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Is it possible for a teenager to start a business and go fastlane?

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Twanson

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Ive been thinking a lot about this and I'm trying to figure out if it's really possible for a teen to become wealthy through starting a business. What I'm really asking is, is the fastlane possible for teens?
 
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JasonR

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Yes, it absolutely is. Money, wealth, and the market don't care how old you are.

That being said, with age becomes experience. If you start now, you'll gain more experiences through your failures and triumphs than if you waited for some "proverbial" age to start.

What are you waiting for?
 

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I have a book called "The Laws of the Universe."

In it one page 32 it says: "If you are a teenager then there is no way you can be wealthy."

I was like damn, sucks bro.

No, but seriously. You totally can.

It may not be normal, but just because its not normal does not make it impossible.

You are just gonna have to be different than the typical teenager. Very different.

Always focus on value. Always focus on knowledge and execution. Always focus on how you can be useful to others.

Get a library card and a barnes and noble card and learn how to use google and welcome to the club.
 

Twanson

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I have a book called "The Laws of the Universe."

In it one page 32 it says: "If you are a teenager then there is no way you can be wealthy."

I was like damn, sucks bro.

No, but seriously. You totally can.

It may not be normal, but just because its not normal does not make it impossible.

You are just gonna have to be different than the typical teenager. Very different.

Always focus on value. Always focus on knowledge and execution. Always focus on how you can be useful to others.

Get a library card and a barnes and noble card and learn how to use google and welcome to the club.
Ok thanks!
 
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beatgoezon

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To become wealthy as a teenager, it's totally possible but not very common. It doesn't mean you should fold your arms and give up.

Now since you're asking is "Fastlane" possible for teens, I'd have to say of course it is, of course it is, of course it is!

If you can read, write, comprehend what me and the forum members here are telling you, don't have any severe physical/mental/personality issues which limit you, and have a desire to achieve the Fastlane, then you should wipe out any doubt starting right this minute that the Fastlane pursuit is only for the "older and wiser" people.

From what I now so far, achieving the Fastlane takes lots of trail and error, possibly years worth of trail and error. Failures, potholes, building resilience to failure and resourcefulness along the way take time.

You don't have to do what I'm telling you, it's your choice from this point to either make the decision to start right now and say to yourself either 2 things:

1. You know what, I have no idea what the Fastlane is yet but I'm ready to commit years to figuring it out by sacrificing my comfort and weaknesses till the day I achieve it

or

2. Lol k thx, ill see, Yolo xoxo...


I'd encourage you to get to work YESTERDAY on your plan for achieving wealth. It could take years, and every one of those years you spend "waiting until the right time" is going to be a year you'll deeply regret not starting sooner.

Becoming wealthy means impacting peoples' lives in some way.
Either impact millions in a little way or impact a few thousand in a huge way
Becoming wealthy (through self-made effort) also means you went through a process which molded you into becoming a person who "deserves" wealth. If you're lazy and watch TV 10 hours/day, you "deserve" getting out of shape. If you work your a$$ of providing value to consumers for years like many self-made Fastlaners here on this forum have, you "deserve" becoming wealthy.

Now you asked if the Fastlane is possible for teens. You're basically asking "is it possible for a complete beginner in business to someday create a cash cow business someday".

I have to tell you, most self-made millionaires started exactly from step 1. I'll even go as far as to say most Fastlaners in this forum started with nothing (decent idea, no knowledge about marketing, mediocre products in the beginning, no time management skills, etc).

The important thing is that they started. They failed. They probably even cried a little on their journies.

So if you or anyone here is in doubt about:
Being too young
Doubting your knowledge
Thinks they don't have enough "skillz" to master Fastlane business
Waiting for the right time
Planning on starting "tomorrow"
Waiting for all the signals to turn green
Not sure if they are in "harmony with the universal laws yet"
Waiting for Richard Branson to email you, begging you to join his new mentorship program; I have to tell you you're wasting your time

I'm not sure why I wrote this, maybe so you or anyone else with dreams stops waiting for "tomorrow"...

