The Secret of Their Sucess

Nov. 12, 2007 — -- With his thick-rimmed glasses and goofy demeanor, Drew Carey doesn't fit the stereotypical image of a winner. But with two hit TV shows under his belt and a new gig hosting "The Price Is Right," Carey reminds us that even average Joes can hit it big in Hollywood by just being themselves.

Success didn't come easy to Carey. A self-described "loser" in his teen years, Carey battled depression from an early age. "Back then, I was so full of a lot of self-hate," he says. "Man, I just didn't like myself."

Bulking up in the Marine Corps Reserve helped Carey gain some of the confidence he needed, but things really started to look up when he got a job writing jokes for a friend who worked in radio.

It wasn't long before he became a regular on the Cleveland comedy circuit, and soon after that, came his career's turning point: a shot on the "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." After Carey's performance there, Carson called him "funny as hell," and the rest, as they say, is history.

Though he's now an iconic comedian and an established TV star, Carey doesn't like to think of himself as a "winner." Calling yourself a winner when things are going well, Carey says, implies that you're a loser when things aren't going so well.

As Carey learned while overcoming his depression, comparing yourself to others and striving to be a "winner" won't make you happy. "It's all about love and kindness," Carey tells "20/20." "Not about comparing yourself to anyone else."

Also on the show, meet some amazing young people who have gone beyond expectations, and reached huge goals at an early age.

Find out what inspired young entrepreneurs like Ephren Taylor, who started his first company when he was only 12 years old, and, at 25, is now the youngest black CEO of a public company.

We'll also hear from Catherine Cook, a Georgetown University freshman, who started MyYearbook.com at age 17, and Ben Casnocha, the author of "My Start Up Life," who at the age of 14 founded a company that now earns almost $1 million a year. Casnocha travels the country speaking with executives and young people — and he hasn't even started college yet.

What's the secret of these young entrepreneurs' success? And is there a negative side to success at such a young age?

Some successful adults say it was their early failures, not successes, that shaped their lives. "Failure is nothing more than life's way of nudging you and letting you know that you're a little bit off course," said entrepreneur Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx, a line of women's undergarments that smooths over panty lines and slims down unsightly bulges.

Seven years ago, Blakely turned her $5,000 in savings into a formidable apparel company with $150 million in retail sales, and countless celebrity clients, but the company actually grew out of failure.

Blakely wanted to be a lawyer, but she flunked her law school entrance exam. Instead of letting that failure deflate her hopes and dreams, however, she decided to see it as an opportunity to switch gears. "Spanx would not exist if I had not failed the LSAT," Blakely said.