- (Images: Thinkstock; Lonnie Major)
Today, young people are making moves sooner than previous generations. Not holding back in pursuing their dreams, goals and aspirations, they are redefining how business is done and the results are immediately seen in the impact they have on the business landscape today, as well as tomorrow. But just what does it take to be a young boss? While a number of factors are involved, there are a few must-have traits for success. Here’s a roundup of a few BE Nexters who embody the advantages of youth and why it can give one a leg up to the competition.Â
- EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM
- “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,†~Tina Wells
- Tina Wells, 30, Owner/CEO, Buzz Marketing Group
- 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,†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.
- BOUNCING BACK FROM ADVERSITY
- “As a teenage mother with no higher education and very few resources to start a business, I had every reason to quit. Instead, I chose to lead a life of faith and leave a legacy that screams, ‘No excuses!” ~Sirena Moore
- Sirena Moore, 29, Founder/CEO, Elohim Cleaning Contractors Inc.
- The Bristol, Pennsylvania-based industrial and commercial construction site cleaning firm continues to generate revenue that’s a far cry from the $200 Moore, her father and younger brother pooled together back in 2002 to launch the business. But what Moore lacked in capital she made up for it in determination.
- During the first three years of business, they added full-time employees to the payroll one at a time. “I worked during the day to make ends meet and my brother also kept a job,†recalls the 29-year-old. “I added myself last.†Among the top priorities of the company was to operate debt-free, which it managed to do successfully since inception until November 2009 when they secured their first line of credit. This feat worked in their favor during the economic recession. This past year the firm received its 8(a) certification which gives minority- and women-owned businesses competitive positioning in applying for federal contracts. Elohim Cleaning Contractors generated $2.7 million in 2009, and surpassed $3 million in 2010. The company looks to reach $10 million in revenue for 2011.
- MAKING SCIENTIFIC SMARTS COUNT
- “While I would never claim to change the world, I hope to inspire generations of leaders with the quantitative creativity critical for true innovation and progress.” ~ Sheldon Gilbert
- Sheldon Gilbert, 35, Founder/CEO, Proclivity Systems
- Being considered a “nerd†might not be such a bad a thing anymore. Science and technology are standout growth industries for the U.S., with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 22% increase in the number of such jobs from 2004 to 2014, or more than 2.5 million job openings. And the global marketplace is constantly on the prowl for new innovations to change the way we do any–and everything. This is what lured Sheldon Gilbert into entrepreneurship. The creator of Proclivity, a behavior predicting software, he knows the ins and outs of data mining. “Every time you click a link, it’s a request for information you’re making to a server,†explains Gilbert, who tutored students in chemistry on the side while he spent a year writing the software. “We can then mine the data stored on the servers to create a profile of a person’s likes and dislikes–or proclivities.”
- With this software, the 25-person firm Proclivity Systems has increased online sales by as much as 30% for clients such as Barney’s New York, by predicting which offers to present to which customers, says Gilbert. Launched in April 2006 with $750,000 from angel investors, the startup recently raised an additional $5.5 million in venture capital in order to expand Proclivity’s platform and services into new vertical arenas and channels, as well as bring on senior management, says Gilbert.
- TAKING RISKS, THINKING BOUNDLESSLY
- “There’s a huge disconnect between the mindset of young people and the companies trying to create products that young people buy,†~Jason Smikle
- Jason Smikle, 25, Co-Founder, Managing Director, TUV Online/TUV Media Networks
- A creative entrepreneur and risk taker, Smikle teamed up with friends, Ebele Mora and Fabricio Sousa during his sophomore year of college to launch Truly Unique Vision (TUV). The team has since reaped the rewards from this venture, evolving into a Chicago-based new media company that helps brands connect directly with young people (18-24). The company has successfully led efforts in creating video campaigns with companies such as Foot Locker, Toyota and McDonald’s. Marrying a grassroots style of youth engagement and digital media at colleges nationwide, TUV has also helped BET refine its content through an innovative approach to reaching its audience. “There’s a huge disconnect between the mindset of young people and the companies trying to create products that young people buy,†says Smikle. “Clients will have a one-stop-shop into the college market.†With a growing client list the company expects 100% growth in year-over-year revenue.
- THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND
- “Above all be fearless. Because the world is a scary place and stepping out on your own is risky,†~The Broussards
- Lorielle and Brandon Broussard, 30 and 34, Barackawear Inc.
- Everything doesn’t always go as planned. In August 2007, the sibling duo quit their day jobs to go full force with their clothing line, Barackawear Inc. The Los Angeles-based company aggressively touted T-shirts and other apparel with the ’90s-inspired slogan: Barack the Vote, in support of the then-Illinois senator and presidential candidate who became the nation’s first Black president. Their risk-taking teamwork paid off and the popular T-shirt line generated $600,000 in revenue in 2008. But betting on President Barack Obama was just the beginning.
- Business-savvy and ready to expand, the two went on to launch YOTOWN, a line of nonpolitical shirts featuring personalized maps of any U.S. city. And after realizing that their passion for YOTOWN had waned, the Broussards stopped production on the clothing line in October 2009. Today, Lorielle and Brandon are putting their energy and enthusiasm into Purple Stuff TV, a sketch comedy Web-based series which they are currently shopping around to television networks. Based on their previous success, their prospects remain promising. “We got an investor for Purple Stuff TV based on our success with Barackawear,†says Lorielle.