Our CEO here at Runrex is one of the most industrious and hardworking people I have come across. His zeal, determination and sheer hard work, have put him where he is today. As part of motivating us and his followers, Tony was kind enough to take time off his busy schedule and give us a story on how he started freelancing at 17 and his incredible journey ever since.
Tony Guo’s story
“Although I believe strongly in the power of education, I don’t advocate for attending university education!” These are the first words that Tony utters every single time we talk to him about his life. Does he regret having gone through college life? Well, he doesn’t regret per se but given a choice, he wouldn’t go through college.
This is quite surprising especially when you consider that Tony Guo studied biology and law at two of the most prestigious universities in the country: New York University and William and Mary Law School.
The reason why Tony feels like the 7+ years of college and the hundreds of thousands he spent on tuition were some kind of a waste is because he took up freelancing at the age of 17 and to date, he has earned more money from what started out as just freelancing than he has earned from his two degrees. Here is how Tony started freelancing at 17 and where it has gotten him today:
Freelancing at 17
Tony first took interest in Google and how it works from a tender age of 17. He was fascinated by the way the search engine worked and wanted to learn even more about the fundamentals of the search engine.
His interest in matters Google pushed him to undertake an online course in search engine optimization and this is how his freelancing journey started. In no time, Tony was getting gigs offering content in the various content platforms and a few years later, he was a certified Google partners.
Expanded to web design and coding
His quest to understand more about the working of search engines, prompted Tony to start learning programming. Through a series of web tutorials and online courses, he was able to learn languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, Node.js and Gulp.
These newly acquired skills helped Tony to continue freelancing but he expanded his horizons now. He was not only creating beautiful websites for local companies in and about his college, he was creating ad copies and landing pages based on his earlier knowledge of search engine optimization. By the age of 22, he was earning enough money to pay for his tuition and spare a little to pay for refresher courses on his skills.
Graphic Design
Once he had mastered the art of creating beautiful websites, the next step was to learn how to create engaging illustrations and visual content that was appealing to the eye. He therefore took a course in Photoshop and in a few months, he was able to create beautiful illustrations which he used together with content to make everything even more engaging.
Started Digital Agency
By the time Tony was done with his second degree in immigration law, he had already registered a business- Guttulus Internet Marketing. PPC Hire which is a subsidiary of Guttulus is a digital marketing agency offering PPC and SEM services to local businesses in Houston and is operational to date. Through Guttulus he offered PPC services to those willing to learn the marketing technique and also offered other conventional internet marketing agency services to the local businesses.
Runrex Interactive
Of all Tony Guo’s ventures, Runrex Interactive is by far the most successful. Created way back in 2015, Runrex has handled and managed more than 13 Million USD in digital media spend. Runrex offers web design and development services. The company also tests both on-board and new customer acquisition channels in display, PLA, CSEs, native, content, mobile and video platforms. Runrex has clients both locally in Houston Texas and other parts of the globe.
Why you should start freelancing TODAY!
Just like Tony, you can make a fortune in freelancing if you have the heart and determination. Freelancing is a prime source of income for many creatives all across the globe and you, just like Tony did, should grab the opportunity and get started.
Talk to Tony today
Want more insights on how to get started on freelancing in this modern world? Well Tony, through his companies, is on hand to help you get started. Give Runrex a call today and one of the representatives will be on hand to help you.
If you are equally looking for the best freelancers in the market for any service ranging from web design to content creation, look no further than our way here at Runrex. We offer high quality services at very affordable rates and you should take advantage of our services to take your business to the next level.