BTS has just rocked the Grammys, shook Las Vegas with its Permission to Dance run, and broke its own Guinness World Record claiming the most Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards won by a music group. The group’s huge comeback, following the relaxation of pandemic restrictions across the globe, has the boys making big waves once again. The supergroup shows no signs of slowing down and neither does its management, Hybe – formerly Big Hit Entertainment – established by Bang Si-hyuk, the genius behind the group. Bang has steadily grown his music empire as he and Hybe’s artists continue to take over the scene. We take a look at the billionaire’s earlier days and how he made it to the top. Life before BTS fame Bang has been passionate about music from a young age and debuted as a composer and songwriter in the mid-90s. He joined a local competition, called the Yoo Jae-ha Music Contest, and won third place. 5 times Blackpink’s Lisa proved she’s Thailand’s unofficial princess His demo CD fell into the hands of Park Jin-young, more famously known as JYP, founder of JYP Entertainment. In a report on The Joong Ang Korea , Park is quoted in a translation describing Bang’s work: “It’s like sophisticated music, like overseas music.” The two began to make music together. Their song for first-generation group g.o.d., Friday Night, became a hit, which earned them a reputation as hit composers. It also gave Bang the nickname “Hitman Bang”. Under JYP Entertainment, Bang continued to compose music for K-pop superstar Rain, the Wonder Girls and more. Building the supergroup – and his entertainment empire It was in 2005 when Bang decided to start a venture of his own: Big Hit Entertainment. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though, with Forbes reporting that in 2007, the company nearly went bankrupt but was saved by the success of their ballad groups 8 Eight and 2AM. In 2010, Bang began forming the seven-member boy group, BTS, before its official debut in 2013. 5 things to know about Park Seo-joon, Marvel’s next Korean star During a 2019 interview with Time , Bang cites a multitude of things that led to BTS’ incredible fame: timing and luck, his company espousing a “more liberal” and “school-like” training system, producing songs with messages that resonated with youth around the world and facilitating a strong connection between members and fans. In 2017, BTS released “You Never Walk Alone” (a repackaged version of its “Wings” album) , and its lead single Spring Day. The song debuted on the US Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and, eventually, BTS sold out in major concert arenas in the US. Forbes reported that Big Hit’s net profit rose 172 per cent that year compared to 2016, with a gain of about US$22.9 million – the highest it had achieved since its founding. As BTS grew bigger, so did Big Hit, and the company acquired shares in other major entertainment companies, such as Pledis Entertainment (which manages the group Seventeen), rapper Zico’s Koz Entertainment and YG Plus, among others. Hitman Bang strikes gold Bang debuted his company in the South Korean stock market in October 2020. As per a Rolling Stone report, the company’s shares opened at around US$235 per share (twice the initial public offering price at US$110), and reached its day-one market cap at US$7.6 billion. Each of the seven BTS members were given their pieces of the pie before the stock market debut. They received 478,695 common shares “to strengthen long-term partnership with major artists and boost morale”, said the agency, according to Reuters. 5 K-drama actresses who married ultra-rich husbands In March 2021, Big Hit Entertainment underwent a restructuring and changed its name to Hybe. In June of the same year, Bang joined Forbes ’ Korea’s 50 richest list, coming in at No 16. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bang Si-Hyuk (@hitmanb72) Variety reported that, in April 2021, Hybe acquired Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings for US$1 billion, which manages global music stars such as Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. Bang is on Forbes ’ Billionaires list at No 1,053 and holds an estimated net worth of US$3 billion, while his company Hybe made it to Time ’s 100 Most Influential Companies for its second consecutive year. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .