For two years I scraped and scoured the internet hunting for the world’s top young entrepreneurs so I could harvest their secrets.

If I wanted to be successful, I had to learn from the best. I needed to hear their stories. How they started. How they grew. How they are building their empires right now. And I needed to hear it straight from their mouths.

So I narrowed my list of 100+ young entrepreneurs down to the top 25. We contacted them, gathered their secrets and published a book. Here’s a list of the world’s top 25 young entrepreneurial success stories.

Read their interviews, visit their sites, follow them on Twitter and learn as much as you can from their remarkable stories. Oh, and grab the free interview at the bottom.

Get a Free Chapter of the Book

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Learn more about 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs.

Lane Sutton is a social media guru, webmaster, and critic. He also happens to be a 13-year-old from Boston.

We talked with Lane about his website, KidCriticUSA.com. Speaking like a seasoned business pro, Lane revealed how he got started, how he handles his clients, and how he reacted after getting a phone call from Forbes Magazine.

See what Lane is up to at LaneSutton.com or you can follow him on Twitter (@KidCriticUSA).

Listen to Lane Sutton’s Interview

Listen to it while you eat! (25:57)
Download audio file (Lane-Sutton-Interview.mp3)

Read Lane Sutton’s Interview

Q: How did you get a knack for entrepreneurship so early?

A: I had been inspired by my father, who is an entrepreneur himself. He’s a disc jockey, so he plays music for events and mixes. I was pretty amazed that someone could make money by doing what they love. That’s exactly what my father does. So, I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was five years old.

It all started when I went to my local newspaper company and I took a tour of the newsroom. It made me want to write my own little newsletter or newspaper. So, I came home and I think I was up writing until two in the morning.

I compiled a bunch of news stories and I rewrote them, adding my own little twists. Then I printed it out and distributed it to local family and friends. I think I charged two dollars. But, I loved doing it. I was getting paid to write about things that I was interested in. I just loved having my own business built around a passion or a hobby. That continued for a bit. Then I wrote a few books and that’s kind of when everything sprung up.

Q: What sets you apart from any other 13-year-old?

A: Certainly the part about [starting a business] as a five-year-old. Business is something that I truly love. But the reason I started is that I love to write. I write for my website and run all of my business operations myself.

When people meet me, they’re like, “Whoa – this kid is 13? Why isn’t he on the playground, playing sports, or doing regular activities?” They go out of their minds sometimes. They just don’t understand it, because they don’t realize that this is what I really like to do.

I think that’s what sets me apart at school. I excel at business, numbers, and I love using technology. A lot of teens spend a lot of time texting, just in their own little world. Or they’re surrounded by friends and just hanging out. Why not get ahead and take a leap in their future?

Q: What do your friends think?

A: My friends will go home and check out my website. Then they come to school and say, “That was really you writing? I mean, come on! Dude, you’re 13 years old.” I also contribute to my local newspaper now and I write about some happenings at our school. So I’ll bring in some copies that have been published for my teachers to see, especially my language arts teacher. She’s just amazed.

My family was amazed when I got the call from Forbes Magazine. I had responded to a HARO query (HelpAReporter.com) and Forbes just called me. I was actually riding my bike and when I came home, I checked my phone. I ran upstairs and listened to the message probably like three times. Then I ran downstairs and told my parents.

[My family] was just amazed by what could happen with web and email. I couldn’t believe it either – because getting into one of those publications has been one of my lifelong dreams. My family has always been very supportive and they’ve given me advice – especially my dad, since he’s been running his own business for a while now.

Q: What would you tell an up-and-coming entrepreneur?

A: If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, then start early. It’s the best thing you can do. It’s what I did and I’ve already learned so much at a young age. I can even teach adults and speak to adults at speaking engagements. They haven’t heard of this stuff with social media.

I’d even tell adults to start early. They could be working for corporate America or something, but they have a passion that they haven’t [pursued]. If their passion is painting, they could sell paintings. So, whatever you’re doing, start early.

Q: How should someone get started?

A: Dream your idea. Start brainstorming. Food is really easy [to get into]. You always need that. Clothing is big as well. We need office supplies, school supplies. So you can kind of think of your category. Then, use test groups. Maybe you’ll give the product to them for free, so you can get some good feedback for improvement.

