What Young Means To Me

 

Since I created my first startup company at the age of 17 till now, I’ve always been referred to as a ‘young’ entrepreneur. While many would coin that adjective in front of entrepreneur as unnecessary or degrading, I really don’t mind being associated that way.

 

 

Many people say ‘young’ is a way to describe the unexperienced or new, however, my definition of young is a lot different. When I started as a young entrepreneur, I was fearful of my age and I let it affect me.

 

 

How I Let My Age Get The Best of Me

 

In my first startup company, I offered web design, web development, and internet marketing solutions to other businesses. Given my service orientated business, I really had to go out there to make sales.

 

 

There were times that clients wanted to meet me in person and close a deal, but instead I would try to do anything to close the sale on Skype or through the telephone. I often lost business or even lost the opportunity to make more money all because I was scared of showing people who I really was.

 

 

Now that I look back, it was really foolish on my part, but at the time it was my reality. Everyone else in the business world seemed older and I felt like I didn’t belong. Thus, I made every effort possible to be there without really being there.

 

 

After spending considerable time hiding from people, I decided this could not go on any further. I did not want to stay at the same plateau for the next 5 years and decided to get over my fear. I started with small meetings and got more comfortable as time went along.

 

 

After almost a year and a half of going through meetings and getting accustomed to the real world, I really love being the young one out there. Young has a whole new meaning to me and I look at it as an advantage, not as a flaw. Here’s what young really means to me:

 

 

 

More Time To Succeed

 

While most entrepreneurs seem to be on the fence and look at their startups as a must win situation, I have the opportunity to truly embrace the role of an entrepreneur. If I fail the first time, it’s not the end of the world.

 

 

If I fail, I get to learn from my mistakes and come back much stronger. For older entrepreneurs, often times failure means ending their journey and finding a job. They don’t get a second chance to put their improvements into action.

 

 

As a college student living at home, I don’t have many expenses to pay for. Essentially, it’s not all or nothing for me. I will do everything in my power to succeed, but if I can’t the first or second time around, I am not forced to give up.

 

 

Essentially, being young provides me with more opportunities and chances. As they say, opportunities are once in a life time but being young gives me the ability to get more shots at doing what I want.

 

 

 

More Energy & Enthusiasm

 

Being that I am younger than most people in my industry, I have an upper hand. I am more energized, enthusiastic, and eager. I can put in longer hours, have less responsibilities to think of, and have more energy.

 

 

Even though I go to college and put a lot of my time into that, I have the ability to maintain a very strict work ethic. They say you’re the most passionate about things the younger you are, and my passion truly fuels me to work harder.

 

 

When you’re young, you always tend to think big. Thinking big instead of reasonable is great for entrepreneurs because you don’t accept satisfaction until you have what you want. This progression helps younger entrepreneurs work harder and longer to achieve the unthinkable.

 

 

A Fresh New Perspective

 

I have ideas and perspectives to things others do not have because of my age. Growing up in a different generation than others in the business world, I bring something new to the table. People may call that inexperience, but I look at it as a new angle.

 

 

Most people thinking of solutions or ideas are usually in the same age range. We mainly use our experiences and surroundings to make decisions or solve problems. The problem with this is that most entrepreneurs are in the same age-range causing most of their perspectives to be very similar.

 

 

I see things in a different way and have unique solutions to problems because I have grown up in a completely different setting than my counterparts. I was surrounded by technology that others did not get to use until much later in their life.

 

 

My age helps me bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table that many others completely overlooked or didn’t think of. As I am part of the future generation, I know what my generation wants from products or businesses. I have a clear advantage for the future because I am more prepared to serve my own demographics.

 

 

I Stand Out

 

Whether I’m going to mixers, conferences, or events, the one thing I have realized through all these social gatherings is that people always remember me. It’s not often that people meet a 19 year old doing the things I do.

 

 

My age adds a huge value to my businesses and me. When I go and make a pitch or interact with a bunch of people, everyone seems to remember who I am because I was the person who stood out from the rest.

 

 

Not only in live meetings, but even online, people seem to remember me a lot more. They think of me as the ’19 year old entrepreneur who has a bunch of companies’ and that’s really great. When people remember me, I don’t have to constantly pitch my brand at them.

 

 

I can appear in one article or be somewhere and people tend to instantaneously remember me. Even if they don’t remember my name, they remember who I am and what it was that I do. When I first started, I always thought nobody is going to listen to me because I’m young.

 

 

In fact, the exact opposite has happened. The more I speak, the more people actually turn around and listen to me. What’s more intriguing, a 30 year old entrepreneur speaking to a room full of people or a 19 year old talking? For whatever reason it is, the moment they hear my age, they go ‘Woah’ and their attention is focused on me.

 

 

Anytime your talking, you want more people to hear you out. I recently did an elevator pitch at a Tech Mixer in Irvine and everyone that night remembered my name and provided me insight and feedback on my presentation. I had angel investors coming up to me giving me their business card telling me to call them every time I have a new startup company out.

 

 

When I have the whole room’s attention and can talk about meaningful things, everyone remembers me. This is a great advantage because I am able to generate buzz without having to really do anything extra.

 

 

Conclusion

 

A few years ago, I started my journey as a young fearful entrepreneur. I had and still have instances where people discredit me for my age, make jokes at my age, or tell me I’m too young.

 

 

While this affected as a first time entrepreneur, I realized that this disadvantage was really my greatest asset. Instead of fearing my young age, I started to embrace it. That was the best decision I ever made because I am proud to be a young entrepreneur.