Dan Price
The $70,000 CEO
Disruptor
DAN PRICE
Game Changer
Entrepreneur
Dan Price, Founder & CEO of Gravity Payments
Raised in rural Idaho, far from the closest neighbor, Dan Price started Gravity Payments from his university dorm room when he was just 19 years old. Although music was his passion growing up, Dan discovered his lifelong mission when he found many small business owners in his community were being taken advantage of by their credit card processors. He knew that wasn’t right, so he rolled up his sleeves and began disrupting the typical way business is done.
As he told Entrepreneur Magazine, “I never intended to make a lot of money, or really any. I was really upset at this industry for the way they were treating my clients, and I just wanted to blow the whole thing up.”
Dan shaped Gravity on a different set of values not normally seen in the workplace —honesty, transparency, and responsibility. These simple values have made Dan and the Gravity team a trusted name in credit card processing. Today, independent businesses across all 50 states trust Gravity to save them millions in fees and hours in frustration by making it easy and simple for them to accept payments.
Changing the way business is done
It is well known that Dan is a celebrated entrepreneur, but what sets him apart is his conviction to do what he believes is right, even if it’s unpopular. His mission is to create a world where values-based companies reshape the economy, so business stops being about making the most money possible. Instead, he wants leaders to recognize that business should be about purpose, service, and making a difference. Dan believes it’s not about doing business as usual anymore, but doing business better.
At 26, Dan Price is awarded the National SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year, presented by President Barack Obama
Order Dan's New Book, Worth It
In this book, Price shares the experiences and events that shaped his decision—from his conservative, Christian upbringing in rural Idaho to the milestones that made him rethink the true purpose of business—and shows how taking a huge risk ultimately helped his company become more resilient and competitive. Calling on leaders to set and execute on their own purpose-driven visions, Price forces readers to question traditional market-centric business wisdom in favor of a more human—and much more sustainable—approach. It’s not easy, he argues, but in the end, the rewards will be worth it.
“I never want to make screw-you money like the rest of the financial services industry.”
—Dan Price
AWARDS & HONORS
- Entrepreneur Magazine Entrepreneur of 2014
- Seattle Business Magazine 2014 CEO of the Year
- Ernst & Young 2010 and 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
- GeekWire 2013 Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- Small Business Administration 2010 Young Entrepreneur of the Year
“Some people say an award like this would validate what they’re doing. I would say we need to do things to validate this award.”
In The Media
“As a leader, there’s a moral imperative to do the best you can for those you’re leading”
THE $70K CEO
In 2015, Dan made headlines around the world when he announced to the entire Gravity team that he planned to raise the minimum wage for everyone to $70,000. He called the move a “moral imperative” to do the best you can for those you’re leading.
The response that followed his announcement was overwhelming. Dan’s move spurred hundreds of thousands to voice their support and inspired business owners across the country to employ similar pay increases for their teams.
For more facts and stories on the $70K minimum wage decision, go to thegravityof70k.com.
PBS NewsHour story by award-winning journalist, John Larson, on the many effects of Dan Price's $70k minimum wage.
500 Million interactions with the $70k story
- Most shared video in NBC News history
- Most read New York Times article for a week
- Front page of Reddit for two days
- Front page of MSN
- Front page of ABC News
- Front page of Mashable
- Top trending article on Upworthy
- Top trending article on Buzzfeed
- Trended on Twitter for two days
- Trended on Facebook for three days
Spreading his message
around the world
Dan Price has emerged as an incredibly popular speaker. His straight-talking, earnest, pull-no-punches style never fails to entertain. He’s able to break down big ideas into relatable anecdotes that inspire audiences to put his advice into practice. From start-up advice, bootstrapping, and entrepreneurship, to income inequality and the business impact on social change, Dan’s message is personal and authentic.
SPEAKING TOPICS
In addition to the inspirational telling of his story—from home-schooled outcast to teenage rock star to 19-year-old CEO—Dan is able to speak on a variety of other topics.
Small Business Advocacy
- Disrupting an industry
- Standing up for the little guy
- Treating clients the way you would want to be treated
- Helping as much as you can will win out over greed in the long run
Lessons in entrepreneurialism
- Bootstrapping his company so he never had to compromise his vision
- Doing things differently than everyone else
- Advocating for those in need
- Putting clients’ needs in front of his own
New wave of millennial leaders
- Being the CEO of your own life
- Doing business with integrity and staying true to core values
- Giving opportunities to employees to pave their own path
- Flat organizational structure
- Growing pay inequality
Putting purpose into business
- Business impact on social change
- How and why everyone should make $70k
- Doing the best you can for those you’re leading
- Disrupting the status quo