I am 18, do i have potential?

[loik]

Hey guys. I am 18 years old and i am looking to get a head start on my dream of successful entrepreneurship. The problem is, I have no idea where to start! I don't know what kinds of business i want to do or what i can do to get where i want to be. If some of you older people on here could give me a few tips or strategies you wish you had done more of when you were my age that would be great!

thanks ahead!

[Squandered Halfpints]

My suggestion for any young person is to begin thinking about some long term financial investments. This is the main thing you have going for you at your young age. Instead of buying that fancy new car at your young age, invest your $$. You'll be much happier with your dream house in 20 years than that fast new car thats worth about half of what you bought it for the second you drive it off the lot.

[matt_nash]

Hey mate,

Do you have money??

Have you had any experience in business/ventures?

I am 20, I was the same at you age, wanted to be rich and successful etc.. etc.. I had tried everything from lawn mowing to selling promotional items.. But i wanted to do something BIG... So I Hied the Biggest boat I could get and ran a Big Dance party.. charged an entry fee of $50.. but unfortunately I lost $$$ on the first one... So i did nother 1.. I broke even... So i did it again.. finally a profit!! Now I make a profit every time... My strength is in event management now..

My point = you need to focus on what you are good at and are passionate about!!!

The Boat Parties aren't what I want to do forever.. But I gained a hell of alot of experience from it!! and also met a heap of contacts!!

Good Luck

[matt_nash]

Squandered Halfpints , Your comment is what I would hear from my parents! haha.. The thing is.. and I'm sure most young budding entrepreneurs willl agree... we want things NOW.. I want to have The BIG house and merc NOW not when i'm old and wrinkly... haha

Gen Y = Impatient

[Lizzy_20]

If you write out what you enjoy doing, what you like to do or interests, even what you might like to see yourself in the future then maybe you'll get a few more helpful advice in where you should be heading.
I maybe 19 but heres what i learnt from when i was 18, make that decision while your young and do not waste $$$ on unnecessary things. I would love to have multiple businesses but i do not know which one to go for first, so i had to make up my mind, study that field and go from there.
And as for money i summed up what I've earnt from working i had nothing at the end of the year purely wasted and could of started a business while i was 18.
cheers

[santoshtanu]

Hey matt

Grt to hear that you want to start young....i started at the age of 15 and today i am 25 .....owning three company's......I am currently based in India and have an office in seattle.....I am into the business of fashion......can be home,garments,Acc,Floor,Handicraft......If you thin you can be part of our team .....u r welcome as i already have on board a young member he is also 19 and trying hard......If interested mail me at tanuyadav2004@gmail.com.....no investment required only hard work and commitment.....

[Woodcs82]

Be confident in yourself, concentrate on the people and the money will follow. You just have to believe.

Colin

[veikoh]

Entrepreneurship is about exploiting opportunities. You can’t make life time financial plan being an entrepreneur. It’s more like adventures lifestyle.
BTW. Check my picture dating community site.
I did it within a week and with $10 investment to dot com name last month. Even I haven't been able to market it properly I have so far earned $12 but we still need more picture profiles, especially females.

[RLorenzen]

First, get a sound education in what you want to do. This doesn't necessarily have to be a college education, but make sure you learn as much as possible. One of the best places to initially invest your money is your education. That's an investment you will never lose on.

I agree with Squandered Halfpints about investing your money, however, I believe in investing for the short term. If you have any questions about investing feel free to PM me.

[GhostFac3]

When I was deciding which direction I wanted to go, I sat down and did further research on anything I was even considering. I'm not talking ground breaking research, but enough to give me a better understanding of what I was looking at. It's easy to say you want to do this and that, but until you do further research and see what goes on behind the glitz and glam of owning a business or two, you will never be able to make a well educated decision for yourself.

I still have a ton of ideas and plans and industries I want to delve in, but taking it 1 industry at a time and research along the way will make you a better businessperson and a better money maker.

[jasaunders]

Get a job. Your young, no need to rush. If you don't know what you want to do, don't start a business just for the hell of it. Learn some skills, learn how to communicate with people, learn how to be an effective leader, learn how to work hard. No matter what the job is, whether working at McDonals or interning at a law firm, you'll learn important skills that will help you later in life.

[tazman9r]

You can decide to be a sales person without any real tie to what business your selling, or you can pursue something you have a passionate interest in. You'll have a lot to learn along the way. Start thinking about what you want to do, and planning out the road for how to get there.

[theprodigy101]

I was 18 when I started as well. I'm now 20- check out my entrepreneurial journey at my blog if you're looking for what being an entrepreneur at your age might be like (link in my sig). Most of all though, look at your age as a gift. The earlier you start, the more failures you experience, the better you become. The strategy to win is not to win, but to fail. Fail as many times as possible, while putting your hardest into it and learning from it.

Also, check out this book- The Magic of Thinking Big

It's a great resource to motivate you to do something big, if you're going to do anything at all.

[rogercbryan]

Squandered Halfpints , Your comment is what I would hear from my parents! haha.. The thing is.. and I'm sure most young budding entrepreneurs willl agree... we want things NOW.. I want to have The BIG house and merc NOW not when i'm old and wrinkly... haha

Gen Y = Impatient

As long as you have the 'want it now' mentality you are going to continue to spin your wheels. It is not until you have enough maturity to look beyond today and into the future that you will have a chance at true success. There are no get rich quick schemes there is only hard work and proper money management.

[RickyCeez]

Im 16 and ive already made 30,000 in my first 3 months of business... Call me a liar i could care less... but how did i do it?

i had CONNECTIONS

they key to entrepreneurship is going where your connections are... do you have a bestfriend in construction? Start a construction cleanup business
Does your dad own a restaraunt? go into catering...

The number one rule..... BELIEVE in yourself. and yeah, get a job to put soem money away.. you need to spend a little money to make money so get your phonebook and start looking up a partimer for spending cash.