I am 18 years old and heading to college this fall as a D1 athlete. If you knew me but didn’t Google me, that’s all you would know.
Google me and you’ll discover that I am an entrepreneur with over 350,000 social media followers, an author of 14 books, and an instructor of over 20 training courses.
When I first became an entrepreneur, I wanted to become successful, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the teenage lifestyle. I didn’t want to sacrifice my friendships, running, my grades, or anything that constituted my life excluding entrepreneurship.
It’s time consuming but very fun. The fun part is getting paid for doing what you love to do.
To grow as an entrepreneur but continue living like a teenager, my primary goals were to get more time and to use that time more efficiently.
I wish I could read a blog post like this when I started as a middle schooler (I wasn’t even a teen yet). I would have had more time to pursue more opportunities earlier.
The purpose of that blog post is to show you that you CAN become an entrepreneur regardless of your schedule.
It doesn’t matter what your practice schedule or midterm week looks like. I’ve been there and I’ve made it work. You can too. Here’s how:
#1: Squeeze In Some Time
You don’t have to commit hours upon hours of each day to become a successful entrepreneurs. On some days I can commit an hour, but on other days, I’m lucky if I get 15 minutes.
No matter how much or how little time I have, I always do something for my business every day except on vacations.
If you do some work for your business each day, you’ll eventually have an unbreakable habit. According to science, it takes 66 consecutive days of doing something (i.e. turning your passion into a business) to make it a habit.
If you hang in there for the first two and a half months, it will be very easy for you to get and stay strong for many years to come.
#2: Instant Pleasure VS Long-Term Benefit
I could have named this section “Don’t Procrastinate,” but before I became an entrepreneur, I didn’t like the way “Don’t Procrastinate” sounded.
I prefer to use “Instant Pleasure VS Long-Term Benefit.”
I used to watch hours upon hours of TV each day. Once I started my business, all of that changed.
I suddenly became conscious of my lack of fulfillment after watching the TV. Don’t get me wrong. I’m laughing with everyone else during the comedy.
But there’s no feeling like the one you get after turning off the TV after watching a bunch of rerun episodes. The pleasure suddenly vanishes.
I still watch TV, but not nearly as much. I enjoy working on my business far more than watching TV.
We naturally respond bad to change, so make a gradual change first. Try out turning off the TV 15-30 minutes earlier and working on your business.
If you keep doing that day by day, you’ll have a habit that will make the work come easier to you.
#3: Start With A Friend
If you are worried about how much work this will involve, you can start out with a like-minded friend. If you create a blog, you can write half of the content and have your friend write the other half of the content.
I write about half of the content on this blog. My brother writes the other half. Working together has made the workload of content creation much easier for the both of us.
Having a friend will also help out with accountability. When your friend writes a blog post, it’s your turn to deliver. If you need more help, ask additional friends to help you out with your business.
#4: Use Your Current Time Wisely
The way you use your time determines what you become in life. The more of your time you pursue to your dream business, the more likely your business will live up to your dream business.
I always look for ways to get the same tasks done in a shorter amount of time and cut back on doing things that leave me unfulfilled. I do as much homework as I can during my free periods so I don’t have to do that homework when I get home.
This approach with time has allowed me to expand my business while preserving and growing my teenager lifestyle.
In Conclusion
Anyone, regardless of their age or schedule, has the time to become an entrepreneur.
The story you tell yourself determines what happens next.
If you tell yourself you can’t, then you won’t.
If you tell yourself you can make it work and then take action, you’ll have a business based on your passion.
If you are a teen or approaching your teen years and want to start a business, why not start now?
And while we’re at it, make it easy for you to start your business. You can use WordPress to create a blog in minutes if that’s the direction you want to take.
Take the path of least resistance and commit to your passion for a long period of time. Soon enough, you’ll have a business that won’t impede on any of the important parts of your teenager lifestyle.