The most important point I'll make, and you have to trust me on this:

I'm about to turn 25, and I wish I could've started when I was in the teens. I'd give anything to go back to the days without so much responsibility (and mine isn't even as rough as it gets on average).
You have the time to:
Make mistakes
Learn without worrying about "adult stuff"
Not have the pressure of people asking why you haven't settled into a career yet

The best time to start entrepreneurship IS in the teens in my opinion.

So will you achieve the Fastlane and become wealthy within 6 months by starting now? Probably not, but I can bet you'll have learned more in those 6 months and will have closed the gap to your destination more than you can imagine.
 
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Twanson

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To become wealthy as a teenager, it's totally possible but not very common. It doesn't mean you should fold your arms and give up.

Now since you're asking is "Fastlane" possible for teens, I'd have to say of course it is, of course it is, of course it is!

If you can read, write, comprehend what me and the forum members here are telling you, don't have any severe physical/mental/personality issues which limit you, and have a desire to achieve the Fastlane, then you should wipe out any doubt starting right this minute that the Fastlane pursuit is only for the "older and wiser" people.

From what I now so far, achieving the Fastlane takes lots of trail and error, possibly years worth of trail and error. Failures, potholes, building resilience to failure and resourcefulness along the way take time.

You don't have to do what I'm telling you, it's your choice from this point to either make the decision to start right now and say to yourself either 2 things:

1. You know what, I have no idea what the Fastlane is yet but I'm ready to commit years to figuring it out by sacrificing my comfort and weaknesses till the day I achieve it

or

2. Lol k thx, ill see, Yolo xoxo...


I'd encourage you to get to work YESTERDAY on your plan for achieving wealth. It could take years, and every one of those years you spend "waiting until the right time" is going to be a year you'll deeply regret not starting sooner.

Becoming wealthy means impacting peoples' lives in some way.
Either impact millions in a little way or impact a few thousand in a huge way
Becoming wealthy (through self-made effort) also means you went through a process which molded you into becoming a person who "deserves" wealth. If you're lazy and watch TV 10 hours/day, you "deserve" getting out of shape. If you work your a$$ of providing value to consumers for years like many self-made Fastlaners here on this forum have, you "deserve" becoming wealthy.

Now you asked if the Fastlane is possible for teens. You're basically asking "is it possible for a complete beginner in business to someday create a cash cow business someday".

I have to tell you, most self-made millionaires started exactly from step 1. I'll even go as far as to say most Fastlaners in this forum started with nothing (decent idea, no knowledge about marketing, mediocre products in the beginning, no time management skills, etc).

The important thing is that they started. They failed. They probably even cried a little on their journies.

So if you or anyone here is in doubt about:
Being too young
Doubting your knowledge
Thinks they don't have enough "skillz" to master Fastlane business
Waiting for the right time
Planning on starting "tomorrow"
Waiting for all the signals to turn green
Not sure if they are in "harmony with the universal laws yet"
Waiting for Richard Branson to email you, begging you to join his new mentorship program; I have to tell you you're wasting your time

I'm not sure why I wrote this, maybe so you or anyone else with dreams stops waiting for "tomorrow"...

The most important point I'll make, and you have to trust me on this:

I'm about to turn 25, and I wish I could've started when I was in the teens. I'd give anything to go back to the days without so much responsibility (and mine isn't even as rough as it gets on average).
You have the time to:
Make mistakes
Learn without worrying about "adult stuff"
Not have the pressure of people asking why you haven't settled into a career yet

The best time to start entrepreneurship IS in the teens in my opinion.

So will you achieve the Fastlane and become wealthy within 6 months by starting now? Probably not, but I can bet you'll have learned more in those 6 months and will have closed the gap to your destination more than you can imagine.
Hey thanks a lot for the reply. I appreciate it!
 

MoneyDoc

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There's a lot of teenagers on this website, including my self.... Not all of them are "fastlane", there are a few. However, the fact that they're taking action is "fastlane" in my books.

I personally started at 16. I think age is irrelevant.
 

