While most teens are texting nonstop, skipping class and missing their curfews, a new crop of super-teens is busy making their way in the corporate world, using innovative ideas, niche markets and sheer dedication. Hey, just because someone is under the age of 18 doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take them seriously. Some teens are so successful they’ll likely be banking a million before they’re even of legal drinking age. So pop the apple juice and toast the teens that will one day kick it in the corner office.
Adora Svatik. (Pictured above) What were you doing in 1997? Listening to New Kids on the Block and playing Pogs? Well, Adora Svatik was born that year and she’s already the published author of two acclaimed books. A literacy activist, Svatik has made a business out of presenting her various ideas and essays across the country, including a gigpresenting at a TED conference at the ripe old age of 12 years old. She claims that her youth is one of her strengths; childish minds can get around issues, roadblocks and challenges, where adult minds would stop short.
Emil Motycka. What kid hasn’t turned to mowing lawns to save a little summer cash for video games and Slurpees? But Emil Motycka took it one step further. The high school senior turned his lawn mowing business into serious cash, banking $135K in 2010, thanks to services like landscaping and Christmas light-hanging. Of course, Motycka notes that his business is serious work and isn’t afraid to put in hard time for good pay. He says he sleeps about four hours a night before getting back at it.
Sean Belnick. At age 14, Sean Belnick wasn’t playing basketball or Nintendo, he was busy creating his own website – to sell desk chairs, of all things! As the founder of BizChair.com, he only took seven years to hit revenues of $42 million. Today, the company also sells different kinds of office furniture and sales are around $58 million. Belnick also has several other business ventures in play, proving that you don’t always need experience to make something work.
Jack Uesugi. As a 16-year-old high school student in Hawaii, Uesugi loved art and graphic design. Cue the bright idea to start manufacturing his own silkscreen print T-shirts with graphics by local artisans. The company took off, thanks to online sales, and Uesugi makes a point to give part of his profits to charity. The company is currently bringing in $5K per month, a number that will probably rise as Uesugi graduates from high school.
What do we learn? So, what can you learn from entrepreneurs who took their first steps to success when they were just teens? The fact that age and education doesn’t always matter when it comes to a brilliant business idea. Sometimes, it takes business sense, momentum and pure persistence to turn an idea into reality. Even seasoned businesspeople can see that when you team a great idea with passion, it doesn’t matter how old you are; it just works.
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About the Author
This article was produced and written by Jacqueline at Brainflash. Brainflash is a platform that is dedicated to helping you “Discover Your Career” and make the connection between education and career with plenty of resources available. see more.
