After getting into Oxford University, James realised there were other kids like himself who would love to study at some of the most prestigious universities in the UK, so he created Oxbridge Applications which helped bright people with their applications to top universities.

So it only made sense when he decided to take the next step, taking graduates from universities to employment but not just any kind of employment, but giving top graduates the opportunity to work with/for some of the biggest companies in the UK.

Bright Network, a membership-only network that works exclusively with the brightest graduates and undergraduates in the UK and Europe.

I recently spoke to him about the company, what they are trying to solve, their business model and advice for young entrepreneurs.

Hi James, How are you doing, great to have you on YHP?

Thanks for having me.

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself?

I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University of Oxford (1997 – 2000), and ever since I’ve been helping bright young people to achieve their potential – first by helping them with their applications to university, and, since I founded Bright Network in 2007, by helping connect them with remarkable career opportunities.

Tell me how you got into business? Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a child?

I founded my first start-up at 14. This business was selling sweets at school from my locker – against the rules but still a success!

So tell me about Bright Network and how the idea came about?

In 1999, while I was at university, I founded Oxbridge Applications – a start-up which helps bright people with their applications to top universities. Bright Network was the obvious next step – helping those people with their careers beyond university.

What is Bright Network and how does it work? What are you trying to solve?

Bright Network is where the brightest get noticed. We are a membership-only network that works exclusively with the brightest graduates and undergraduates in the UK and Europe. In order to join, members must have attended either a Times Top 20 or Russell Group university or have achieved at least AAB at A Level.. 

We are trying to solve two problems – firstly, the fact that, despite tough economic times which mean a lot of young people in the marketplace, firms are still struggling to find top quality candidates for their opportunities. We invest the time to get to know our members well and give our clients the opportunity to meet them face to face at networking events where they can find out more about them than they could from an online application form. Secondly, the fact that bright undergraduates, graduates and young professionals often struggle to differentiate themselves in the jobs market. At Bright Network we help them establish personal connections to get noticed for the right opportunities.

What is your business model?

We connect our members with exceptional job opportunities, remarkable organisations, and exclusive networking events to help them with their careers. And through our membership-only peer-to-peer bounty referral platform, our members work alongside our super in-house headhunters to identify and recommend bright minds who have the potential to work at some of the most sought-after organisations. 

From Goldman Sachs to Innocent Drinks, Slaughter & May to Mind Gym, we work with firms, big and small, blue chip and entrepreneurial – all united by one thing – the desire to find the best. 

In terms of our business model, our client firms pay us to help them access the people they need to find to grow their business, meaning our support is free for members.

What makes Bright Network different from any other Recruitment platform out there?

Firstly, as a membership-only platform with strict academic criteria, we have carved out a niche for giving firms access to the academic platform. Secondly, and most importantly, rather than being a recruitment consultancy, we are a social network which establishes long-term relationships with our members. Our ‘Bright Bounty’ referral system, where members earn money by referring their bright friends for our clients’ opportunities helps to keep them engaged even when they aren’t job hunting – and them keeping in touch helps us maintain the quality of the data we have.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

We are completely relationship driven and spend time with our members and our client partners so we know what they want and how we can help them.

Would you say the business has changed from the first initial idea?

All businesses develop over time. We started with London and we’re now covering the whole of UK.

You raised £300k last year – how was the whole fund raising process and what are some of the key things that you took away from that experience?

Raising money for your business can be time consuming, however it really makes think about what you’re doing, what resources you need and what you want to achieved. Our investors are superb – they are completely bought into our mission, have great experience and give us some fantastic connections.

What tips can you give upcoming entrepreneurs looking to raise money to grow their startups?

The key bit of advice is that investors back people more often than ideas. It’s common knowledge that an investor would rather invest in a ‘A-team’ with a ‘B-grade idea’ than vice versa. So if you’ve got a great track record of delivery to show potential investors what you’re capable of achieving when you put your mind to it, that will take you a long way.

Also, spend money on great people – sometimes they come with a high price tag, which may feel difficult when you’ve got limited financial resources, but ultimately having a great team in place means you’ll have a product and a client base that shows you are worth investing in.

What can we be expecting from your company in 2012?

Big things! We’ve just launched our new site, the culmination of a 14-month project… we expect to work with even more top-notch clients and attract more bright people on to the network. We’re also planning a huge careers festival (our Bright Festival) this September… watch this space.

What has been your most memorable moment so far?

Launching our new site! It was great to see the months and months of planning and hard work by the development team pay off. It was a big project with some challenging moments, but we got there.

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

1. Manage your risk profile. All entrepreneurs have to take risk – i.e. going into ventures where they don’t know the outcome. However the good entrepreneurs always make sure that is things don’t work out as planned and hoped for, they survive. My motto is ‘never bet what you can’t afford to lose’. Take risks, but make sure you can live to fight another day if it doesn’t work out.

2. Get going! The best way to learn about a market is to get started. Sometimes bright graduates can be too analytical and delay for too long. Once you start trading you get a whole load of new information about your business (e.g. what do customers really like).

3. Hire great people. Trust your gut but don’t rush into things and be slow to hire and quick to fire if things don’t work out. Your business is only as good as the people who are working in it.