Then do market research. You could give a survey in your school to see if the students are interested in your product. Look at some competitors, like local businesses. If they’re public and they have a stock, take a look. See how it’s doing. You can find a lot of the information online and then you can see if the product is really in need.

Q: You’ve got a big vision. Where do you go from here?

A: My goal is to be the CEO of a large technology company. I want to be the next Apple, Inc. I have to work from the bottom.

If you want to get to the top, then you start at the lowest point. That could be an engineer, a call center person, or whatever it may be. Then you have to go up. You might become a senior engineer. Once you get to the top, you probably go from vice president to senior vice president and then you finally reach CEO of the company.

Q: You were one of the first people to purchase our book. What is your honest critique?

A: I’ve only read the first couple interviews, because I have my bookcase full of books that I’ve been wanting to read. I was inspired by Emil Motycka. He mows lawns and I don’t mow lawns, but I was shocked at how he could earn [$135K his senior year of high school]. Most people couldn’t even do that until they’re 30.

I was inspired by how he could have that many clients and still balance life. Sometimes I have trouble balancing. Homework comes first. After I’ve finished my homework, which could be right after dinner, I could be working from 6 to 9. If I don’t have homework, I’ll be working the second I get home.

Thanks, Lane!

I know what you’re thinking… Yes, Lane is only 13 years old. I’ve come across Lane’s site a few times in my entrepreneurial perusings and I was blown away when I saw that he bought our book! He already has a remarkable story and I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. You can get into contact with Lane or find more information about him at:

• LaneSutton.com
• Lane on Twitter (@KidCriticUSA)
• KidCriticUSA.com

As a young person, clients and customers are naturally going think your business is wanksta’ and you have to convince them that it’s gangsta’.

It’s not fair, but you have to give them a reason to trust and hire you. It’s one of the biggest problems that young entrepreneurs encounter and you need to know how to deal wit’ it if you want to have a successful business.

In this post I’ll explain exactly how you can build your street credz (a.k.a “credibility”) as a young business owner and how you can use their lack of trust to make yourself more impressive. I’ve broken ‘em down into offline and online techniqz.

Aight, let’s stop kickin’ it and keep it 100 by getting down to the nitty gritty of how you can get mo’ scratch for yo’ biznezz.

Offline Street Credz

If your customers are actually out on the streets (i.e. in your neighborhood), then there are four things you can do to attract them to your business.

1. Fitted wit’ Threads

When you approach a potential customer for the first time, they’re going to judge your appearance. So you need to look as professional as possible. You need to be reppin’ your nicest shirt, some professional slacks and nice shoes. The more professional you look, the more seriously they will take you.

2. Biznezz Cards

No matter your age or your business, every young entrepreneur needs to have business cards. If someone asks for your card and you don’t have one, you’ll lose credibility. But more importantly, you’re going to be coming across tons of potential customers in your daily life. Make sure you can give them an easy way to contact you.

3. Sick Flyers

In addition to sweet-lookin’ business cards, you need to have fly-lookin’ flyers. If your primary way of marketing your business is with a flyer, poster or door-hanger, that flyer needs to look professional. They will base the quality of your work on the quality of your flyer.

4. Swagtastic Pitch

Your sales pitch needs to be rock solid. You need to walk up to that potential client with confidence knowing that what you’re about to say is going to convince them to give you their business. You need to have a response prepared for every possible objection. The only way to perfect your pitch is to practice it whenever you can.

However, this doesn’t mean you should approach people wit’ yo’ hat turned sideways and yo’ pants on the ground (a.k.a. “arrogantly”). Just know exactly what you’re going to say, how you’ll respond to their questions, and be courteous about it. The same applies for every situation in which you talk to your customers.

Online Street Credz

If you want your customers to find you on the internet, then you have to have a sick online presence. They need to be able to find you and when they do, they need to be impressed. Yo’ skillz need to be drippin’ like a hot, freshly painted e-class that looks like candy.

5. Prada Yo’ Blog

A blog is the most powerful tool a freelancer could ever have, period. As a freelance (whatever), your blog is your storefront. Write about the services you provide, how you provide them and examples of your work. People who are interested in the work you provide will find your site, be impressed, and beg you for your services. If you want to attract customers online, your blog (not just a standard website) needs to be snug.

