Bobby Casey was just 21 in 1995 when a chance encounter while shopping changed his life. As he browsed a Walmart store, he asked a man he thought was an employee for directions. The worker, who was assembling bicycles, turned out to be a contractor for an outside company. The wheels began turning in Casey’s head, and he saw a business opportunity.

“I thought ‘assembling bicycles for Walmart,’ oh my gosh, there’s thousands of Walmart stores’ and ‘oh my gosh, how many bicycles does a Walmart store sell in a year?’" Casey continued chatting with the contractor and asked him questions about his job.

He got the man’s business card, and soon Casey had a job with the same company. It wasn’t long before he was ready to strike out on his own, pursuing the same business model. He visited dozens of Walmart stores before one would take him seriously, hire him as a contractor and give him a chance. Suddenly, Casey had a a business. (He won't disclose the name of the company, as he's no longer affiliated with it.)

Within just a few weeks, he had to hire people to help him out. Casey’s sales for the first year were about $130,000, and by the end of the second year, sales jumped to about $700,000.

A few years later, after acquiring several smaller, similar companies, he sold his business for a seven-figure sum in 2008. (He won’t disclose the actual figure.) Today, Casey, now 40, works as an international financial consultant, helping other entrepreneurs and investors.