Elon Musk’s journey to becoming one of the richest and most influential entrepreneurs of the 21st century didn’t begin in the corporate boardrooms of Silicon Valley, nor did it begin with groundbreaking inventions at Tesla or SpaceX. His entrepreneurial journey began in the humblest of circumstances, as a twelve-year-old boy coding a video game in his bedroom and selling candy at school to save money.

These early ventures were not just fleeting childhood hobbies; they were the foundation for the multi-billion dollar empire he would eventually build. This early hustle and naivety provided him with critical lessons that would shape his future endeavors in ways few could have predicted at the time.

Musk’s first significant entrepreneurial venture was when he was just 12 years old. He had developed a video game called Blastar, a space-themed shooter reminiscent of early arcade classics. With no formal training in programming or game development, Musk taught himself to code, learning through trial and error.

Blastar wasn’t just a childhood project—it was his first taste of turning an idea into a product with real-world value. He sold the game for $500 to a computer magazine, which was a substantial amount of money for a young teenager. This experience, while small in scale compared to his future endeavors, was monumental in teaching Musk the value of creating something from scratch, commercializing it, and making money from his creativity.

The sale of Blastar was an early lesson for Musk in entrepreneurship and the power of technology. While $500 may seem like a modest sum, to a twelve-year-old, it was a small fortune, and represented the first step in what would become a lifelong fascination with technology and innovation.

Musk’s early interest in computers and programming, combined with his natural curiosity and problem-solving skills, set the stage for his later ventures. In many ways, the sale of Blastar represented the first time Musk realized the power of technology to change the world, and this realization would guide his business philosophy throughout his career.

Selling Blastar wasn’t the only business venture Musk embarked on at a young age, however. To fund his future endeavors, Musk also engaged in an entrepreneurial hustle typical of many young people trying to make a few extra bucks. He sold candy at school, buying it in bulk and reselling it to classmates at a marked-up price.

This candy-selling company was Musk’s first taste of business on a larger scale, and it provided him with the money he would later use to fund ZIP2, his first major business venture. The candy-selling operation may seem like a small, trivial pursuit, but for Musk, it was another opportunity to learn the mechanics of running a business—sourcing products, setting prices, and dealing with customers.

These early experiences provided Musk with valuable insights into the business world. Selling candy in school taught him about supply and demand, pricing strategies, and the basics of entrepreneurship. While this venture was far from glamorous, it taught Musk fundamental lessons that he would carry into his future ventures.

The entrepreneurial spirit he developed during these formative years was a crucial stepping stone on his journey to launching ZIP2, the company that would become his first significant success. After selling candy and coding, Musk was ready for his first big business opportunity.

In the mid-1990s, he co-founded ZIP2, an online city guide software company, with his brother Kimbal. ZIP2 was designed to help newspapers build an online presence by providing maps and business directories to enhance their websites.

At the time, the internet was just beginning to gain widespread use, and many companies were still trying to figure out how to adapt to the new digital world. Musk saw an opportunity to fill that gap by providing a service that helped traditional businesses move online.

ZIP2 was a major turning point in Musk’s career. Unlike his previous ventures, which were small and largely self-funded, ZIP2 required significant investment and the collaboration of a team. Musk’s ability to secure funding for the project, as well as his determination to make it a success, set the stage for his future endeavors.

In 1999, ZIP2 was sold to Compaq for $307 million, and Musk received $22 million from the sale. This windfall marked Musk’s first major financial success and provided the capital to fund his next big project: X.com, the precursor to PayPal.

Looking back at Musk’s early business ventures—examining candy, coding a video game, and founding ZIP2—it’s clear that these formative experiences shaped his approach to entrepreneurship. Musk’s ability to spot opportunities, his persistence in the face of challenges, and his willingness to take risks were central to his success in building companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink.

These early hustles not only provided him with the capital and experience needed to fund his later ventures, but they also instilled in him the mindset of an entrepreneur who is always looking for ways to innovate, disrupt, and change the world.

Musk’s early career also taught him the importance of thinking big. From an early age, he was not content with small-scale projects or just local success. Even as a child, Musk was focused on creating something that could have a lasting impact.

Blastar, his first video game, was just a small step, but it represented the kind of thinking that would later lead to the creation of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk’s ability to scale his ideas—from a small game to a global software company to a multibillion-dollar electric car manufacturer—has been one of the defining characteristics of his career.

While Musk’s early ventures were relatively modest compared to his later projects, they were no less significant in terms of the lessons they imparted. Selling candy in school taught him the basics of business operations, while creating Blastar gave him an early understanding of product development and marketing.

Most importantly, these ventures instilled in him the belief that with hard work, creativity, and determination, anything was possible. This mindset would serve him well as he went on to tackle some of the world’s most ambitious projects, from launching reusable rockets to creating self-driving cars.

As Musk’s career progressed, he would face greater challenges and greater risks. However, the lessons learned from his early entrepreneurial ventures provided him with the tools and insights needed to navigate the complexities of the business world.

Today, Musk is one of the most influential figures in technology, leading innovative companies that are reshaping entire industries. But it all started with a video game and a candy-selling hustle — a startup that laid the foundation for a billion-dollar empire.

In conclusion, Elon Musk’s early business ventures may have been small, but they were critical in shaping the entrepreneur he would become. From coding Blastar to selling candy to funding ZIP2, these early hustles provided Musk with invaluable lessons that would help him tackle bigger challenges in the future.

As Musk continues to innovate with Tesla, SpaceX and other ventures, it’s clear that his entrepreneurial journey began long before he became a household name. The skills he honed in those early years — creativity, persistence and a willingness to take risks — remain at the heart of his success today.