Today I interview Louise Barker, CEO of Bamzonia – a platform that focuses on educating people about independent and effective financial awareness in their daily life. An idea which Louise came up with during a conversation with her business partner, Bruce Scott in Sainsbury’s car park.

In our interview, she also talks about walking away from her well paid and secure job into starting a business just before a recession.

The full interview is below.

Hi Louise, Thanks for doing this interview with me.

It’s a pleasure, thanks very much for asking me.

Can you give us some background information about yourself, were you the entrepreneurial type growing up?

I’m not sure I was necessarily entrepreneurial growing up but I was definitely head strong and didn’t really like being told what to do. My mum tells me that as a toddler the only way she could get me to do something was if I believed it was my idea, so I guess I have always been comfortable making my own decisions and as I’ve got older – taking responsibility for those decisions – whether they were my idea or not!

Tell me how the idea for Bamzonia came about?

The idea was conceived in Sainsbury’s car park during a conversation with my business partner. It was a few years ago now and the country was on the brink of a recession. We knew it was going to be tough times ahead as the level of consumer debt was sky high – we all had the latest gadgets, flat screen TV’s and credit card balances to match. We wondered how, in the space of a couple of generations things had changed so much. My grandparents wouldn’t have dreamed of spending on credit, my parents used credit but settled the balance every month and then my generation seemed comfortable to max a credit card and make minimum payments every month. We couldn’t begin to think what would happen in one generations time and felt independent and effective financial education had to be included in daily life – and then we came up with Bamzonia.

What is Bamzonia? Tell me how it works?

Bamzonia is an online platform for children, parents, schools and communities that teaches personal financial education in bite size, fun and engaging chunks. We have taken all the things you need to know about money and broken them down into 47 lessons. These lessons are interactive and are linked to a 3D city regeneration game. Basically, the better you do in the education, the faster and more successful you are in the game. You can start learning from 8 years old (before bad financial habits have set in) and by the time you have worked through all the lessons you should have a foundation of knowledge that allows you to make more informed financial decisions later in life. We are independent and don’t advertise or sell financial products so you can be sure we just want to deliver a level of confidence to our users to stop this negative spiral of debt that so many people find themselves in.

Tell us about the first few months of running the business? What would you say was the hardest part of starting the business?

The first step for me was the hardest. I so desperately wanted to set up my business but in order to give it everything I needed to walk away from my well paid and secure job just before a recession. That was a scary step and I made sure I had the full support of my family before doing anything but once I’d made that first step, the rest was just a case of working hard and never losing sight of the end goal. The first few months was spent carrying out market research, creating business plans and naively going for funding that we weren’t ready for!

How have you been able to fund the business?

We have raised a mixture of debt and equity funding. We have business angels as early stage investors and we have also been successful applying for an EFG loan.

How has the business evolved comparing to the your first year of running it, the business model? Strategy?

If I were to look at one of our early business plans I probably wouldn’t recognise the business, we really have evolved an awful lot. For a start, we were not going to tie the education into a game initially; it was going to be a prepaid card. When we looked at the reasons why financial education was not being taught in the schools or at home though, the prepaid card was not going to make the difference, it was the online, simple, accessible, complete and competitive experience that was going to work. As for our strategy, we had a focus on B2C originally which soon changed to the education sector. As a new business we needed to prove we could deliver financial education effectively and in a fun way. We have done that now so we are ready to look at our B2C strategy. Basically, the more people using Bamzonia, the brighter our financial futures will be.

What is your business model?

We are an independent provider of financial education so there is no advertising, or product placement, we sell subscriptions to our website for a year’s access for individuals, families, schools and communities. For that you can access all of the personal financial education and game. We have a price point that is affordable and recognised as excellent value, particularly in the education sector where we should always be mindful of stretched budgets.

Are you profitable?

We are at the beginning of our second year of trading so we are not profitable yet. We forecast a profit next financial year and are currently on target to achieve this which will be a fantastic milestone and a very proud moment.

What could you say has been some of the key things you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

I think key learnings are that no matter what your experience and background, unless you have been through the start up process yourself – you have no idea what to expect. I can see now why investors want someone who has done it all before to be a part of the executive team because you need someone looking out for the obvious pitfalls and start up mistakes that you are bound to make, no matter how experienced you are. On a more positive note however, there is no better feeling than your business making a difference, being acknowledged or achieving milestones. When you get to that point it all seems worth it.

What has been your most memorable moment so far on your entrepreneurial journey?

The most memorable moment was receiving feedback from a primary school in Scotland who had been using Bamzonia for a matter of weeks. The bit that stood out for me was this comment “Some students apparently saw a news story talking about inflation, knew what it meant and told their parents” These students were 11 years old and due to Bamzonia were familiar with the term “inflation”. When we were standing in Sainsbury’s car park over 3 years ago this is what we were aiming for – building a familiarity and confidence with money that gives the next generation a chance to control their money, rather than a lifetime of money controlling them.

What can be expecting from you and Bamzonia in 2012?

We have done all of our testing, made sure the product works and does what it says on the tin. We are now rolling Bamzonia out to schools and individuals and are busy telling anyone who will listen who we are and what we do. We have plans to develop our platform further and add depth to our game as well as appeal to a more adult audience. The future looks very exciting for us.

