Eric White who started Zydeco Construction has come a long way from where he started. The 33-year-old’s company builds backyard beaches and ponds so that you can have your very own private seaside, right behind your house. The “swimming ponds” are actually blue swimming pools that are surrounded by sand. They are operated by a specially patented water pump.

Life hasn’t always been easy for White. He reports having been homeless for eight months as a teenager. When he passed out of high school, he was only able to read at a second-grade level. White told The Daily Advertiser: “Growing up, things weren’t easy for me. I could hardly even spell my name.” After failing school, White worked at a local construction company in order to support his daughter. The work came naturally to him and soon he joined a company in Baton Rouge.

White said: “The guy that I worked for there took me under his wing and taught me about the company. Within the first six months, I was managing the team. From there, I went to another company that offered more money, then I started my own company, a pool business called Cool Pools. That business did very well, and last year, I sold it for over a million.” The Louisiana millionaire now runs Zydeco Construction out of pure passion and love. His ponds cost several thousand dollars to create and each one is unique.