Age Limits?

[WhitbyWiFi]

Hi,

I'm planning to run a service that would sell WiFi internet connections, based on a system i was already involved in at my home town in the UK (www.rhbmesh.net). There are two of us working on the project, both aged 15, running the business as a partnership. We know exactly what we do and already have in investor ready to give us the money we need, but our main problem is that we keep hittin age limits in the technicalities, At the moment we need a bank account for the business and after checking with many banks we've been told we are too young by every one. Barclays has been suggested as a possibility, and we will be checking with them this weekend. I was wondering if anybody knew whether barclays could help us, or who else could? Or is their a way around this problem without having to get someone aged over 18 to manage the account?

Thanks,
James Allanson

[nado]

Not really, at 15 you're only just old enough to be employed (tis the case in Australia).

Easiest bet would just be to either use/setup a personal bank account or grab your parents to setup a biz account and for credit card needs etc.

[lacorp]

I think you can get a debit card at age 15. You can also sign up for paypal

[WhitbyWiFi]

Yes, i already have a debit card for personal use, and a paypal account with it - we could probably get around it just using a personal account and paypal but we would have prefered the professional image of having the company name on cheques.

Thanks for the help guys =)

[Steve White]

Be careful, you need to be 18 to use PayPal, they may shut down your account.

You'll be unlikely to get a business account until you are 18 also.

[nado]

Yes, i already have a debit card for personal use, and a paypal account with it - we could probably get around it just using a personal account and paypal but we would have prefered the professional image of having the company name on cheques.

Or you could look at it from a different angle and say that having your name on cheques sends a more personal message to the buyer (if you get what I'm saying). i.e. rather than being a "big bad company", you're just a regular person wanting to get the best for your customers.

[WhitbyWiFi]

thats what we tried on the project i'm already working on - there was some success but a lot of customer didnt seem to think we're professional enough

another idea...

perhaps my dad could set up a business account for checks paid in, and have a seperate personal account for when we need to pay out (my dad spends a lot of time out of the country working). would that work?

[sicnarftea]

someone tried to do this in Australia Sydney as well, but their account (with optusnet) got closed. Seems like their terms and conditions prohibits sharing the internet connections with your neighbours or something or rather.

Great idea though, if only it works in australia

[Corey Bryant]

You can also sign up for paypal

If you take a look at User Agreement for PayPal™ Service you will see that it states

Eligibility. In order to use the Service, you must register for a Personal, Premier, or Business account. Users may only hold one Personal account and either one Premier or one Business account. Our Services are only available to individuals or businesses that can form legally binding contracts under applicable law. Without limiting the foregoing, our Service is not available to minors (under 18), persons who are suspended from our Service, or to persons who present an unacceptable level of credit risk. In order to receive credit card funded payments or use the Service to conduct business or in conjunction with a business, you must upgrade to or register for a Premier or Business account.

Do not attempt to use / open a Paypal account if you are under 18.

When Paypal finds out, they will suspend your account and hold your money for sometimes six months or more. And they will find out. Usually what happens is someone else gets caught and they know others so they tell Paypal about the other sites.

[safronelectronics]

the age limits thing is also a problem for me but as soon as im 18 i will be my real own boss

[WhitbyWiFi]

sorry i havent replied for a while - had my business partner over for the weekend and he hogged the PC ^^. It looks like were going to have to use my personal account for now, although if anyone else has any good ideas id love to here them =) if anyone has any ideas for funding that could be handy too especially since our investor wants too much control so were going to have to loose his money =/ were hoping to go for a Big Boost lotter grant, and have asked cisco if they want to sponsor us (but were not holding our breath on that one =P ^^)

also... our website is in development at www.bay-computers.net/test at the moment - as soon as you see some news up there it means we'll have started work =)

cheers,
James

[Scott Taylor]

I used my parents when I was that young