Akram Alhamidi is a self-employed entrepreneur from Petal, Mississippi. After graduating high school in 2020, he launched a gas station business and expanded it into a chain of operating locations. Without a formal business education, he built his operation through direct ownership and hands-on management. His story has been covered by BM Magazine, Brainz Magazine, and IdeaMensch, each focusing on how he approached building a business from the ground up. Outside of work, Alhamidi values time with friends and a personal interest in film, keeping a grounded perspective on what he is building and why. Based in the same Mississippi town where he grew up, he continues to manage and develop his fuel retail business while staying connected to the community that shaped him. His path reflects a straightforward bet on practical action over conventional timelines, taken at an age when most of his peers were just beginning to map out their futures.
Akram Alhamidi on What Success Looks Like
How do you define success at this point in your life?
For me, success right now means the business is running and it is growing. I did not come from a business background. I did not study it. I just decided this was what I wanted to do and I went after it. So when I look at where I started in 2020 and compare it to where things are now, that gap is what success means to me. It is not abstract. It is measurable.
When did you first realize you wanted to work for yourself?
Honestly, it was before I even graduated. I knew I did not want to work for someone else. I do not think I could have explained exactly why at the time, but the feeling was clear. I wanted to build something that was mine. The gas station idea made practical sense to me. People need fuel. It is a real, consistent need. That kind of business logic appealed to me from the start.
What was the hardest part of the early days?
Learning everything at once. When you own a business, especially at that age, there is no one handing you a manual. You figure out operations, you figure out customer issues, you figure out the numbers, all at the same time. I made mistakes. But I did not make the same mistake twice if I could help it. That discipline probably came from playing football. You watch the film, you understand what went wrong, and you correct it.
Did you ever doubt the decision to skip a more traditional path?
There were moments. But doubt did not change the logic of the decision. I had already started. The business existed. The more productive question was always what do I do next, not whether I should have done it differently. Looking back did not help anything. Looking forward did.
How do you measure progress when you are your own boss?
By what the business can do now that it could not do before. Can I expand? Can I handle more volume? Have the operations gotten tighter? Those are the real measures. Numbers matter. But so does whether the thing you built is more solid than it was a year ago.
What habits have made the biggest difference?
Staying consistent. Showing up even when it is not exciting. A gas station is not a glamorous business. Most days are ordinary. The people who build lasting businesses are the ones who can operate well on the ordinary days, not just when things feel momentum-driven.
What does success look like five years from now?
More locations. A more structured operation. I want to have built something that runs well whether I am physically present or not. That is the real test of whether you have built a business or just bought yourself a job. I want the former.
What advice would you give someone starting out young?
Do not wait until you feel completely ready. Readiness is not a fixed state. You learn by doing. Start with something practical, something people actually need, and build your knowledge around the real problems the business throws at you. That is a faster education than most classrooms can offer.