From West Philly to West L.A.

Atom Factory founder and CEO Troy Carter wasn’t born a millionaire. Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Carter was an early adopter of the entrepreneurial life. He started passing out flyers at local hip hop shows at the age of 13 and by 17 he dropped out of high school to pursue his dream of becoming an emcee.

“My mom was not able to buy us the expensive Air Jordans, so if I wanted something that was a little bit nicer, my brother and I, we had to go earn money for it,” Carter told CNN. “That was my first taste of having my own bit of money in my pocket.”

That first taste turned into a driving passion. He linked up with West Philly natives DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince, which ultimately paved the way to interning with Sean Combs’ Bad Boy Records. Now, Carter is credited with launching and managing the world’s biggest stars, including Lady Gaga, John Legend and Meghan Trainor. He was also an early investor in several unicorn companies you might know: Spotify, Lyft, Uber, Dropbox and even Warby Parker.

And he hasn’t stopped there. In 2013, Carter launched a multimedia platform aimed at a “new breed of entrepreneurs and innovators through original content that captures the ethos of multicultural millennials actively creating and shaping culture.” He is also the founder of Cross Vulture Ventures, a fund committed to early stage startups and entrepreneurs working with the future of technology and consumer products.

So how did a West Philly hustler grow to become a leader in music, technology and business? Carter tells Forbes:

“Hustle is simple — it’s doing the work. A lot of people like to talk about it, a lot of people have ideas, but it’s difficult to actually do the work,” he says.

“As important as hustle is, grit and resilience are equally as important, because there’s a lot of rejection in our business.”

Interested in crafting your own hustle? Apply to the Institute of Hip Hop Entrepreneurship by September 1 for a chance to meet like-minded entrepreneurs, top business leaders and mentors with real-life experience.