Ashley Qualls

Ashley Qualls (born June 4, 1990) is an entrepreneur from Detroit, Michigan. Originally as a hobby, at age 14, she started a website called whateverlife.com, designed to provide free Myspace layouts and HTML tutorials for people in her age demographic, and supported entirely by advertising revenue.^[1][2] She used the basement of her home as her office, employing her mother and friends from school. She made 70 thousand dollars in the first months.^[3] She had earned over a million dollars by age 17.^[4]

Qualls turned down numerous offers to acquire her company including an offer for 1.5 million dollars and her choice of any car.^[5] In September 2006 she paid cash for a $250,000 home in a fenced-off subdivision in the community of Southgate, Michigan. At the age of 17, she obtained legal emancipation, giving her the same legal status as an adult.^[6]

In 2007 her website had over 7 million unique visitors a month and generated over a million dollars in ad revenue.^[7][8]

In 2016, Qualls founded SickNotDead.com, providing resources for the chronically ill.^[9] She is the editor-in-chief of Lucky Soul; which helps to fund charitable causes.^[10]