MongoHQ is proof that a successful startup can be created anywhere and grow anywhere. Proud of these guys and they probably have the most unique office space/location of any startup in Alabama.
I built an online news service in 2002/2003 with zero coding knowledge, $100, and a bootleg version of Adobe Illustrator.
I put every spare moment I had into it, skipping lunches and dinners and sleep (though I never skipped church) all for the sake of keeping it lean before keeping it lean was cool.
5 years later I sold it for a paltry sum, mainly because I didn't add enough people fast enough.
Oh common now, we've all had cracked versions of Photoshop at one time. Had we not pirated it we never would have learned how to use it during the 30 day trial and later become loyal customers.