What pieces of advices could you give to aspiring entrepreneurs out there looking to start their business?

I would say that no matter what, you should trust your gut feeling. Sometimes the facts in front of you are saying one thing but your gut is telling you something else. Be brave and go with your gut if it feels right. Bring in a mentor or business advisor who has been on the start up journey with a successful exit behind them, you will benefit a great deal from an outside opinion from an experienced head. Be positive, positive, positive and don’t lose sight of the excitement and enthusiasm, even when those around you do. Lastly, be capable of working hard and continuously even when there is no certain future in sight – know as best you can that you (and those close to you) are ready for this journey – it really could be the best journey of your life.

Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

#1 Pivot fast.

If you keep doing the same thing, you will just keep getting the same results. If a problem arises, find the root cause and make changes. There is no such thing as keeping things constant. At Penn Olson, we change a lot even up to now.

#2 Don’t be stupid, ask.

There isn’t a point to guess when you can actually ask. We changed our focus to Asia because we asked what readers want. If your product has a problem, ask your consumers why it sucks. Chalkboard made a lot of critical changesThanks Rick. just by asking. I also often ask my team members if I have done/manage certain things in the right way.

#3 Network, network, network.

Tech guy or not, you have no reason to hide in your dormitory or office. Start by stalking others on LinkedIn, send emails, and do some real meet ups. That’s how I get involved in the tech community and I’m still meeting and connecting. It is never a waste of time. The connections you make might come handy in the future.

#4 Be humble.

A little air of arrogance is needed in an entrepreneur. But keep it in check to avoid offending others (no one likes an asshole). I learned through the hard way (yes, I used to be an asshole) and realized that things are so much better when you’re humble. My straightforwardness somehow presented me as an arrogant person and it took me sometime to change.

#5 Listen.

Being humble comes with listening. Listen to feedback, especially the bad ones. If someone bothers to criticize, it shows that something is really wrong and he cares to tell you what went wrong.

#6 Don’t listen.

When someone gives you feedback, ask yourself if he is an expert, a poser or a wet blanket. I’m not asking you to walk away from posers and wet blankets. Listen, be truthful to yourself and get the relevant content. You know your business best.

#7 Help others.

No matter how busy we are, we do our part by helping founders to connect with investors and mentors in Asia. It is our vision to help build a connected Asian tech community. We also get non-tech-related emails that seek advice on jobs, the Asia market and contact recommendations. We usually help if we can.

#8 Speed, timing, openness.

Build and ship fast. Forget about keeping things in stealth. Embrace the open concept.

#9 Work hard, play hard.

You need to have a healthy mind to run a healthy business. Work isn’t everything. Exercise, drink some booze and dance wildly to keep your mind sharp. I have been cranky lately but some sleep and beer did the trick to get me back on track.

#10 Stay lean and focused.

What’s your current performance indicator? It could be web visits, building a team, getting users or revenue. Have a list of goals (focus just one or two) and ask yourself if your resources are being put into good use to achieving them. Eliminate things that are slowing you down and focus on the important matter first. It’s easy for me to write and even easier for you to read. But staying focused can be tough when there are so many noises and expectations from different stakeholders (including your mom and dad). I had this problem in my previous start-up.

There you go, my 10 lessons learned and more to come. What’s yours, entrepreneur?

This article was originally published on Penn-Olson. Written by young entrepreneur Willis Wee, co founder of Penn-Olson.com

Written by Martin Harshberger

Everyone makes new years resolutions, lose weight, be nicer, whatever. Research shows almost nobody meets those new goals.

Businesses are no different, after the holidays everyone comes back to work energized and committed to starting the New Year with a clean slate. The success rate for businesses is no better than our personal resolutions, most businesses simply fail to execute strategy and sustain improvement programs.

Why is that? Common sense tells us if we keep doing the same things we’ll keep getting the same results, but that’s exactly what most of us do.

I’ve written numerous times that change is hard but there has to be more to it than that. We can change we just need to proper motivation. One quote I heard on change that made the most sense was “we change only when the pain of changing is less than the pain of staying the same”. Unfortunately then it’s often too late.

I’m convinced that most leaders understand that things need to happen in their business, they simply don’t know how to make them happen. Most have tried new programs in the past and have had less than satisfactory results, so they justify their inaction by convincing themselves that it won’t work anyway.

Kind of a self-fulfilling prophesy in the repeat mode.

Well here’s a news flash, one time programs, seminars, motivational talks, short term exposure to new things have virtually no chance of producing lasting results. Strategy execution, sustained improvement programs all require a repeatable methodology, and commitment from the top down.

Sorry to be the one to break this to you bet dictating strategy or product quality from the CEO’s office isn’t going to get it for you, you need to be involved.

If you don’t know how to make it happen hire a coach that specializes in strategy execution. It is absolutely a learned process and it doesn’t happen on it’s own.

So what will you do differently in 2011? Will you commit to learning the process to sustained business excellence, or will it be more of the same?

Written by : Osei

Chief editor of : http://www.flyprints.co.uk/blog

OK let me first start of by saying that I’m one of those people who don’t particularly like school. The rigidness of the system, the power hungry ego maniac teachers and the out dated way of teaching pisses me off. I am not an academic person, I am one of those students who drew Dragonball z characters whist in science .So, it would be natural for me to dislike or school right? Especially after the books I’ve read and the things I’ve heard about employers valuing experience over education. I have grown to dislike the education system and valued the art of everything unorthodox.