6. Flossin’ It Wit’ Social Media

Social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) is the best way to connect with people in the world. You need to use it to seek out your clients. If someone tweets, “I’m looking for a freelance logo designer”, you need to be the first to respond with, “I’m a designer. Check out my site, my portfolio and let me know what you think.” They’ll check you out, find a sick lookin’ blog, and ultimately hire you. That’s some of the cheapest marketing in the world.

7. Display Yo’ Kool-aid (Portfolio/Previous Work)

You know what? I’m going to eat my words. A strong portfolio is the most powerful tool a service-provider can have. It’s proof that people have hired you before, that you’ve done a good job and that you want to continue to do a good job.

8. Word Up Wit’ Testimonials

Testimonials validate your work through other people’s opinions. You can say that you provide a quality service, but when other people say it, their word carries a lot more weight. The standard structure for a good testimonial is:

1. This is where I was before.
2. This is what happened when I hired (your name).
3. This is where I am now and “I couldn’t be happier.”

The more testimonials you have, the better.

Use Their Lack of Trust to Make Yourself More Impressive

There’s an old-skool marketing concept that explains that a customer is satisfied when their perceptions are greater than their expectations. How does this apply to you?

Well, when you first approach a customer as a young person, they’re going to have low expectations. This is good for you. When you establish your high-rollin’ street credz, it’s going to blow their expectations out of the water. They’re going to be super impressed because they weren’t expecting much.

Despite the colloquialisms, I hope you take this advice seriously. In most cases you’re at a huge disadvantage simply because of your age. Let’s prove ‘em wrong!

You feelin’ me?

Fo’ shiggidy my weeble.

Photo by: Auré From Paris

At age ten, I was completely broke.

Two girls came to live in our home that year. They came with a mom and two brothers, but I thought about them less. My parents welcomed their family into ours.

Springtime broke into the Estes Valley, creating unlimited opportunities for pinecone and spear grass wars. I tried to express my affection for the new ladies by throwing a handful of needles into their backs. They were far from twitter pated.

Running away from my advances, they turned my brother’s and my eyes towards something far greater than sharp thistles and sap between our fingers. I agreed, anything to spend more time with them. They called it, “Entrepreneurship”. I called it, “Lemonade”.

This is a guest post by Jonathan Romig. Jonathan graduated from Colorado State University in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He worked for a year in Washington DC where he examined banks and traveled the country. This fall he will begin seminary at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and is hoping to become a pastor to young adults after graduation. He is currently working on his book project and website: Awkward Christianity.

I Heart Lemonade

A bypass runs alongside our home where cars speed by 10 miles over the limit. Our street cuts through, stretching up a much quieter section of roadway. Taking the time to select the best location, we pleaded with our parents to let us open shop on the fast road, all to no avail. So we opened shop on the quiet street.

The girls took a ride with their mom to the grocery store and brought back cups, tiny cups. I thought it was silly; tiny cups wouldn’t make anybody rich. You couldn’t drink anything from them. We could only sell them for 50-cents, and nobody would stop for tiny 50-cent lemonade.

I was wrong. The girls danced ballet in the middle of the street. The passing drivers had to slow. I understood. I would have stopped.

The first customer told us our product and location were good, but our cups were tiny. The next told us the same. We made $12.25 that afternoon, enough to reimburse the girls’ mom and go back and buy bigger cups.

Our everlasting summer was slain by money. The time had come to earn as many greenbacks as the passing tourists would give us. Our parents realized the more successful our business was, the more preoccupied and entertained we were. Moving us down to the highway they told us to not run in front of any cars.

“Stay off the asphalt,” my mom said before leaving to return to the house.

“Try the ballet thing again,” I whispered to the girls, wondering if I should push them out into the road.

We peddled for hours, selling our pink and yellow lemonade with bagels and stale cookies to any tourist that would stop. We were soon each making $65 a day. We were rich and the tourists, truckers, and neighbors knew us.

Three months later the family left, breaking our partnership, and my heart. The girls moved on, leaving Nathanael and me shaken, but confident our superior salesmanship could sell anything—girls or no girls.

