Do you believe that entrepreneurs are always naturally born? Think again – Tom Bilyeu’s story shows that you can become anything, despite your past. He is an entrepreneur who co-founded Quest Nutrition (a 7 figure business) and founded Impact Theory. Tom’s dedication, passion, wisdom, and beliefs allow for his companies to thrive.
Tom Bilyeu Net Worth (estimated): $400 million
Tom's net worth stems mostly from Quest Nutrition. His Impact Theory has a quite literal name, it's his effort to impact the world. Read on to see the timeline of Tom building his estimated $400 million net worth.
Tom's Early Life
Growing Up in Tacoma
Bilyeu was born on March 30, 1976 in Tacoma, Washington. You might not believe the young version of Tom if you saw him! He describes himself as a lazy, chubby child. Tom states that even his own mother assumed he wouldn’t go far in life. He wasn’t born an entrepreneur and showed no early signs of success.
At his first job delivering newspapers, he was too scared to knock at their doors to collect his own paycheck. He cheated his way through school, and his mom pushed him off to college.
Who knew he’d become the hard-working multimillionaire he is today? Tom’s story challenges the belief that you need to be naturally born an entrepreneur to be successful. Bilyeu grew up in an obese family, which was a large source of inspiration for his healthy snack company that skyrocketed Tom Bilyeu’s net worth.
College & Beyond
Tom left his hometown after high school to attend the University of Southern California. His mom pushed him out the door, despite her belief that he would fail. At USC, he decided to pursue a film major. He lost 60 pounds, then became passionate about health and fitness.
While in college, Tom was approached by Awareness Tech (a data loss company). They inspired him and offered him a copywriting job. Focused on getting rich, he worked hard and became their Chief Marketing Officer.
After 8 years in this role, he owned 10% equity in the company. He soon realized he was miserable and couldn’t do it anymore. He quit, but Awareness Tech didn’t want to continue the business without him. Turns out, his coworkers held the same desires as Tom. They soon became co-founders of Tom’s company.
Bilyeu Becomes a Multi-Millionaire
Quest Nutrition
For Tom Bilyeu, Quest Nutrition was based on passion. He stopped asking himself how he could get rich and instead asked what he could do everyday that would make him happy, even if he were failing. He wanted to build a company based on value.
After growing up in an obese family and watching family members eat themselves to death, he grew a passion for health. He wanted to help solve this problem. This inspired his first company! Tom founded Quest Nutrition in 2010 alongside Lisa Bilyeu, Ron Penna, Shannan Pena, and Mike Osborne.
The company is well known for their protein bars, but they make other healthy food and snacks too. Tom Bilyeu’s diet to lose 60 pounds and his family history sparked a passion for health and fitness, which he transformed into a company.
On the Quest for Astonishing Growth
Tom grew Quest by an incredible 57,000% in the first 3 years. It was ranked No.2 on the Inc. 500 fastest-growing companies in the United States in 2014. It’s now worth over $1 billion!
Tom and his team put in a lot of hard work to get to where they are now. They started making healthy nutrition bars out of their kitchen before they had even sold Awareness Tech. After a few months, they perfected the recipe with no added sugar and great taste. Unfortunately, they were turned down by every manufacturer they reached out to. That didn’t stop Tom and his team though – they simply built the equipment on their own.
Once their product was launched, Tom sent a thousand hand-written letters (including Quest bars) to fitness influencers. By year two, Tom estimates they had close to $10 million in e-commerce revenue. They hadn’t even moved into retail stores yet! GNC and Vitamin Shop were the first retailers to sell Quest. Brand ambassadors were Quest’s most effective promoter, and they tried to get in front of as many community-minded people as possible.
How Did He Do It?
Tom Bilyeu’s net worth was grown from hard work and successful strategies. He gives all the credit of his success to his mindset. He grew up as a lazy child, but he dedicated himself to changing his habits and nurture a growth mindset.
His first step was to establish a strict morning routine including a workout and meditation. He strongly believes that all successful entrepreneurs have a morning routine. He started goal setting, making effective use of his time, and taking action towards his goals.
Before he knew it, he was a founder of a company worth over $1 billion.