However with that said the older i get the more i see my university education benefiting my real life i graduated almost 1 year and a half ago. The endless reports and researching has prepared me for a world of blogging. Without this experience i wouldn’t have known about referencing quotes and bodies of work that i got from other people and how to properly structure an argument. (Although my spelling and punctuation is still terrible, thank God for spell check)

Without my knowledge of strategy I wouldn’t have thought to adopt a hybrid strategy for my company FLYPRINTS, a hybrid strategy is defined as when a company competes on price whilst differentiating their business from their competitors. A prime example would be IKEA a company who has relatively low prices but has very unique products. In my opinion the companies who do the best are the ones who set out to achieve this from day one.

To conclude i think for me a good formal education never hurts, it opened me up to a new world and a different social circle. I think my beef with School was how little they prepare you for the REAL WORLD but, things are changing have you seen these new academies! Not to mention all the summer courses, entrepreneurial courses etc. What do you think about formal education?

Finally met up with sabirul islam, the famous entrepreneur that sold 42,000 copies of his book “The world at your feet” in 9 months, when he was 13 he got fired from working with his cousin only after 2 weeks.

Now to the interview , hope you enjoy it.

You got into business from such a young age, from my research its says you got into business at 13, but started your business at 14, what inspired you at such an early age?

Having been weighing up my options for GCSE at 13, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work for my cousin, who at the time was 14 years of age. He ran his own business designing calendars for teachers in schools. Not the greatest of ideas but I was really inspired by his work. I had the role of a production director, designing the calendars. But I didn’t really live up to the expectations and 2 weeks later got fired!

I have to say it was the most difficult moment in my life, to not only have been fired but fired by my own cousin. It was hard to take in…However, he made £60 profit in one whole academic year and I was on a mission to prove my cousin wrong for firing me.

I wanted to run a business that made more money than he did which led me to setting up my first web design business at the age of 14, which was really successful having ran it for 2 years. Until I realised at 16 that web design was too common so I left the business.

How did you come about writing your book “the world at your feet”?

Having become an entrepreneur at the age of 14 and an investor at 16, it was somewhat outside the norm of what the community expected. Therefore, I had a lot of young people asking me constant questions on how they could do the same, which led me to writing The World at Your Feet book.

For every person I answered the question on how to become an entrepreneur, I believed that it straight away went through one ear and came out of the next. Therefore, I had to give something back in written evidence, which I believe they can always refer back to and seek as inspiration.

The book has a vision to inspire young people about the successes that lie ahead when opportunity is created and most importantly when young people strongly believe in who they are as a person and their abilities to make the most of their talents.

Reading your story, it says you sold over 42,000 copies of your book? That’s right, right? Or how many copies have you sold so far?

Yes, I did sell 42,500 copies of the book and in a space of 9 months.

Can I just “ how the hell were you able to sell 42,000 copies in the space of 9 months”, I’m sure everyone is curious about your tactics, strategies, how the hell did you pull that off, can you share some of your tactics with us, especially with people that are looking to publish their books?

I believe it is all about empowering people to believe in themselves and others that we are all extraordinary. Having written the book, I straight away became a motivational speaker, and spoke at 379 events within the 9 months (333 secondary schools) which led me to selling the 42,500 copies.

I felt that selling directly to young people will not be possible, therefore targeted the education market which I thought was fantastic.

But it’s not about being a sales person standing on stage and looking to sell. No! It’s about the power of inspiration and influence, enabling people to grow in self belief and being passionate about the topic in which you are talking about. Getting more people on board with your vision or topic enables greater opportunity for them to be a part of your network, purchase your products and see you as a role model and an inspiration.

Take us back to when you went to New York with Merrill lynch, how was the experience, how did it come about?

This was totally unexpected and to be honest, I wasn’t really keen to go to the States. But I was convinced
by my parents that it would be a fantastic experience.

Before the summer holiday period, I received a phone call illustrating the opportunity that lies ahead in learning about business and investment in New York. Having been convinced to go, I learnt how to trade in the stock market at the age of 16, working with professional traders in the New York stock market and entrepreneurs from Wall St.

I came back to the UK and put what I learnt to action…becoming a stock trader at the age of just 16. But I felt I was bit too young for this sort of commitment therefore only really bought stock for about 9 months. But it was a fantastic experience!

So you will be speaking at TEDx Youth Event in Amsterdam this November, how did you go about getting involved in that?

Once you develop a strong personal brand with a vision to inspire, and encourage the growth of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning…Opportunity will come to you rather than you having to seek for it. As an entrepreneur, unexpected things happen, which is exactly what happened here. I received an email from the organisers of the TEDx Youth Event from Amsterdam and was invited to speak at the event.

That is the great thing about being an entrepreneur; opportunities can arise any moment in time. So always expect the unexpected!

You’re no longer the teen entrepreneur, how has the journey been so far?

I believe that everyone is still a teen until they reach 30! I’m currently aged twen-teen (20) which I’m sure still makes me a teen 

But it’s been an unbelievable experience. I always look back to the moment I got fired at the age of 13 and think, what if I hadn’t been fired…Would I have been working at McDonalds at this point in time. I just don’t know!