We soon found out nobody stopped for two boys on the side of the street no matter how savvy their business skills. Thinking outside of the box, I got Nathanael to build a wooden box for me. I looked professional with “Lemonade Stand” painted across the front. No response.

We tried a different approach, dressing up in red-white-and-blue for the Fourth of July. Mom and some passing cowgirls thought we were cute. We were ashamed.

What I learned…

I left my illustrious career as a lemonade stand entrepreneur to work in the corporate world at a tourist shop downtown. The pay and hours were steady, but the sun was gone and my money was only my money after taxes and more taxes.

Three lessons to learn:

1. Starting a business takes teamwork and enthusiasm.
2. Location, location, location.
3. Creation, success, and failure are all an option, but regret is not.

Remember, starting a business may take our time, energy, and money, but we’ll take its memories. That’s what I learned from lemonade stand entrepreneurship.

Photo by: Rocket Ship

Your brand is your promise of quality to your clients. Brand identity can’t be built in a day. It takes a lot of time, money and effort to turn your small business into a recognized brand. But a strong corporate identity is a must if you want your business to be successful.

A brand identity is the most basic of reasons for customers to choose you over other companies. It makes your business appear professional and experienced. Your brand highlights the unique qualities of your business and therefore, attracts potential customers.

The logo is the most important component that determines your brand image. Let’s quickly learn about what it takes to have a successful logo for your business.

This is a guest post by Vineet Kothari. Vineet is the CEO at MyCorporateLogo.com, a logo design company that provides company logo design and website design and offers affordable logo design prices. Vineet graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and has worked in the digital design industry since 2005.

What is a Logo?

Building a brand identity is not a simple job. Designing a logo is the first step in creating a brand image. Your logo will visually represent your company to the world. It needs to stand the test of time, until you decide to redevelop it.

The logo becomes the symbol of your company and conveys the right message about your business to the customers. It can be used on business cards, letterhead and websites.

Logo Design Types

A logo is your first opportunity to create an impression on your clients. It is the first block for building your brand identity. Therefore, you have to be very careful about the choice of font, style and color. All these factors convey a particular message about your business and should not be neglected.

Logo designs are of two basic types: wordmark and graphical.

Wordmark Logos

Wordmark is usually when a logo simply consists of text, usually the company or brand name. The name is sometimes tweaked with a certain graphical twist to make it more visually interesting. The choice of font is very important for this type of logo as it is the most prominent part of the logo. Some designers even develop new font styles for logos.

Here are a few wordmark logos you’ll recognize:

Graphical Logos

Graphical logos are logos which are not simply text based, but have some icon or symbol associated with them. They can either be a mix of an icon and text or just an icon. The symbol/icon usually represents the vision of the company or explains the nature of business.

Here are a few famous graphical logos:

Font and Color Choices

To make the logo interesting and original, you can experiment with the use of colors and symbols. Just check whether these innovations are relevant to your business. The font and color choices are of utmost importance.

Colors used should be bright and attractive if you are in a business which caters to a young and trendy audience. More traditional businesses usually prefer blue and grey tones. These days greens and oranges are the rage because they appear eco-friendly.

The font chosen too can say a lot about your business. Strong, bold fonts denote power and aggression while thinner, elongated fonts appear more delicate, elegant and intellectual.

Experimenting with several fonts and colors is great, but one must also realize that if a logo does not look good in simple black and white, chances are that it wouldn’t appeal to your customer no matter how many colors or special effects are used.

The Message

Since your logo defines your business, it is important that it puts the right message across. Suppose your company sells children’s toys but its logo is all business – dull and boring. This will misguide your clients and they would not know what to expect from you.

You can also incorporate a tagline to create your brand image. A creative tagline can help your clients connect to your business and also define it better. It has to be catchy and brief, one that has a strong appeal. It should also be easily memorable and express the motto of your organization, not its history.

Things to Remember While Selecting a Logo

The logo should look professional and define the objectives of your business. It has to be unique and original as well.
You should ask your logo designer to give you more than one option for the business logo. This will enable you to choose the one you think would be most appropriate to your business.

