A good idea isn’t enough to make millions. Plenty of people have good ideas, but millionaires have more than that. They have the ambition to turn an idea into a business. To build a successful business that grows and lasts a long time, they have to have a thirst for life. Most successful entrepreneurs felt a desire to live life to its fullest from a very young age. A hunger for more is what drives a person’s ambition and pushes them to be relentless with their business.
Peter Tri, founder, and CEO of 8 Food, a multi-million-dollar condiment distribution company, says he felt that thirst for life that most entrepreneurs express having when he was only 16-years-old. He dropped out of school to follow his own path, leading him to build a life for himself most only dream of having.
Run Your Own Race
One of the most unique things about Tri’s entrepreneurial story is that it began when he was just 16-years-old. It was at that age he says he recognized traditional school wasn’t for him. He knew he wanted to be a boss, not an employee, and that he wanted to do it on his terms, he says. It was his hardworking parents who instilled a strong work ethic in him, showing Tri, “if you didn’t work for it, it isn’t worth having.”
Tri made his first business investment when he was 21-years-old, overcoming many significant challenges before climbing his way to where he is today. He says, “I went from zero to an 8-figure company, to one of top 10 condiment manufacturers in Australia, and I’m just getting started. I don’t compare myself to others. I run my own race.”
Welcoming Challenges
Peter Tri says he has a competitive nature that allows him to get inspired when someone says, “you can’t do it.” When he made the bold decision to move into the food manufacturing space in 2007, he invested $3M into infrastructure to “shake things up” in the condiment sauce space. And shake things up, he did.
The big names in the industry wanted him out, he says, so they started a price war with his business that almost drove him to fail. However, Tri’s thirst for life and relentless mindset drove him to change his tactics and create a more innovative way to market his products. It was then that 8 Food was born. Tri says, “I have a never give up attitude, a relentless mindset that will do whatever it takes to succeed. I was a boss way before having an entrepreneur title was cool. With a massive thirst for life, I love challenges that seem impossible and rev up when people say, ‘You can’t do it.”
Goals for the Future
With a wildly successful distribution company and a food chain business that has earned Tri a net worth of $37M, one might think he’d be ready to settle down and take the victory. Instead, Tri says he’s “just getting started.” He plans to continue to build his company with a high degree of integrity and morals. His focus is now centered on innovating new products, improving productivity, increasing competitiveness, and improving the brand’s recognition and value. One things for sure, the world can expect to see a lot more of Peter Tri and 8 Food in the future.
