Becoming an Entrepreneur – It’s Never Too Early to Start!

Young people have fabulous business ideas. Some of them courageously venture out and realise their dreams. Luke is a 13 year old who came to one of my classes last year. At a tender age, he was already running a profitable, global online business and proudly shared his experiences with classmates. He did not let his age hold him back.

Starting a business at any age is a challenge. You need unique ideas, creativity, curiosity, belief in yourself and courage to ask for support. However, setting up your business at a young age has numerous advantages:

•  New Skills

You will learn some valuable time-management and problem solving skills, and how to effectively prioritise your tasks. However, you will need to ensure that you create a healthy balance between school and your entrepreneurial idea. Consider education your top priority and your business as a hobby.

• Standing out From the Crowd

If you would like to study at a reputable university, you will need to think about differentiating your skills. You will need to achieve great results at school and also think about broadening your extra-curricular experiences. Running your business will help you stand out from the crowd and become more tenacious.

• Professional Experience

When you run your enterprise, you gain some fantastic work experience. You learn how to handle customers, how to promote your products or services, to develop your professional network and to refine your communication style. If you build these skills at a young age, you will have a head start over your peers when it comes to getting a job.

• Winning Attitude

Running your business could help boost your self-confidence. You will develop a strong work ethic and become more independent in your thinking. Remember that your attitude to work is just as import as your previous work experience. The right attitude will open doors for you (which otherwise would have remained shut).
Follow your curiosity, do not let your age hold you back and most importantly, do ask for support!