You have a start-up idea but ... where do you go from there? Two teen entrepreneurs bring together 51 influential business leaders for Q&As about starting a business, finding success, and, yes, making money. Fifteen-year-olds Fenley Scurlock and Jason Liaw had both started businesses by the time they'd reached middle school. In this groundbreaking book, these young entrepreneurs interview leaders involved with brand-name businesses like MasterClass, Hallmark, IKEA, Parachute, and more. They ask questions every burgeoning exec wants to know: How can I get started? Is college worth it? What skills do I need? How did YOU make it big? In a book that's unlike any book out there--for kid or adult entrepreneurs--Fenley and Jason give readers access to leading innovators, inventors, and executives as they tell their stories and provide tips to a new generation of bosses.
You have a start-up idea but ... where do you go from there? Two teen entrepreneurs bring together 51 influential business leaders for Q&As about starting a business, finding success, and, yes, making money. Fifteen-year-olds Fenley Scurlock and Jason Liaw had both started businesses by the time they'd reached middle school. In this groundbreaking book, these young entrepreneurs interview leaders involved with brand-name businesses like MasterClass, Hallmark, IKEA, Parachute, and more. They ask questions every burgeoning exec wants to know: How can I get started? Is college worth it? What skills do I need? How did YOU make it big? In a book that's unlike any book out there--for kid or adult entrepreneurs--Fenley and Jason give readers access to leading innovators, inventors, and executives as they tell their stories and provide tips to a new generation of bosses.
It seems like these days, whenever you look at a newsstand, at least one major business magazine has a cover story about a wildly successful entrepreneur in his or her 20s or 30s. That's not surprising when one considers that one out of every five small-business owners in America is under 35, and that more young people are starting businesses than ever before. Right now, in college dorm rooms and their parents' garages, the next generation of Sam Waltons, Bill Gateses, and Michael Dells are hard at work. "If you are ever going to take risks in exploring your career options, this is the absolute best time to do it," says 26-year-old entrepreneurial expert Jennifer Kushell. "Why wait until you have a semi-stable corporate job and major financial obligations to discover that you hate your career and need to make a big change?" Kushell is the ideal mentor for young people thinking about taking the plunge. Her very successful Young Entrepreneurs Network educates teens and twentysomethings in 40 countries about forming their own companies. A born entrepreneur -- her father and aunt are leading experts on franchising and trademark licensing, respectively -- Kushell presided over her own company's growth while attending college full-time. Her book draws on her invaluable hands-on experience: "It's not so much a how-to-start-a-business book as it is a how-to-cope-with-life-while-starting-and-succeeding-in-your-own-business book," the author says. "All I can say is that this is the real deal, the real story." With wit, candor and exuberance for her subject, Kushell gives practical and personal insight from a young entrepreneur's point of view to help new business owners get through their first few years. The book "also teaches you tricks of the trade that you can rely on to compete successfully in a business world with people twice your age and companies God-knows-how-many-times-as big," she adds. The Young Entrepreneur's Edge addresses key topics such as trying to obtain capital and writing a business plan, which, the author says, are among the biggest obstacles for young entrepreneurs. But the book also tackles critical areas that other business books rarely address: how to get older people to take you seriously; how not to starve when you're broke; how to win your family's approval; how to get out and meet important people; how not to get carded when entertaining clients; and other unique situations faced by young business people. Praise for The Young Entrepreneur's Edge "Fresh college graduates frustrated by the job search should pick up a copy of [this book]." --"Los Angeles Times" "Can help both job-seekers and job-holders rethink their idea of gainful employment." --"Mademoiselle" "Entertaining, fast-reading, and immensely sensible. Kushell is a human dynamo." --"Sacramento Bee" "Every young entrepreneur needs good ideas, and this book is full of them." --Fred Deluca, founder and president of Subway(R) Restaurants "It is a must-read for my students." --Kathleen R. Allen, Ph.D., The Entrepreneur Program, University of Southern California
What do Mark Cuban, Steve Case, Sanjay Gupta, Donna Shalala, and Christina Aguilera all have in common? They are all Junior Achievement alumni who developed an entrepreneurial attitude about their life’s work! In this landmark book, Larry Farrell, the world’s most experienced authority on researching and teaching entrepreneurship, has partnered with JA to bring their combined vast experience directly to you. In The Entrepreneurial Attitude, Farrell reveals his latest research on the four fundamental practices of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs: Sense of Mission, Customer/Product Vision, High-Speed Innovation, and Self-Inspired Behavior. He then brings those proven practices to life through interviews with seventy high-achieving JA alumni across 35 countries including AOL founder Steve Case, CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, British MP David Lammy, Hong Kong biotech entrepreneur Eric Chen, social entrepreneur Fernando Tamayo in Peru, non-profit pioneer Sheikha Hessa al-Khalifa in Bahrain, Journalist Adedayo Fashanu in Nigeria, and President of the Clinton Foundation Donna Shalala. This powerful combination illustrates for the first time that having an entrepreneurial attitude is the key to success in any career in any field: a business start-up or a large corporation, social enterprise, the traditional professions, government, or even the arts. Farrell also provides application planning exercises, helping you to apply the entrepreneurial basics to your own chosen field.