Tom Bilyeu Impact Theory
In 2016, Tom decided to start a company that aligned with his life passion and values. He, along with his wife Lisa, started Impact Theory. This media company aims to spread knowledge. They want to help people develop their passion and make their mark on the world.
They share blog posts, podcasts, speeches, youtube videos, and more. Tom Bilyeu’s book list includes book recommendations, including topics from psychology to leadership (and more). Many of these books involve the development of emotional intelligence. Tom believes the human potential is limitless!
The company has interview talk shows that also act as podcasts, hosted by Tom and/or his wife Lisa. They often host guests such as Tim Ferriss, Sam Harris, Dr. Drew, and many more. There are four podcasts – impact theory, relationship theory, health theory, and women of impact. Tom also speaks at events.
Tom Bilyeu Quotes
There are hundreds of Tom Bilyeu quotes that he lives his life by. We can’t include all of them, but here are just a few that we love.
“If you look for the negative, it will be there. If you look for the positive, it will overwhelm you.”
“Books contain the secrets to the universe.”
Not only does Tom have his own podcast, but he speaks on others. We were happy to feature him on ours! Check out our 60-minute Tom Bilyeu podcast below. He speaks in-depth about his life, business secrets, the importance of social media, and much more. You can find it on iTunes here as well as on Spotify here.
The Role of Social Media In Tom’s Net Worth
Social media is a huge reason Tom became so successful. Quest Nutrition grew so quickly because of influencers and brand ambassadors on social media pushing their products. Now, he inspires people through social media and the internet. His podcasts have millions of listeners. Tom Bilyeu’s Instagram alone has close to a million followers!
Tom often speaks about the power of social media and how incredible of a tool it is. It allows companies to really interact with their customers. From the beginning of his company, he thought of creative strategies to use social media to grow his company.
In our podcast, he told us that Quest sent Jenna Marbles custom-made sweaters for her dogs. They also sent a protein bar. She loved the sweaters so much that she started promoting the company.
This was incredible for them – she has a reach of 20 million people. It’s a prime example of the power of social media and where a unique idea can take you. Just one influencer can become an incredible marketing strategy.
A Peek Into His Personal Life
Wife & Family
Pictured: Tom Bilyeu and his wife Lisa Bilyeu in their Youtube video discussing relationships.
Tom’s personal life isn’t as “personal” as you might imagine. His wife, Lisa, is also his business partner! They met before Tom was successful, and Lisa helped create Quest Nutrition and Impact Theory. Their strong relationship is an inspiration for many people – they even have a show together dedicated to relationships.
Relationship Theory: Tom and Lisa discusses various topics, answers questions, and gives advice to help romantic relationships thrive.
Tom Bilyeu’s wife is the perfect fit for him. For one, they share the same values and ambition. They’ve grown together and have kept their relationship strong for almost 17 years. They have been married almost 15 years! They decided not to have kids, but they do have an adorable dog.
Since they’re married and they built everything together, Lisa Bilyeu’s net worth is the same as Tom’s. They’ve been together since they were clipping coupons. Lisa hosts the Women of Impact podcast, and speaks on many of the other Impact Theory podcasts.
Where Does All Tom's Money Go?
Traveling & Fun Activities
When browsing through Instagram stories on Tom and Lisa’s pages, you’ll find a ton of fun activities that they indulge in. Traveling, fancy restaurants, and so on. They’re both goofy and love to indulge in fun times. After working hard, they definitely make the most of their free time! Tom even stated that they go visit Santa every year.
Unfortunately, Tom Bilyeu’s house is very private. We haven't seen it, but we know that he lives in Los Angeles.
Summary of Tom Bilyeu
Tom’s story is an inspiring tale. We were honored to talk with him and hear his secrets. He shows that anybody, despite their past, can achieve their dreams as long as they’re willing to work hard for it. He shares that achieving success is as simple as changing your mindset and beliefs. With his growth mindset, Tom Bilyeu’s net worth is only going to keep growing!
That's the same mindset we see a lot in The One Percent community. It's where entrepreneurs go to invest and create long-term wealth. But it's also where we get together with others who "get" what it means to own a problem, create a solution, and serve people in a way that changes the world. That might sound a little lofty, but it's what we happening every single day. If you're wondering whether The One Percent might be a great fit for you, check it out now.