BlakeIC

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Read TMF at 16 years old and have been failing forward since :rockon:
Same here, go for it op! Many of yours peers and elders will possibly think you are stupid for believing the "fastlane ideology" (well atleast mine do)

Anyways do it! Start now i read it at 16, i am now 18
 
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BlakeIC

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Read TMF at 16 years old and have been failing forward since :rockon:
Same here, go for it op! Many of yours peers and elders will possibly think you are stupid for believing the "fastlane ideology" (well atleast mine do)

Anyways do it! Start now i read it at 16, i am now 18
 

AgainstAllOdds

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Most people on this forum won't admit it, but here's the harsh reality:

It is possible to build a fastlane business as a teen, however, you will face a lot of discrimination based on age. Potential clients will assume you're less qualified, and not as likely to deliver a solid product vs the competition.

Hence, it's best to keep your face away from the client when selling. Don't let them know your age unless they go digging.

Now before anyone starts calling me out, here's a great example:

http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Learned-Rewards-Entrepreneurship-Millions/dp/0230618952/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435722752&sr=8-1&keywords=Gurbaksh Chahal

At age 18, Gurbaksh Chahal sold his first company for $22 million. Then, when he joined ClickAgents (the company that acquired him), he was quickly dismissed because of his age. No one gave him the time of the day, and attributed his success to 'luck'.

So what did he do?

He left. Started a new business, and then sold that business for $300 million at age 25.

His success wasn't based on luck. It was based on skill. However, if you read his book, then you'll realize that he was discriminated against based on age countless times. He stayed away from letting people know how old he was whenever he could, and even went as far as growing out his beard, and wearing traditional Indian clothing to disguise his age.

So is it possible to make it as a teen? F*ck yeah. Is it a lot harder? Definitely. But will it get easier as you get older? A lot. So start now.

Counterpoint: The one benefit you have is the "He's only a kid," card. Play that shit to your advantage. Walk into Fortune 500 companies and ask for meetings. Do all the things that no one else will because "it's not professional." F*ck professional. You have a green card to break all the rules (bullshit ones, not the law), so start breaking them.
 
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Twanson

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Most people on this forum won't admit it, but here's the harsh reality:

It is possible to build a fastlane business as a teen, however, you will face a lot of discrimination based on age. Potential clients will assume you're less qualified, and not as likely to deliver a solid product vs the competition.

Hence, it's best to keep your face away from the client when selling. Don't let them know your age unless they go digging.

Now before anyone starts calling me out, here's a great example:

http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Learned-Rewards-Entrepreneurship-Millions/dp/0230618952/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435722752&sr=8-1&keywords=Gurbaksh Chahal

At age 18, Gurbaksh Chahal sold his first company for $22 million. Then, when he joined ClickAgents (the company that acquired him), he was quickly dismissed because of his age. No one gave him the time of the day, and attributed his success to 'luck'.

So what did he do?

He left. Started a new business, and then sold that business for $300 million at age 25.

His successful wasn't based on luck. It was based on skill. However, if you read his book, then you'll realize that he was discriminated against based on age countless times. He stayed away from letting people know how old he was whenever he could, and even went as far as growing out his beard, and wearing traditional Indian clothing to disguise his age.

So is it possible to make it as a teen? F*ck yeah. Is it a lot harder? Definitely. But will it get easier as you get older? A lot. So start now.
Thanks for the advice!
 
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Under-Dog

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It very possibly is! It will be very hard however. Don't get me wrong, it is hard for anyone at any age. Unfortunately you face many more challengers as a teen. Of course the number one challenge is nobody really takes you serious, they think you are young immature and wasting their time. Don't let this get to you, trust me it will at times but work past it. I speak from experience myself, I was often overlooked and talked down on simply because of my age. You just need to show yourself worthy I feel at such a young age we are able to work twice as hard. Never give up and keep going towards your dreams. I started flipping houses at 18 now 22, I still deal with some discrimination but I work past it.
 
