Inspired by movies, Michigan teen is teaching himself to be a tycoon

At 17, Revanth Manam is on his way to living the American dream he's seen in movies and thinking about a how the business experiences he's had already will help him when he is in college.

The Birmingham Detroit Country Day senior who is the son of immigrants (his father is a doctor and mother an information technology executive) aims to use the successes and shortcomings to be a force in the business world.

So far, he has:

• Run a failed, small business. 
• Day traded through Brexit — the U.K.'s withdrawal from the European Union.
• Used the money he earned through trades to hire an attorney to patent a process that he hopes will revolutionize advertising.
• Called dozens of news organizations using a script he wrote after watching "The Wolf of Wall Street"  to entice them to buy his idea.
• And faced skepticism and criticism from friends — even family — who question his dream.

Still, his ambition is undeterred — and that, he said, is all he needs to keep pressing forward.

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In an edited conversation at his West Bloomfield home, Manam talks about his experiences and what he's learning:

Question: What is your plan for the future?

Answer: I want to go to the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, and when I'm there, I want to stand out and continue to develop my entrepreneurial side. I want to follow my dreams. I think one thing leads to another. The reason you are in my room now interviewing me is because when I talked to you on the phone that one day, you saw the story — you heard the story — of what I was trying to tell you. As I continue to do research, watch movies, listen to music and talk to people, I get inspired and put in situations that drive me. Going to school and meeting people who are really smart will help me and give me resources I can use.

Q: How did your interest in being an entrepreneur start?

A: I think I can take it back to eighth grade. I started an athletic-themed clothing line in eighth grade. At the time, I was really into sports, and I looked up to athletes, like LeBron James. I looked at the clothing they wore, and their attitudes, just the culture influenced what I wore. I wanted to be a part of that culture, so I started my own athletic line. I called it Motiwear, like motivational wear. So, the spring of eighth grade, I created my designs and I hired freelancers online to make my designs into reality — and by the time summer rolled around, I had my shirts printed, and I took them to a gym to sell and talked to small businesses.

Q: So how much did you spend and how much did you earn on this?

A: I spent — like — a couple hundred. I can't remember. But, the reason why I couldn't do more with this is I had this up at a gym, and they said, we'll sell them for $20, and take a $4 cut for every shirt we sell. They obviously have to make money. We had them up for a month, we sold a few, but eventually, the gym said that they weren't selling enough. So I went to other gyms and tried to sell to other businesses. But, soon, in August, I had to start cross country and had to do homework, because high school was starting, and I had to give up on this. 

Q: What were your Motiwear sales?

A: Maybe $150.

Q: So you took a loss — and still have several shirts?

A: Yes.

Q: Why didn't you clear out your inventory?

A: I kinda just wanted to hold on to it so I can remember what I did. It teaches me that not everything is an awesome success.

Q: So after the T-shirt business, what did you do?

A: Ninth grade starts, and before I know it, it's winter. I didn't go anywhere for winter break. I was watching a bunch of Leonardo DiCaprio movies, like "Basketball Diaries" and "Titanic." Then, I heard about this new movie coming out, "The Wolf of Wall Street," and I wanted to see it! We were getting in the car to see it, and my dad pulls out his phone and checks the reviews and he reads, "drugs, sex, violence," and he says: "We're not watching this movie." But, it didn't stop me because I watched the movie online on some website a couple days later. It is about Jordan Belfort, he was like 22 and he moves to New York and I think the first 20 minutes is what really inspired me. He was able to make something out of nothing. He was the American dream. It was a movie, and he did things he wasn't proud of. But, the come-up was what inspired me. I wanted to be him.

Q: Then what?

A: I started learning about stocks. I dove into the world of stocks. I went online, and I watched clips from the movie, and for two years I just kept learning about stocks. I held accounts anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500, at the max. 

Q: How did you get an account? And where did you get the money to invest? 

A: My dad created an account for me. He started me with a $1,000 account. If I go below a certain point, he said he'd cut it off. Later, I asked him for a bigger account and after tons of begging, he gave me a bigger account, about $22,000. It was one of my dad's old accounts and he told me, "If you fall below $20,000, I'm getting rid of the account."

Q: So he didn't have a high risk tolerance.

A: No. I had to make conservative trades. In three weeks, I was up about $1,500. Then, Brexit happened. I was day trading from 9:30 to 4. I was sitting in front of my TV, had my computer open. But, it was so stressful, and so mentally and physically demanding, I couldn't do it for more than three weeks.

Q: Do you still want to be a trader?

A: Not any more. Now, I want to be an entrepreneur. Handling my money is stressful enough, but if I had to handle other people's money, and protect them — they use it for their kid's education, for retirement -- it's too risky.

Q: Jordan Belfort clearly didn't share that concern for his investors.

A: I don't think I had that concern at first, either. I was all about myself, and wanted to make as much money as I could. But as I went through this process, I learned it's important to be protective of money because trading is really difficult. It's risky. 

Q: Where did the idea for a patent come from?

A: From 9:30 to 4, I was day trading. And after 4, I was reading newspaper articles in my room, getting ready for the next day. But, I also was writing. I was writing my experiences and my thoughts. I wanted it to be a book one day. I knew I would have to create something new and incorporate novel concepts into my book to get more attention. As I did that, I became fixated on advertising. I came up with a new process to advertise in print media and I just kept developing that, and it became a patent. My parents had no idea what I was getting into. I had to come up with the money by myself.

Q: You are fortunate to have parents who can set you up with a $20,000 account to trade with — and send you to a private school. What thoughts do you have about kids who also may dream about making it on Wall Street, but struggle with where their next meal is coming from?

A: The most important thing for them is to make connections. One way for that is through social media. It really helps you reach out to people. I just got on social media and I've been opened up to so many new things and met so many people, and learned about things I never would have dreamed of.

Q: What other lessons have you learned?

A: Do what you want to do and listen to people who care about you. A lot of people don't do what they want to do because they are afraid of what other people will think of them. No matter what you do, people are going to try to discourage you. Sometimes, it's really subtle. People will keep asking you: "Are you sure that's going to work?" Even my own brother, when I did the Motiwear, said, "You aren't going to sell anything." And now, with my patent, he says to me, "Why are you doing this? You don't have to do this. No one else is doing this."

Q: So why are you doing this?

A: If you go to my school, there are talented athletes, musicians, artists. There are so many people who stand out with their own unique talents and passions. This was just a way for me to find my identity, learn about myself — and stand out.

Q: What did you learn about yourself?

A: I learned that I don't give up — no matter what. If you believe in something, you have to pursue it, because you never know what the results might be. You could be super successful or you might not get anywhere, but failure shouldn't discourage you. I will continue to follow my dreams and my passions. 

Revanth Manam

Age: 17

Education: Birmingham Detroit Country Day, senior

Family: Father, Rajendra Manam; mother, Kalpana Yendluri; brother, Chaitanya, 16 

Activities: Cross country, co-captain; school newspaper, Day Times; honor council, vice-chairman; track, co-captain

Car: 2015 Ford Mustang

Role models: Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kanye West, Justin Bieber