru continues developing her site with the help of some friends she hired and has even turned down offers for her own reality series, saying she values her privacy too much to get involved in one.