Teenage bosses tell all
Friday 10 February 2006
Setting up your own business doesn't have to mean drawing up a huge business plan and going to the bank and asking for loans.
You don't have to have left school to be enterprising.
We talk to two n2k readers who started out small and are on the up.
Market value
Kerry, 16, got interested in running her own business when she started helping her mum on her market stall on a Saturday. "I used to nip round the market to look at the other stalls in my breaks, and saw that there were loads of cool stuff, but a little jewellery stall would be even better."
Growth spurt
Kerry soon got to work on her plan. "I started designing and making little necklaces and earrings and Mum said I could have a section of her stall to sell some of my stuff.
Soon, I had to get a stall on my own and my older sister had to help me. Officially, it's part of mum's business, but it's all of my ideas and designs and now my sister's doing that with me, too."
Looking ahead
Kerry's got big ideas for the future. "I definitely want to open my own shop one day, probably when I've done my A-levels.
Before then, I might see about getting another stall. I'm quite interested in selling and making clothes too so I might study fashion at college."
Car wash
Joe, 17, isn't into design or jewellery, so he came up with a more practical way of getting started in his own business. "I used to wash my Dad's car for a bit of extra cash and because I really enjoyed it, I made sure I did a good job of it."
Word gets around
Joe's reputation amongst car owners grew through his village. "Before I knew it, I was washing and valeting most of the cars on my street. I had to get a friend to help me and we were raking it in."
Future perfect
The young entrepreneur is now concentrating on his studies, but as soon as summer hits, he's planning to get his squeegee out once more and get lathered up.
"I'm going to be working with a couple of friends and I'm even getting cards printed. A friend of mine works on local radio and reckons he get the presenters to give me a shout out to help get me more customers."
