How old were you when you went it alone?

[django]

How old were you when you decided you wanted to run your own business/ make your own money/ become a successful entrepreneur?

[2bdynamic]

i have always known that it is what i wanted to do since i was a kid. i did it the first time at 21 but straight away knew i did not have all the tools needed to succeed. since then i have set up and sold two companies and have been running my most successful venture for two years (i am soon to turn 30).

what about everyone else???

[greyster]

2bdynamic did you feel in your early-mid 20s that your age was a barrier when talking to some businesses?

[2bdynamic]

yes i would say it did. even now i do not tell clients that i actually own the company. i am ok telling suppliers but it does not say it on business cards etc. i refer to myself as national operations manager

a bit contradictive now as everyone will know.

does anyone else have a problem with age going against them???

[django]

yeh im only 19... so I'm going to uni.... even though I feel like I should start my business as early as possible.... my age is just going to go against me. So I've got a place at uni so I can geta degree and hopefully meet some good people...... you never know... I might even meet a future business partner there!

[greyster]

my friend started his business in the 2nd year of his 4 year degree. 1 year after graduation he has 6 people working for him full time. He definitely knows his stuff and a bit arrogant sometimes! Being full of yourself and very confident helps.

He's got a 3 year head start on me I met my partner on my postgraduate degree course. A little wiser but still young.

[2bdynamic]

i have found from experience that a partner is not always the way to go, especially if the idea for the business was yours.

i am not saying it works like this for everyone but you might find that you do more work and carry the partner. does get frustrating if you do all the work to give away half the money!!!

has anyone had a problem with partners??

[JamesS]

I started UH Hosting (Then James Smith trading as UH Hosting) when I was 16 and still at High School in Year 11!

I'm now 19, the business is incorporated and if everything goes well, it will be my full time job for a while yet

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by 2bdynamic

has anyone had a problem with partners??

I have gone into business a couple of times with partners and neither have been successful relationships so decided that I wouldn't do it again.

[Mikesfinance]

I made the jump from a comfortable banking job at 35. It was a tough decision, but well worth the risk.