At the young age of 16, Griggs knew what he wanted to do: music. He has played piano for as long as he could remember, and this time, he wanted to share it to others. As such, he established Hear and Play Music, an instructional music company that offers piano lessons. He took $70 right out of his pocket and bought HearandPlay.com, then started teaching interested students how to play whole pieces by ear.
The company changed his life, and turned hundreds of thousands into musicians - 270,215 to be exact. The website was just the beginning. Griggs also taught through books, software, DVDs, and training courses.
Twelve years later, Griggs has become an internet millionaire piano teacher, with over 2 million aspiring musicians downloading his online lessons per year. Looking back, he expresses a great deal of pride as he recalls how the site grew from a few students to an international hub for music aficionados. Griggs never lost sight of his past as well, by offering a free music lesson to those who cannot afford paid lessons.
For Griggs, the people who sign up for his site remind him of his humble beginnings. He, too, was a student of music once. But by converting his passion into a worthwhile business, he became an inspiration to others. Griggs gave others a chance to pursue their interests in music. For this feat, he was included among the 50 richest young entrepreneurs under 30.