You should also receive the final logo from your logo designer in multiple formats and with all the common file types:

• TIF
• JPG or JPEG
• JPG (Grayscale)
• PSD (RGB) – Adobe Photoshop Format
• EPS (CYMK Color) – Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Format
• AI (CYMK Color) – Adobe Illustrator Format

Then you will be able to alter the size of the logo and use it in multiple media, according to various requirements.

All the above details have to be kept in mind while trying to build a brand image for your business. It might take some time for you to get established and evolve as a brand, but a sincere effort will definitely pay off. You can’t go wrong if you stick to these basics of brand identity.

Photo by: Todd Klassy

Yesterday, we unleashed our book of interviews with the world’s top young entrepreneurs.

Of course, knowing us, we had to do it in style. Check out this crazy video that we made to show off our interviewee’s break-dancing skills:

But what does a video like this do for a product launch? We’re still figuring it all out, but here is a snapshot of our WordPress stats from late last night:

Consider Mt. Everest humbled. (To be fair, a good percentage of that traffic is probably duplicate.)

If you haven’t already, go to the site now and find out for yourself why battling giants is all the rage. Given that 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs (Vol. 1) has been available for 24 hours, we also think it’s about time you bought the book already!

Go check out the book!

Joe Penna grew up on a little-trafficked street in São Paulo, Brazil. When his mother needed help getting more customers to come to her yard sale, Joe used the family computer to design signs that he then posted around town. It was his first taste of business.

When Joe was 12, his family moved to the United States. Joe attended the University of Massachusetts to become a cardiothoracic surgeon, but he eventually dropped out to follow his passion for video.

After bouncing around working on local commercials and music videos in Boston, Joe decided to pack his bags for Los Angeles to start making YouTube videos full-time. His channel, called Mystery Guitar Man, features a new video every Tuesday and Thursday, usually combining Joe’s love for music with unconventional video editing and black sunglasses.

Since getting started in June 2006, Mystery Guitar Man has amassed almost over one million subscribers and over 76 million almost 100 million total views – making it the 13th 11th most subscribed channel on YouTube.

He has since launched a second channel, called jp. His videos, like ‘Guitar: Impossible’ and ‘Root Beer Mozart’, have won various awards and have been featured on television programs around the world. He recently directed his first nationally televised commercial, for McDonald’s and Coke. Joe just turned 23 years old.

Our Exclusive Interview with Joe Penna

This is just an excerpt from the hour-long interview. Want to hear more about what Joe has to say about being a young entrepreneur. Buy the book!

My Personal Favorite MGM Video

Paper Mosaic

This is how you build a community. So cool!

Oh, by the way…

Here’s the “Making of” the commercial for McDonald’s and Coke that Joe directed:

This is an abridged version from Joe’s interview in our latest project, 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs. We discovered Mystery Guitar Man about three months ago and he was sitting at about 650,000 subscribers. A few days ago, he surpassed 1 million! Since we conducted the interview less than a month ago, he jumped from 13th to 11th most subscribed. Brilliant marketing. Check him out on YouTube and Facebook.

Get a Free Chapter of the Book

Ooh, a free chapter?! Enter your email below and discover Adora’s secrets in a matter of minutes.

Adora started writing when she was four years old. She hasn’t stopped since. At six, Adora received a laptop computer from her mother, on which she quickly amassed a collection of hundreds of short stories and hundreds of thousands of words – typing at 70 words per minute.

At the age of seven, Adora achieved her dream of becoming a published author with the release of Flying Fingers: Master the Tools of Learning Through the Joy of Writing. The book featured several of Adora’s short stories, along with her writing tips, typing tips, and advice from her mother. At age 11, Adora published a second book, Dancing Fingers, with her older sister, Adrianna.

Today, Adora is 12 and she has transformed her writing success into speaking and teaching success. She has spoken at over 400 schools and presented at the annual TED conference. She’s also planning a conference of her own, for kids and by kids, called TEDx Redmond. She has been featured on Good Morning America and on CNN. Adora also maintains a blog and attends an online public school. She is in the eighth grade.

Q:  What challenges have you faced specifically because of your age? How has your age helped you to succeed?

Adora with her books.

A: People sometimes close doors and make judgments based on your age, how short you are, or the way you speak. That’s one of the things that I hope to change.

