Gurmer Chopra, co-founder of Gurmer YoungLA, has gone from an accounting graduate to serial entrepreneur in just a few years. Now 32, he reflects on what brought him here. It all began back in March 2014 when he first enrolled in the University of California, Santa Barbara to study economics and accounting. It was during this period that he and his younger brother started their eBay account. This decision launched a program that would go on to produce $167 million each year in new revenue.
Born in India, Chopra immigrated to the United States with his family in 2002. After four years in New Jersey, they moved to California, where he would eventually go on to higher education himself. Join Youth Prize today In 2015, just a few months after graduating, he landed a job with one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. The corporate landscape just wasn’t the right fit for him.
“Four months into it, I [was] like: ‘I freaking hate it here,’” said Chopra, reflecting on his experience in the corporate sector. This truth is what sparked his fire. He knew he wanted to make that leap of faith and create his e-commerce business with his older brother, Dashmeet Chopra.
The brothers started YoungLA with a $5,000 investment. They bought hip merch like tees, denim and sneakers on the cheap from the ever-fleecy Downtown LA. They even flipped these items on eBay, testing out different titles and descriptions to see what would catch the customers’ eyes. He shared, “We shopped for jeans and Converse and Vans and Tupac shirts and Biggie shirts and then we would go to Downtown LA and just scoop up a bunch of shit! So whatever listings that would begin taking off, we would devote more time and energy into that.
Their labor and ingenuity started to bear fruit as YoungLA hit its first million in revenue by 2017. By 2020, the firm had rocketed well beyond $6 million in revenue. This expansion was further fueled by calculated collaboration, like inking their first influencer contract with an influencer in 2019.
“At first, my brother and I raised $5,000 and that’s the most we’ve ever raised for the company,” Chopra said. And we’ve always been able to … just reinvest. It is their dedication to reinvestment that has enabled them to grow and continue to be financially independent.
Of course, Chopra’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. He made the hard calls, from letting good employees go to dealing with high-tension situations that naturally developed at a fast-growing company. Nobody would have ever been able to prepare me for this! Early on, the most difficult challenge was having to fire someone. I have been thrust into the midst of some very difficult situations,” he reflected.
Chopra’s work is rewarding yet challenging, but he gets deep satisfaction from his work. When asked how happy he is these days, he responded, “I don’t know if I could possibly be happier. The lessons learned from navigating the complexities of running a business have not only taught him about the market but about himself. You think you know a lot until you really get into the experience. Solving problems not only teaches you new things about the way the world works, but it teaches you things about yourself,” he continued.
Chopra’s approach to marketing has played a significant role in YoungLA’s success. The engagement team works to create a buzz around new product launches, building anticipation by hyping the new offerings leading up to their debut. Every time a new product was about to launch, we white-knuckledly touted it before it came out. Then, we would just let it sit on the website.
With YoungLA’s recent growth and success, Gurmer Chopra reflects positively on how he got to where he is today. Yet he could not be prouder—or more inspired—by what he has accomplished alongside his brother. Together, they look forward with excitement to their business’s future.