But having become an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and an author, it’s been a fantastic journey. Having turned 18, I launched my own business board game which is titled as ‘Teen-Trepreneur’ hence that is where the name comes from.

The game has been used as part of the business BTEC academic learning which is quite extraordinary as I wasn’t really expecting it to achieve this accolade. Having turned 19, I started speaking in countries around the world such as Nigeria, South Africa, USA and now 20; I’ve launched the new business start kit for young people to encourage future growth and learning of entrepreneurship and will be on a world tour!
So, I say it’s been quite a fascinating few years but hey it’s still early days!

What inspires you and keeps you motivated as an entrepreneur on a day-day basis?

Every day is a new challenge and as an entrepreneur it is fascinating to tackle new challenges and obstacles on a day to day basis.

With my passion to inspire many young people around the world, I believe that every person out there is taking in the words of inspiration and trying to make something happen. I’ve had many people come back to me and state that I’ve changed their life…That is the biggest and most inspirational thing a person can hear.

And the fact that as an entrepreneur new ideas are always looming! So I believe both these two factor keep me going!

What are your hobbies? What do you get up to when you’re not talking business or giving inspirational/motivational speeches?

Over the past year or so, I’ve somewhat been attached to the Playstation which is quite a change for me, as I wasn’t attached to games before. But these modern high tech gizmos are quite rewarding and relaxing!

I also like travelling and taking breaks…so I do go out with friends and family and enjoy myself!
One thing which my mother’s not happy about is the fact that I bought a 6ft snooker table a few months back, which is now sitting in the living room! Have been playing that when I haven’t been working. Good fun!

What would you like to see more of happening as a young entrepreneur?

I just love doing business abroad…I would have to say that I would be delighted if more opportunities to speak or trade in countries that could really do with the products and services I supply.
But it’s all about taking one step at a time…That is where I believe the thrill of the journey comes from!

For the people that haven’t read your book yet, what can they be sure to learn from it?

The World at Your Feet follows a vision to inspire, educate and provide opportunities to jump on to the entrepreneurial platform. It provides a direction and choice of learning about the successes behind entrepreneurship and setting up a business.

The new launch of the Teen-Trepreneur Trilogy books supports life choices, for those who don’t know what they’ll do for their future.

The books help gain interest in the topic of entrepreneurship, help develop your personal brand and teach the core steps to setting up a real business.

There are many people out there full of scepticism and doubt about who they are and their talents. The World at Your Feet book aims to inject belief and hope that ordinary individuals who do something unique make them extraordinary.

And no, it’s not a 40 year olds views on successes in life…Its views from a teenager who was aged 17 (myself ), that had unlocked the beauty of success. So the gap between, those who need help to the person who wrote the book aged 17, is minimal. So there is hope that we can all achieve success.

You been to a lot of countries, giving inspirational talks, what has been your best experience so far?

Without a doubt my time in South Africa was amazing. I spoke at a conference which had listeners of over 2 million people on radio from over 170 countries.

Had great responses from people in South Africa and the people I stayed with will truly live long in my memories.

I even had my books and games sold in South Africa and now have constant orders from country…Great for business. One great thing that happened was when I spoke at a school in South Africa, one of the student bought my book from a local store and wanted my autograph.

She then searched online, asked people around and found out where I was staying…She came over with her dad just to have the book signed having searched for 2 days. Which I thought was awesome and really inspirational.

It will take something really special to beat the experience I had in South Africa.

What has been your most memorable moment so far?

It has to be when I was awarded the Mosaic Entrepreneur of the Year award by HRH Prince of Wales and HRH Princess of Jordan in 2008.

There have been a lot of extraordinary moments during my time but this has to top it, as I was nominated by Merrill Lynch, and was the youngest person nominated for the award, up against top business owners in their 30s and 40s. Which I thought was fantastic!

What has been some of the key lessons you’ve learnt so far on your journey as an entrepreneur?

It is very important to follow the 3 P’s as an entrepreneur…You have to remain Positive at all times. It’s important to always see negative influence as a means to doing positive things and to prove others wrong. I learnt about the importance in being Passionate about what you do, because without passion there is no hope. And finally, what I’ve learnt is that illustrating Perseverance is key. Hard work and determination, even through tough times is how true entrepreneurs succeed.

So what’s next for you?

I’ll be starting my World Tour in October, speaking in 20 countries in 12 months. In November, I’ll be launching the new Teen-Trepreneur Speakers Bureau and from next year the Teen-Trepreneur Board Game will be selling globally.

So there is still a bit to do, but I’ve always said to myself…Duncan Bannatyne became an entrepreneur aged 30 and is now a multi-millionaire. I started at 14 and am now aged 20. Well, I speak for many young entrepreneurs when I say that we are already more success than he is! 

What tips have you got for young entrepreneurs especially those looking to publish their books?

It’s easy and simple…All it takes is for you to write a story, design it yourself or find a designer and publish on Lulu.com…It’s simple, its free and it will make you more successful than those who take their manuscripts off to a mainstream publishers and get rejected! Give it a try. It won’t cost you to publish a book!

Thanks for your time sabirul, hope to catch up with you soon.