When people look at me, they think, “Oh, a little kid who’s just walking along and talking to her mom.” There are low expectations. But my parents obviously look at my sister and me as individuals who can do great things. Other people just look at me as a kid.

At the same time, being 12 and having published a book makes people think, “Wow, that’s pretty impressive.” It’s not something that I really capitalize on too much because I’m obviously going to grow up. So I hope to make what I do special, as opposed to it only being special because I’m 12.

My age has also helped me in that I’m able to relate to kids at a level that an adult speaker might not be able to do. As a teacher, I’m able to say, “This is what my generation thinks.” Having that voice and being able to speak for my peers is definitely an advantage of being 12.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: It’s important for kids to know, “I can do this. I am fully qualified.” All that you need to become an entrepreneur and change the world is a working brain – and pretty much nothing else.

Adora’s TED Talk: What adults can learn from kids

If you make it to 50 seconds, I bet you can’t stop!

“One thing I noticed was that a lot of people were skeptical I wrote the speech myself, citing some of the words/phrases I used. I write all my speeches myself and my vocabulary is a “side effect” of reading a lot. ”

~ Adora replying to comments on TED.com

This is an abridged version from Adora’s interview in our latest project, 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs. We came across Adora’s TED talk about three weeks ago and instantly thought, “how do we get her in the book!” As our youngest interviewee, Adora kicks it off with her remarkable story and prodigious advice. (Had to beef up my vocabulary a bit to keep up with Adora .)

Get a Free Chapter of the Book

Ooh, a free chapter?! Enter your email below and discover Adora’s secrets in a matter of minutes.

When Catherine Cook and her brother, David, were growing up in New Jersey, they used to set up little libraries in their house and rent out books to their parents for a small charge. By the time they were in high school, they had launched the social networking site myYearbook.com with a $250,000 investment from their older brother Geoff.

Today, Catherine is a 20-year-old junior at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and myYearbook.com has over 20 million members. Between studying marketing, operations and information management, and psychology, Catherine finds time to take the train up to myYearbook’s HQ in Pennsylvania a few times a month.

There, eighty employees are working hard to make myYearbook the premier way to meet new people online through ice-breaking games and features. It’s working: myYearbook is ranked in the top 25 most trafficked websites in the United States according to comScore and it pulls in 20 million dollars in yearly revenue.

As co-founder, Catherine Cook keeps busy developing new features and leading myYearbook into the future of social networking. She’s also an active myYearbook user and every new member’s first friend.

Q: What drove you above and beyond, towards entrepreneurship?

A: A big part of it was the way that my parents brought us up. We were always taught to be leaders. For instance, if we didn’t know what a word meant, we had to look it up in the dictionary. Our parents weren’t going to just tell us. It’s that kind of thing: do it yourself and find your own path.

Catherine and her brothers, David and Geoff

One of the things that drove us directly to entrepreneurship was seeing our older brother do it. Geoff, who’s 11 years older than me, started a company at Harvard during his sophomore year.

At the time, Dave and I were 9 and 10. Seeing him have a company, watching it grow, and living with him over the summers in California – it was just such a different environment than our parents’ work. The energy was a lot cooler. It was just better. Later, Geoff became our first investor and he stepped in as CEO.

Q: How have people around you reacted to your success?

A: It’s not like I try to keep a cover, but I don’t really talk about it. If I bring it up in conversation, it becomes the conversation. Of course, I love to talk about it. But I don’t want to feel like I monopolize the conversation.

My freshman year of college, no one knew except for my best friend. She didn’t realize how many hours I put into the site every night. I’m on the site late at night and I also tend to be an early riser. So, when we started living together, she was like, “You never sleep!”

There’s a guy who works at our cafeteria, swiping students in. He sees me every day because I eat at the cafeteria. Somewhere around November, he’s like, “You’re the girl who created myYearbook, right?” Apparently he’s a member. It’s fun to meet people who use the site.

