Entrepreneurship: Why it’s good to start so early

Starting a business young means you have time on your side, and that’s one of the most positive things to take from this. As a potential young entrepreneur, you can develop your ideas whilst studying, and you shouldn’t want to become a millionaire overnight.

We believe it’s never a bad idea to think about starting your own business. You might think you’re too young; however, if you’re a driven, passionate and responsible person, entrepreneurship might just be for you.

Starting your business could be a great way to make money on the side, or over the summer. There are more opportunities for you to consider than ever before.Most people who start businesses are not as young as you might think. It doesn’t hurt you to get started on your own enterprise at a younger age. In fact, it might help. Some benefits of starting early are:

• You stand out–if you are young, you stand out from the crowd, and people will remember that about you. People tend to remember kids doing amazing things that even though adults can do better. Imagine a 10-year old boy in your school building a mobile browser launcher, that skill/expertise will drive him to fame because he’s outstanding.

• Mentors–nobody wants to mentor a washed up 50 year old entrepreneur, but which successful businessperson doesn’t want to show the ropes to a youngster? It’s easier to bend a stem when wet that dry. As a matter of fact, mentors give their time to youngsters than the older entrepreneurs because they believe in their crazy ideas as they haven’t been marred by cultural/economical bias.
• Technology–let’s face it, we know how to use it. The older generation didn’t grow up around it and therefore didn’t invent Google, Facebook, YouTube or anything else cool.

• Opportunities in your school– as a young entrepreneur, you might need some facilities to blow up your little business, but you really might not need to purchase these things because you can easily access them in your school, especially if you inform the person in charge. Things like state of the art libraries, meeting facilities, computers, printers, copy machines, even customers (the staff of the school, parents of your colleagues might end up being your customers). What more does an entrepreneur need?

• You have your family as unpaid staff–Leverage on people around you as your first staff. Your mum, your brother, your sister, your cousins and everybody around you can come in to assist while you still retain your proprietorship. You don’t need to pay wages for them even though you may return the favour in kind. This, you get free of charge; the older ones don’t get this benefit.

• Enough time for mistakes–as a youngster, you have so many years ahead of you to keep trying. If for any reason, your business is not catching people’s attention or you are not getting it right, you can always reset. Going back to the drawing board may be difficult for older entrepreneurs. It’s okay to fail at a young age. Don’t reside inside that failure, try again. When you fail again, still try again. Keep trying till you get it right.

• You’ve got nothing to lose–house? car? facilities? Name it! Because you are in relatively free zone, you can’t lose anything if the worst comes. Whatever you lose in the process will quite be insignificant to consider as a loss, so keep moving! You have no worries!

• Maybe free rent and meals at home while you are bootstrapping your business. You have a conducive environment to do whatever it is you are doing without having to pay dues or rent because you are already covered. We understand that you may be hungry as you are doing your business, don’t worry, you are still daddy and mummy’s child, your food is readily available.

• You’ll get to laugh at your friends working their 9-5 hating life, while you live the lifestyle you want working for yourself. In the future, you’ll be so comfortable and independent than your friends who are under the control of people or government. You’ll have time for yourself and your family because you are not time-bound and not working for someone else.

• Your Age is your leverage in marketing- the more reason why people will buy from you (with good marketing skills) is because you are so young. The older ones (who are mainly your customers) are passionate about kids who run their business. Even if they don’t really need whatever you are selling or producing at that moment, they don’t want you to feel bad or discouraged, they will be forced to buy your products. The bigger ones don’t get this; they need technical skills and strategies to convince people to check their stuff out.

In summary, starting a business is a great way for kids to learn real life skills and build confidence. If all these are attained at the start of their lives, the future is definitely now.

Check out some inspirational messages by our indigenous kid entrepreneurs:
• “we would advise kids who want to become entrepreneurs to know that owning a business is not only for adults and if they have vision or plan, they should go for it without fear” –Onyinye (13) & Ijeoma (11) Monu(Sunburst Tie and Dye)
• “I just want to encourage other kids that love doing peculiar things to engage themselves in what they love to do and see how it goes, you never know” – Oluwademilade Oyegun (10) (CEO Jolacrafts)
• “No height is unattainable if you don’t stop doing what you love doing” -Samantha Soje (8) (Pancakes expert)
• “Children should save and also try to join clubs that will spark up their potentials”- Ogonifoluwa Layode (9) (CEO Inumidun Delicacies)
• “Work hard, never give up, dream big”- Kiki Gusto (10) (TV Presenter)