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Hey Guys, Check out this interview with Jonathan mead, an entrepreneur, a writer, a coach, martial artist and the founder of the amazing blog illuminated mind.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

Hey Jonathan, how are you doing?

I’m doing good, thanks for asking. And thanks for having me here.

Can you give us some quick background information about yourself, what you do now?

Sure. I’m a writer, entrepreneur, coach and a martial artist. I’m most interested in helping other people break free from limiting structures to help them live on their own terms.

How did you start blogging and start Illuminated Mind, what inspired you?

What first inspired me was finding a way to give back to the self development community. I felt like I had benefited so much and wanted to find a way that I could contribute and share the knowledge that I had gained.

As time went on, my motivation shifted a bit. I saw that a certain group of people weren’t being targeted or spoken to very much when it came to self development; people that were off the beaten path, that questioned authority, and the structures society has created to limit us. I came from a similar background, so I wanted to see if I could speak more directly to that audience, and that’s how I wound up where I am today.

How have you been able to grow your blog? Creating awareness and getting quality readers?

I try as best as I can to be remarkable, to not do what everyone else is doing. I don’t want to compete with everyone by trying to do the same things they’re doing better. I want to do something totally different so that competition is obsolete.

How much time do you spend for your blog?

Since my blog is my business I spend a lot of time on it. Since I’m self-employed, the amount of time varies a lot week-by-week. It could be 15 hours one week and 50 hours the next. It really depends.

What books would you suggest reading for anyone interested in the topics you blog about?

One City — Ethan Nichtern
Hardcore Zen — Brad Warner
Walden — Henry David Thoreau
The Four Agreements — Don Miguel Ruiz

From which people have you learned the most or which people are kind of role models for you?

I’ve learned from anyone that follows their heart and lives deliberately; anyone who sets out to be excellent, or genuinely wants to serve others.

What are your main sources of inspiration for your articles?

Living and experience. I get most of my inspiration from just doing and trying different things. A lot of it comes from lessons that I’ve learned or shifts in my thinking that have made a big difference in my life.

Tell me about your book “Reclaim Your Dreams: An Uncommon Guide to Living on Your Own Terms.” What inspired you to write it?

A lot of people want to follow their dreams, but they don’t think that their dreams are practical. There seems to be a battle of head vs. heart, and for some reason the head always wins. People end up old and in regret that they didn’t follow their heart. No one lays on their deathbed wishing they were more productive or practical. They always wish they did the things that called to their heart.

I personally had the same issue. I had dreams of being self employed, being a writer, a martial artist and other things. But my mind told me that they weren’t practical. That I would fail, that I didn’t deserve it, and a whole host of other obsolete and unimportant reasons.

My goal was to create a road map out of that limiting pattern of living, and find a way not to dethrone the mind and crown the heart, but to integrate them and let them rule together. So that’s what Reclaim Your Dreams is. It’s a guide to helping you make peace between heart and mind and find a way to actually make your dreams a reality; to let them take root in the world.

How can someone get it right with self-education? I see a lot of people that read a lot of self help books that end up all confused.

Maybe it’s a lack of critical thinking. To be honest, I’m not sure. I think some people read self-help book after self-help book because they want to find that magical hidden answer that will make everything work automatically, with no effort on their part. They’re always looking for a better strategy. But the perfect strategy doesn’t exist. The perfect strategy is practice.

You went through a period of addiction; how were you able to come out of that?

I got tired of trying to find happiness somewhere outside of myself. I had to go through that in order to really understand that you can only find happiness within yourself. You can’t get in it a pill, a drug, material things, or passive entertainment. It has to be something you decide deliberately.

What areas of your life have most improved since you started this journey?

Every area, honestly. I no longer see the different areas of my life as separate or distinct. Any time one area of my life improves, so do the others. The more I move toward integration, the more this becomes true for me.

What Motivates You? What inspires you?

Being excellent and the desire to express my fullest potential motivates me the most. A lot of things inspire me, especially people that have followed their dreams and have reached their potential. That could be anyone from a great basketball player to an amazing drummer to an incredible martial artist.

Do you have a goal of how many books you must read in a month?

I used to have goals like that, but I found them to be very unmeaningful to me. The more I place quotas and quantify my goals, the less motivated I become. Instead, I try to focus on meaning before measurement.
I generally read at least two or three books a month, though, sometimes more.

How has networking online and offline helped you or your business? How essential do you think it is?

I’m not big on the word “networking;” I prefer to call it building relationships. And I think it’s absolutely essential. I know some people that have built their businesses simply on referrals and relationships. It’s huge, and something I think most beginners neglect.

Something that has been me bugging for a while is balance. How do you keep balance and maintain focus? It’s so easy to get carried away.

This is another one of those things that I used to find highly important, and now don’t pay much attention to it. I’ve made a conscious effort to create a life where balance is irrelevant.

Since my work, life, relationships, and interests are all interrelated, I don’t have to try to balance them. I think balance is overrated. Instead of trying to find balance, I say create a life where balance isn’t necessary. Create a life where no part of your life conflicts with the other.

What was that one thing that kept you going when things weren’t going your way?

