Adam Dong, PickAQuote.com.au
Age: 25
“How you dress is important when people are assessing your age.”
“I have always strived to present myself in the most professional manner in all interactions with the client and suppliers.”
“Dressing well will assist you in looking the part. It reassures people that I am the co-founder and director of PickAQuote.com.au.”
Melanie Jay Hobson, Cleaning Maid Easy
Age: 25
“It can at times be overwhelming and daunting to be all things to all people.”
“I knew I had to be accountable for everything – marketing, advertising, sales, recruitment, customer service, account management and overseeing the website.”
“My tip would be to have short-, medium- and long-term goals for your company and write lists of what needs to be done.”
“Prioritise and tackle each thing in order of importance and urgency. I had to be really disciplined with my time.”
Mike Boyd, Cupstart
Age: 23
“There will always be fear, rejection, unknown obstacles and naysayers who will pull you down, but if you learn how to push past that and continue to take action you will succeed.”
“There is never the right time to start a business, the perfect situation will never arrive, just make a start and the momentum will bring you new opportunities.”
“Work hard, put good people around you and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Aleksandar Svetski, Green Tiger Energy
Age: 24
“I was told perhaps a million time to just declare bankruptcy, but I refused to give in.”
“I just found creative ways of delaying payments and making an extra buck here and there. I knocked on doors, I pestered people with network marketing, I bought and re-sold items on eBay, I traded the stocks here and there, I sold business to business – I tried absolutely everything.”
“It was not until 2009 that my 8th or 9th attempt at a business actually made a decent profit.”
Michael O’Brien, Fresh Events and People
Age: 25
“It can be hard (being a young entrepreneur) because people don’t want to take you seriously.”
“I turned up to a meeting with a potential customer freshly shaven and in a new suit and they seemed impressed. I didn’t hear back from them and so I chased it up with a friend who knew them.”
“They said the feedback on me was great, but they thought I looked about 12-years-old. Ever since then, I’ve grown and maintained a beard to maintain the image of an older people.”
“I highly recommend having a beard, for the male business owners out there who need to look older.”
