Are You Ever Too Young To Start A Business?

One truth about entrepreneurs that I think goes against the conventional wisdom is their age. Most people who start businesses are not as young as you might think. As I've written about before, research shows that the average age is 35 to 45.

But clearly, as the examples of Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates show, it doesn't hurt you to get started on your own enterprise at a younger age. In fact, it might help. Here's a cool post outlining the advantages of being a college-aged entrepreneur:

1. You stand out–if your young, you stand out from the crowd, people will remember that about you

2. Mentors–nobody wants to mentor a washed up 50 year old entrepreneur, but what successful businessperson doesn’t want to show the ropes to a youngster?

3. Technology–let’s face it, we know how to use it. The older generation didn’t grow up around it and therefore didn’t invent Google, Facebook, YouTube or anything else cool (haha).

4. Opportunities on campus–state of the art libraries, meeting facilities, computers, printers, copy machines; what more does an entrepreneur need?

5. Professors–How about heading over to the school of business for advice or books from an entire Management, Marketing, IT, Finance, Legals and Accounting departments?

6. Networks–Tap into your Universities alumni database. If they don’t have one, meet with alumni relations, ask professors who’s out there, attend networking events, and my favorite: Google names of famous buildings on your campus ie: Chaffee Center for International Business or google “Bryant University Board of Trustees”. Chances are the person who endowed the building has some good experience you could tap, and the board of trustees will pop up in numerous bios of important people across the internet.

7. You’ve got nothing to lose–house? car? family? Not me, now now.

8. Maybe free rent and meals at home while your bootstrapping your business?

9. You’ll get to laugh at your friends working their 9-5 hating life, while you live the lifestyle you want working for yourself!

10. If you fail you’ll still be young, full of experience and better off than where you started!

That last point is especially important.  The evidence seems to be pretty strong that the most successful startups come from people who have started businesses previously.