Young Entrepreneur From Down Under
Welcome back!
I was browsing around the internet today, and came across this young man. Aussies tend to be fairly quiet about their accomplishments, and particularly young Australians – they just don’t show up in internet articles and news stories the way the Brits and Americans do, so it’s nice to find a young entrepreneur with such a great track record.
At the age of 25, young entrepreneur Daniel Clarke has achieved more than most do in a lifetime.
Daniel was the Career Achievement 1999 NSW Young Australian of the Year as well as a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Young Leaders Forum, the 2000 National Youth Roundtable, the Australia Day Youth Committee, the Australian Tax Office Personal Taxation Advisory Group, various World Vision conventions and several technology based industry bodies.
Daniel currently owns and runs three companies, AussieISP, AussiePCShop.com, AussiePCFinance and AussieDial and has been running his own company for nine years. Daniel also regularly encourages other young Australians to achieve their goals and aspirations.
While running his own business, Daniel is currently completing a Commerce Law Degree full-time. If that’s not enough, he is a director of Life Changing Experiences Foundation Ltd and chair of the not-for-profit public company, Enterprise Network for Young Australians Ltd. ENYA is a charitable institution and was formed with the support of the Australian Federal Government with the aim of ‘promoting the active participation of young people in enterprise, in an ethical and sustainable manner’.
Daniel has an impressive career in community organisations and public service, particularly for one so young. He started his business at age 16, but had been an active entrepreneur for many years by then. He was recently asked whether teenagers as young as thirteen can reasonably expect to find paid work.
His reply?
A 13 year old is able to earn money in a variety of different ways. The most common way for you to earn money is through pocket money. Ask your parents what you can do around the house in addition to your normal chores to earn some extra money. If you have even more time and your parents agree, ask your relatives or neighbours what you can do for them to earn some extra money.
Once you have made some money you might want to look into running your own little business to earn some extra cash. When I was 13, I found a cheap supply of candles and perfume, bought them and sold them for a profit to my family and friends. Make sure you talk it over with your parents as they will be the best people to help you get started.
I regularly get emails from kids of 13 and 14, who are deeply frustrated by the barriers they meet when trying to get started in business. Help from parents can really shift some of those barriers, especially when it comes to legal and financial transactions that you aren’t deemed capable of making until age 18.
Kids can make good money from business activities at quite a young age, given the right support. It’s up to parents, or other caring adults, to empower our young people to act on their ambitions.