Hunger. If you’re not consumed by a deep hunger or passion, it’s easy to let things that don’t go your way deter you. But if you’ve committed yourself 100% to your pursuit, nothing can get in your way.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’m not too sure. I tend not to plan more than six months in advance. Planning further than that adds a level of rigidity to my life that stifles me. I also don’t think it’s really possible to plan that far. Things will come up that you’re not able to predict. I’d rather be like water, flexible and ready to follow whatever course is presented to me.

Thanks for your time Jonathan

Thanks, it was my pleasure.

Make sure you check out His blog and leave a comment and don’t forget also to follow him on twitter.

Check out this interview with Carlos Miceli, A Blogger @Owlsparks and Co-founder and Content Director @Untemplater, You should check out both Websites as they have amazing contents, i remember i once read through those sites for days whilst leaving their websites opened on my browser.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

Hey Carlos, how you doing?

I’m doing great, thank you for asking.

Can you quickly give us some quick background information, what you do?

I’m co-founder and Content Director of Untemplater, the guide to shatter the template lifestyle, and I’m the blogger behind OwlSparks, where I talk about a variety of topics like philosophy, marketing and education, to name a few.

How did Untemplater come about? What inspired you to start it?

It’s interesting that you ask this, because we always have the same talk with the team. We are not quite sure to be honest! I think our CEO Jun Loayza wrote a post one day on his blog about the possibility of many smart and capable Gen Y bloggers teaming up, and it just got a lot of us excited with the possibility. It kind of snowballed after that, everyone started pitching ideas, and before we knew it, we were already having meetings.

What is the main aim for starting, what are you trying to achieve?

The aim of the site is to help people realize that there’s more than one path in life. We are not trying to force any mindset into anyone, we just want to show how so many people are living unconventional and happy lives. And we want people to know that we as founders are also going through the hardships of choosing an unconventional lifestyle, that we are fighting and learning everyday just like them.
Of course, since this is a company and we put a lot of time into it, making some money wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world!

What is an average workday like for you?

I try to wake up early (although sometimes I fail because I stayed up working late), have a strong breakfast, then gym, lunch, shower, nap, and THEN I work. I also try to do offline networking as much as possible, so I go out at night often.
If I need to get a lot done, I work during night time. I’m very productive when everyone’s sleeping.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Spreading the word in our networks was possible the best thing we did. We are six mildly-popular bloggers, so when we each announced the project, our networks helped us a lot, word of mouth has been wonderful so far.

Also, having a free manifesto when we launched was a great move, kudos to our CMO Cody McKibben for coming up with the idea.

What plans do you have now to expand the site further?

So many! Live shows, Q&A features, Video Experts, giveaways, to name a few.

How do you market and create awareness for your website? What has been your most effective marketing tactic or technique?

This would be a better question for the other guys, honestly. I trust their marketing knowledge so much that I try not to get in the way. But like I said before, word of mouth thanks to our networks has worked wonders. Also, letting people submit articles has been a wonderful idea, courtesy of Adam Baker, our COO.

What advice can you give to anyone trying to create or grow their presence online?

Give it time. Impatience will destroy you. Some people would say that self-promotion is also a big move, but I’m not so sure about that. The most important thing is not to get too anxious and to be genuine.
Also, do your best when it comes to content. Not everyone can create truly amazing stuff, but everyone should TRY. Don’t settle.

What are your expectations for the future with Untemplater?

Personally, I have very high expectations, but it’s hard to define them in a concrete way. I want to focus in the near future in perfecting the systems and in getting everything running smoothly. We’ll see where we go after that.

How do you manage your time?

I focus on 3 to 5 things that I have to do each day. Once I’m done with that, I relax and analyze if I’m going to do something more long term focused, or if I’m just going to kick back and watch some House.

What other projects are you working on?

A personal manifesto and an ebook.

What do you think has been key for you in building your brand and business online?

Working very hard to create original content, my writing style, and my focus on building a limited number of very strong relationships.

What is the worst experience you’ve had as an entrepreneur?

You live it daily, and it’s the uncertainty. But it’s something you learn to accept and power through.

What are the biggest challenges you faced starting up and how did you overcome them?

I was at a corporate job at the time, so balancing my job, the company, my side projects and my social life was hard. I overcame them sleeping less for a relatively long period of my life!
Looking back, I have no regrets.

Who are your role models?

Famous role models? I don’t have any, except maybe Adam Carolla for the simple reason that he stands up for what he believes. I want to be that person, someone who is willing to choose failure before losing his integrity.

Online, people like Holly Hoffman, Jun Loayza, Andrew Norcross and Colin Wright are wise people and friends who push me to work harder every day.

What are your top 5 websites you visit for inspiration?

- Ben Casnocha: The Blog
- Sex, Drugs and Boredom
- Overcoming Bias
- Big Think
- And Untemplater of course!

Thanks for your time Carlos

Thank you very much for interviewing me, it was a pleasure!

Steve is the founder of Wealthystudent.co.uk, A site dedicated towards helping students financially through university. although as discussed in the interview, he is looking to re-launch it into a much more success/career based site in a few weeks time.

In this interview, steve touches on some key tips especially for entrepreneurs looking to start their business int he university or straight after..

Enjoy…

Steve, how you doing today?

Very good thanks! Thanks for giving me the chance to do this interview.

Wealthy student? How and when did you start your business?