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BlakeIC

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Most people on this forum won't admit it, but here's the harsh reality:

It is possible to build a fastlane business as a teen, however, you will face a lot of discrimination based on age. Potential clients will assume you're less qualified, and not as likely to deliver a solid product vs the competition.

Hence, it's best to keep your face away from the client when selling. Don't let them know your age unless they go digging.

Now before anyone starts calling me out, here's a great example:

http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Learned-Rewards-Entrepreneurship-Millions/dp/0230618952/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435722752&sr=8-1&keywords=Gurbaksh Chahal

At age 18, Gurbaksh Chahal sold his first company for $22 million. Then, when he joined ClickAgents (the company that acquired him), he was quickly dismissed because of his age. No one gave him the time of the day, and attributed his success to 'luck'.

So what did he do?

He left. Started a new business, and then sold that business for $300 million at age 25.

His successful wasn't based on luck. It was based on skill. However, if you read his book, then you'll realize that he was discriminated against based on age countless times. He stayed away from letting people know how old he was whenever he could, and even went as far as growing out his beard, and wearing traditional Indian clothing to disguise his age.

So is it possible to make it as a teen? F*ck yeah. Is it a lot harder? Definitely. But will it get easier as you get older? A lot. So start now.

Counterpoint: The one benefit you have is the "He's only a kid," card. Play that shit to your advantage. Walk into Fortune 500 companies and ask for meetings. Do all the things that no one else will because "it's not professional." F*ck professional. You have a green card to break all the rules (bullshit ones, not the law), so start breaking them.
Really good book
 

Get Right

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My daughter is 7. She set up a lemonade stand a few weeks ago. While working she came up with the idea to sell cookies also (expanded product line). Soon after, she decided it would make more money if there were more stands (expansion). So she recruited a few friends (employees).

She figured this out with ZERO guidance from me.

So yep, teenagers can do it no problem. Good on you for asking the question.
 
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Jøə

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My daughter is 7. She set up a lemonade stand a few weeks ago. While working she came up with the idea to sell cookies also (expanded product line). Soon after, she decided it would make more money if there were more stands (expansion). So she recruited a few friends (employees).

She figured this out with ZERO guidance from me.

So yep, teenagers can do it no problem. Good on you for asking the question.

And now we have cops shutting down lemonade stands because the children failed to get a permit, which is tough to explain to a kid with entrepreneurial initiative.
 

Jøə

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Ive been thinking a lot about this and I'm trying to figure out if it's really possible for a teen to become wealthy through starting a business. What I'm really asking is, is the fastlane possible for teens?

The later you start the more you'll regret not starting sooner. It's definitely possible, but depending on your commitment level, you'll probably have a very different lifestyle than other teenagers, which can be socially strenuous at that age.
 

obrian

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it's gonna be hard but it's all based on perception because what may seem like an hard task to complete for us maybe easy for you but however here is a video i find quite interesting that i watched couple months ago.
but to be realistic though it's going to take alot of work and you got to be hungry enough to achieve success, because there is alot of teenagers right now with the same intentions as you and when you boil it down only 5- 10% of them are going to make it and that's just reality. if you look at any industry right now you will see that the top 5-10% make all the wealth combine of the 90% percent that is left. but i believe it's possible it's kind of rare but as i said though you got to be hungry enough to succeed and you will make it. and remember you got to create value my friend don't focus on the money or wealth those things should be the last thing on your mind because when you make your customers happy by creating the proper value they will make you happy back by paying you for your product or service so that's a very good win-win situation.
 
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dotyy

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The later you start the more you'll regret not starting sooner. It's definitely possible, but depending on your commitment level, you'll probably have a very different lifestyle than other teenagers, which can be socially strenuous at that age.

I started at 16 and I'm 18 now. I have a local service business and a software/service business. It is definitely hard socially. You have to balance the "cool" and normal teenage interests while also being a hard working individual. I kept it pretty secret in high school and rarely went out to parties and that stuff, but I believe it will be paying off soon.

My mentor is always saying "Man, if I knew what you know now at even twice your age!" so I feel as though that's a good sign.

Get to it!
 

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