Young Bosses: 6 Successful Brand Builders Who Got An Early Start

“I look back and I always say, ‘The hits I took as a kid, if I had to take those same hits today, I wouldn’t make it.’ When you’re young, you’re unafraid and unstoppable,â€ ~Tina Wells

Wells’ journey into entrepreneurship began at 16. She wrote product reviews for a newspaper, eventually starting a business to help clue companies in on what teens want. Now in its 15th year, Buzz Marketing Group‘s revenues are over $4 million. “I never said, ‘Oh, I’d like to own a marketing agency.’ I didn’t even know what that was at 16,â€ says Wells. “I knew I was a kid who was passionate about fashion, beauty, entertainment, and pop culture.â€
All grown up, Wells is now a savvy businesswoman continuing to redefine the way companies identify, interpret, and respond to young people. Her Voorhees, New Jersey-based market research firm, has positioned itself as a key player offering companies from PBS to Sesame Workshop to American Eagle effective marketing and research strategies–related to beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment–for 6 to 24-year-olds. Besides Buzz Marketing, Wells is now an accomplished author having released the tween book series, Mackenzie Blue, as well as the youth marketing handbook Chasing Youth Culture And Getting It Right, which will be released this spring.