Readers who live in Vancouver are probably all too familiar with the term “downtown east side”, but for those of you reading from elsewhere in the country (or world), it likely has no meaning. Well, Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is known as being one of the poorest postal codes in the country, specifically at the intersection of Main and Hastings. There are many challenges in the area — poverty, drug addiction, prostitution, and so on — but the neighbourhood isn’t without hope.

Take self-proclaimed dot com mogul John Chow, for example. He grew up in Strathcona, a neighbourhood that is immediately adjacent to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Needless to say, the influence of the neighbourhood next door is fairly significant. Despite this (or even because of this), John Chow developed a strong work ethic that sticks with him today. He knew that the only way that he could ever succeed was through his own hard work and dedication.

Today, John Chow runs a personal blog where he shares his money-making strategies. That blog makes in excess of $12,000 a month. What’s more, John also runs The TechZone, a technology site that reviews computer hardware and other components. Believe me, he’s doing much better than someone flipping burgers at the golden arches. And all it took was passion, dedication, and a little elbow grease.

It goes to show you that anyone can succeed in life, even if you come from an immigrant family, a troubled neighbourhood, or have horrible grammar like Chow.