Never too young to be an entrepreneur
Never too young to be an entrepreneur
Aniol, 25, started her graphic design company Beyond Destination Design five years ago. “Running my own business full-time at my age is a goal I set out to achieve,” she explains. “It hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud to be a young entrepreneur.”
Beyond Destination Design (info@bdd.ca) creates innovative menus and promotional items for restaurants, bars and lounges. A major alcohol brand recently hired the firm to design catchy martini menus for use in Eastern Canada.
Aniol is part of a growing trend. According to an Angus Reid poll, “Entrepreneur” is the top career choice of young Canadians between the ages of 18 and 35. Young people crave the f reedom and independence of entrepreneurship.
“I never liked routine,” attests Aniol. “Being my own boss keeps every day new and exciting and allows me to pursue my passion.”
At an age when most young people are just starting their careers, Aniol seems ahead of the pack. She’s earning good money and just moved into office space on Yonge St. near St. Clair in Toronto. She’s paid her dues, however. “I kept a full-time job during my first few years in business to raise some money,” she recalls. “I quit the job when I couldn’t find time to sleep.”
Without the benefit of previous work experience, young entrepreneurs should expect a learning curve. “I’ve learned to pay attention to my accounting,” explains Aniol. “You’ve got to stay on top of your invoices because people don’t always pay on time.”
Aniol says young people make great entrepreneurs. “Running your own business involves a lot of energy and risk, so being young helps,” she says. “I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Kat Aniol helps bar patrons to choose that perfect martini from menus produced by her firm, Beyond Destination Design. She’s part of a growing number of young entrepreneurs in Canada.
Tips for young entrepreneurs
As a young entrepreneur, you’ll certainly be envied by your employed friends. While self-employment offers many perks, follow this advice to overcome some common challenges:
* Consider a co-signer. Being young and self-employed is considered a double negative for many banks. Line up a relative or friend who is prepared to co-sign a loan if your business requires bank financing.
* Keep that day job. Without established credit and little savings, you’ll be wise to keep a part or full-time job while your business gets going. Use that income to pay your rent and living expenses and ease the revenue pressure on your new venture.
* Find a mentor. Admit you won’t know everything about starting and growing a small business. A seasoned business person can be a wealth of experience and support for a young entrepreneur. Approach someone you respect to mentor you monthly, or contact entrepreneurship organizations such as The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (www.cybf.ca) or Enterprise Toronto (www.enterprisetoronto.com) for some connections.
* Exercise self-discipline . Fifty percent of young entrepreneurs work from home, where it’s easy to get distracted. Stay focused on your business by establishing regular working hours, creating a proper workspace and reminding your friends not to drop by unannounced during your work day.
Never too young to be an entrepreneur - To learn more about this author, visit Roger Pierce's Website.
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There’s no age restriction to launching a small business. “Starting young gives you time to make mistakes and recuperate from them,” says entrepreneur Kat Aniol.
Aniol, 25, started her graphic design company Beyond Destination Design five years ago. “Running my own business full-time at my age is a goal I set out to achieve,” she explains. “It hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud to be a young entrepreneur.”
Beyond Destination Design (info@bdd.ca) creates innovative menus and promotional items for restaurants, bars and lounges. A major alcohol brand recently hired the firm to design catchy martini menus for use in Eastern Canada.
Aniol is part of a growing trend. According to an Angus Reid poll, “Entrepreneur” is the top career choice of young Canadians between the ages of 18 and 35. Young people crave the f reedom and independence of entrepreneurship.
“I never liked routine,” attests Aniol. “Being my own boss keeps every day new and exciting and allows me to pursue my passion.”
At an age when most young people are just starting their careers, Aniol seems ahead of the pack. She’s earning good money and just moved into office space on Yonge St. near St. Clair in Toronto. She’s paid her dues, however. “I kept a full-time job during my first few years in business to raise some money,” she recalls. “I quit the job when I couldn’t find time to sleep.”
Without the benefit of previous work experience, young entrepreneurs should expect a learning curve. “I’ve learned to pay attention to my accounting,” explains Aniol. “You’ve got to stay on top of your invoices because people don’t always pay on time.”
Aniol says young people make great entrepreneurs. “Running your own business involves a lot of energy and risk, so being young helps,” she says. “I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Kat Aniol helps bar patrons to choose that perfect martini from menus produced by her firm, Beyond Destination Design. She’s part of a growing number of young entrepreneurs in Canada.
Tips for young entrepreneurs
As a young entrepreneur, you’ll certainly be envied by your employed friends. While self-employment offers many perks, follow this advice to overcome some common challenges:
* Consider a co-signer. Being young and self-employed is considered a double negative for many banks. Line up a relative or friend who is prepared to co-sign a loan if your business requires bank financing.
* Keep that day job. Without established credit and little savings, you’ll be wise to keep a part or full-time job while your business gets going. Use that income to pay your rent and living expenses and ease the revenue pressure on your new venture.
* Find a mentor. Admit you won’t know everything about starting and growing a small business. A seasoned business person can be a wealth of experience and support for a young entrepreneur. Approach someone you respect to mentor you monthly, or contact entrepreneurship organizations such as The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (www.cybf.ca) or Enterprise Toronto (www.enterprisetoronto.com) for some connections.
* Exercise self-discipline . Fifty percent of young entrepreneurs work from home, where it’s easy to get distracted. Stay focused on your business by establishing regular working hours, creating a proper workspace and reminding your friends not to drop by unannounced during your work day.
Never too young to be an entrepreneur - To learn more about this author, visit Roger Pierce's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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