Starting your own business is one of the most important steps you can take in your life and it can be both exciting and daunting. Practical Business ABC presents a modern approach to entrepreneurship and business development, presenting in A-Z style, invaluable advice on many aspects of running your own business. It encourages readers to prepare effectively putting in place systems that will enhance their business operations as they develop. The book gives an insight into the kinds of considerations to take into account before embarking on a new career as an entrepreneur, drawing on advice from several well-known business and motivational personalities, citing how they overcame difficulties and the strategies they employed in the pursuit and fulfilment of their mission to become successful. The book can be used as a checklist for people embarking on their entrepreneurial journey if they wish to avoid common mistakes and learn from others.
You don't have to be over twenty-one, a college grad, or even out of high school to come up with a brilliant, marketable business plan. You're never too young to get started, and there's no time like the present. Gary Nealon has written an essential how-to handbook for teenage visionaries who are not afraid to dream big and are ready to leave their mark on the world. A self-taught serial entrepreneur who built a $20 million e-commerce business, Nealon knows there's no minimum age requirement when it comes to ambition. His invaluable expertise and advice can help any budding business genius take a brainchild from inspiration to fruition. Notes to a Young Entrepreneur provides everything you need to know about making an action plan, finding a mentor, researching markets, raising capital, and more. College might be the proper route for you to take, with its significant networking potential. Or perhaps the money for your higher education would be better spent seeding your new endeavor. Whatever path is the right one for you, Gary Nealon will help you make all the right moves right now. Your future starts today, because it's never too early to get down to business.
Letters to a Young Entrepreneur speaks to everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit, capturing the personal challenges encountered in actualizing a vision. In fifteen letters, each distilling the essence of significant insights, the author reflects upon experiences that have enabled and inspired his journey. Penned with candor and clarity, this book sharpens our sensitivity to the human dynamics and complexities of growing an extraordinary business while preserving essential inner qualities and values that augment leadership and life.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur takes energy and drive. Less than 20% make it beyond the first three years. Achieving the next level, the status of business titan -- the upper echelon of leadership -- takes an unrelenting commitment to turn an idea into a plan, a plan into a startup venture, and a venture into a successful business. The chances of getting to the top are slim at best, relying on a particular set of skills and attributes. In The Wisdom of Titans, William Ferguson shares how 10 famous titans, from Bill Marriott to Julia Stewart, made it to the top, for every entrepreneur to learn from and follow. The book describes the challenges of leading service organizations, in particular, where managing and motivating thousands of people can make or break the business. The book provides advice for those just starting out as well as business leaders looking to take their enterprise to the next level.
WORK & INDUSTRY / WORLD OF WORK (CHILDREN'S / TEENAGE). Do you want to be the next Richard Branson? Have you developed the new Angry Birds game? Do you bake the most delicious recipes that people just need to try? Then you need Be A Young Entrepreneur! In this book you will learn all the business advice, practical tips, real-life stories, up-to-date ideas and inspiration you need to make a success of your first business. Starting your own company doesn't have to be boring and this book is all about inspiring you to think creatively about your company, guiding you through every step, from registering your company name to elevator pitches, all stress-free. A great title for project work or leisure reading. Ages 9+
Skip a Step is not another get rich quick guide from business moguls who amassed a fortune. It's meant for a new generation who do not just want to get rich, but wish instead to find meaning and purpose in life. Each chapter contains a close interview with an entrepreneur or leader making a difference in the world and divulging the wisdom they received from slaying the dragons in their own lives to achieve success. It is not just about wealth or success that we want you, the reader, to walk away learning, but rather the struggle, triumphs and challenges faced and felt that have impacted the lives of the people we interviewed in Skip a Step. So many young people are programmed from an early age to go to school, get good grades, attend college, and then hope for a good-paying job. This used to be the "safe" approach to obtaining a successful life. But every once in awhile, a maverick as you will read in Skip a Step, comes along and bucks the trend. This person doesn't play it safe. Instead, they take risks. Perhaps they drop out of school. They put their heart and soul into building a company that has never existed before, offering a crucial product or service that no one else is providing. By doing something so disruptive and wholly original, they attain success on their terms. As a culture we celebrate these gutsy individualists as entrepreneurs.Our goal is for each reader to learn that a successful life is a meaningful life and that each of us has something special to contribute if we face our challenges with courage, love and passion.