I made all of my friends in Georgetown get accounts. C’mon – they’re my friends, so they have to support what I do! Now they’re on the site all the time. The casual game section is really big with them and at least one of my friends gets on the high score list every week. I can never get onto the high score list! They’re really good at it.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: If you’re first idea doesn’t work out, just try something new. Tweak the idea a little bit and it could make a world of difference. Go for your goals. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Lots of people told us that we couldn’t: “Three million members? You’ll never get that.” Now, we have 22 million members. If you have a gigantic goal, you don’t have to get all of the way to it to be a major player.

This is an abridged version from Catherine’s interview in our latest project, 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs. I told my entrepreneurship class full of high schoolers that I was going to be interviewing Catherine and they were like, “No way!” One girl preceded to tell all of her friends over the next week, and they were equally impressed. Catherine’s entrepreneurial journey is truly remarkable and it’s just the beginning. Find me on myYearbook!

Get a Free Chapter of the Book

Ooh, a free chapter?! Enter your email below and discover Adora’s secrets in a matter of minutes.

As you may have noticed, there have been a lot of interviews here and not a lot of regular postings. There’s a good reason for that.

There was a lot of behind-the-scenes fun that went into publishing 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs – What it Takes to Make More Money than Your Parents.

Get a glimpse of what it’s like:

See the first result of Marketing Week: 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs

Things to look for in the video:

• Rocket ship
• Dancing giant
• Broken clock
• Growing “FUN”
• Launching pad to happy face
• Nick Tart eating a Pop Tart
• # of hours worked in one week

What else did you spot?!

Marshall Haas got his start selling Pokémon cards on the street corner with his friends. But by the time he was 17, Marshall had moved on to architecture. He got a job working for a high-end architect in the Dallas area and began taking classes at a local community college.

Marshall noticed that many architecture firms weren’t offering images, or renderings, to their clients. He decided to fill the void by starting his own company, AllRendered, LLC. Marshall recruited a team of 20 artists in the Philippines to create architectural images from floor plans and he began attracting as many as eight clients a month.

Today, Marshall is 20 years old and still working to build AllRendered into a premier rendering service, while pursuing a degree in computer science. He is also in the process of developing a mobile web application called Podums, which will use game mechanics to encourage people to be productive. Whenever he finds the time, Marshall gets his thrills by riding his motorcycles.

Q: What challenges have you faced specifically because of your age? How has your age helped you to succeed?

A: I’ll be straight up: it is harder when people see that you’re younger. I have to remember to tell clients, “I’m not a one man shop. I’ve got a designer and a developer and they’re not just my buddies. They’re the best at what they do.” It’s about communicating that I’m not some kid: this is the real deal and we’re just as good as the next guy.

There are definitely advantages [to being young]. A computer has been in our lives the entire time we’ve been alive. That is a big advantage in my industry. I talked [to a client] about social media stuff and he perked up. All of a sudden, it was an advantage that I was young. Now, that company might hire me as a consultant for social media.

Q: You have an outsourced team of 20 designers in the Philippines. How did you get started with outsourcing and how do you continue to manage such a large team?

One of Marshall's renderings on a billboard! He randomly found this last week.

A: It started with Tim Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Workweek. That’s how I was introduced to the whole concept of hiring people overseas. At the same time, I had this architecture job and the main architect had an amazing skill with rendering. I really thought that more firms should offer a visual experience like that for their clients.

So, I asked a homebuilder for a kitchen floor plan for one of their models. I told them that I wanted to do a rendering for them for free and see how they liked it. I took that floor plan and put up a job on Elance.com and I paid three different companies to do a rendering of it. I ended up going with one of those teams, a group of artists in the Philippines who do watercolors and 3D stills. Then, I just started looking around and contacting architects, saying, “This is what we do.”

I’ve got one point of contact with the team and he manages all of the other guys for me. He’s also an architect and one of the artists. I’m the one point of contact for the architects and he’s the one point of contact for the renderings. So, I don’t have to manage 20 people. It’s really easy.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: Whoever reads this, I would love to talk about your ideas. I love bouncing ideas around with people who are also interested in business.

This is an abridged version from Marshall’s interview in our latest project, 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs. I had the opportunity to meet Marshall earlier this year and, true to his word, he’s an interesting person with a remarkable story. I’m sure you’ve noticed, Marshall’s interview is chock-full of practical advice for young entrepreneurs. We had to hold back a few nuggets for the book.

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