I started the business back at university in 2008. I got some funding by my university, who backed the idea and it took off from there. The prelimonary idea behind the site was to be a site to help students financially through university. The site has got sidetracked through 2009 as I got involved with another student business. I am now back on track and we are going to be re-launching with a much more success/career based site in a few weeks time.

What inspired you to start you to start the site?

I had always wanted to be my own boss and it just hit me one day that the internet was clearly an opportunity to start a business. It was staring me in the face. Anyone can start a business on the internet. To be successful though, takes tremendous amounts of perserverance, quick learning and having massive focus.

I also wanted to do something about student’s situation. I had managed to graduate with about £10,000 in the bank, just through working a part time job. Anybody could do that, too.

How difficult was it starting a business?

I found it fairly easy to get started. You need to get people around you who can mentor and help. I think the difficult part is when you get a year or two into the business and things haven’t got quite as planned. Will you still be motivated to be a success? It’s then when passion counts.

How did you raise money for your business?

I got a £3500 grant from my university, much of my savings of university went into the business.

What’s your business model?

Originally, it had been solely affiliate and advertising revenue but now we are heading into the recruitment sector.

How did you market your business?

JV partnerships, viral marketing (giving my book away), SEO marketing, article marketing – as many things as possible that get you ‘out there’. If you don’t know enough about how to do marketing on little or no budget then definitely get advice.

What are the fundamentals that you think every entrepreneur should follow when starting up a business?

• Get a mentor
• If you are setting up an online business and can’t code the site yourself then ask as many people as possible if they know anyone can, for cheap. Do not pay thousands. There are plenty of people out there trying to rip you off.
• Don’t be scared to tell other people your idea. People won’t steal it, it takes a lot of hard graft to get an idea to go anywhere.
• Write some sort of business plan. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but get something down.
• Have a vision of what you want the business to be in 5 years time.
• Set yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals.
• Make every penny count.
• Make every minute count as much as every penny. Productivity is key when starting up.
• Make sure you are truly passionate about the business. Don’t purely do it as a road to riches. If you don’t have passion then you will give up in the end.

You’re the 2009 Men’s Health Entrepreneur of the Yr, how does that feel? And also a Part of the Observer/Courvoisier Future 500, that’s got to be cool, it sounds cool anyways?

The entrepreneur of the year was great. I had worked so hard up until that point and it was fantastic to get recognition. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely. The Courvoisier Future 500 is possibly the best thing about being in business. You get to meet some fantastic people, doing fantastic things at the networking events.

You also have a book called Defeat Student Debt, how did that come about?

I wrote the book whilst I was in the process of graduating (available on Amazon). I think I am a bit of a writer at heart and I had a lot to say about enjoying yourself at university but also doing it in a way that would keep you in good financial stead.

Who is your role model?

It can change all the time. Anyone who is at the top of their game whether it is in sport or business. Some names? Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Roger Federer, Lewis Hamilton and (surprise entry) Ricky Gervais.

What s your favourite entrepreneurial book?

Quite a few. I’ll go for something a bit different – The 4 hour work week by Tim Ferris.

What were you doing before? What would you do if they were no wealthystudent?

I was a student before. If there was no wealthystudent, I’d probably go work and travel somewhere as that is my other passion – seeing, living and breathing other cultures.

What advices would you give to young entrepreneurs starting up?

Think big and go for it! Follow my above advice!

What next for you?

Concentrating on making this business a success and inspiring others to do the same.

Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years time?

I’d love to get into investing into startups that are in their infancy. After my experiences with them, there will be a lot I can offer.

Thanks for your time steve, i wish you the very best.

Check out his website Guys, Leave comments so i know your thoughts on this interview.

Lauren Berger is the “The Intern Queen”, a fictional name she created for herself, of course she has to be, after completed 15 internships during college and also starting up a business that revolves around internship, Lauren is definitely the queen alright.

The Intern Queen:

I encourage everyone (young and old) to take a long serious look at their lives and focuses on letting your passion drive your career.

How you doing today Lauren? Welcome to YHP
Can you kindly give us some background about yourself and what you do?

I am CEO of Intern Queen Inc, a business I started after participating in 15 internships during college and deciding I was going to create a personalized way for students to connect with internships.

I’m from Clearwater, Florida and graduated from University of Central Florida in 2006.

What inspired you to start your business?

My internships taught me so much about who I was and what I wanted to do with my life – I wanted others to be able to connect with great opportunities and learn about themselves like I did.

What makes your internship service stand out from others?

It’s a personalized customized experience for the user. Students are sending their resumes to ME and I’m personally forwarding the resume to a PERSON at the company they are interested in. I’m a firm believer in the “personal touch”. It’s a small gesture but it goes a long way and helps the students know that someone is on their side.

How did you finance your business?

Marshall Herskovitz (Blood Diamond, Traffic) was my start-up investor. He owns a percentage of my company.

How do you market your services?

The best form of marketing has been word of mouth. I help one student and that student tells their friends. I market through social media, partnerships, speaking engagements, and affiliate relationships.

How many employees do you have?

One. Myself. I have a wonderful intern, a freelance web designer, and a freelance web programmer.

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?

I’m a huge fan of the business that Rachael Ray has built for herself. I’m fascinated by people who really know how to brand and she does a great job.

What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?

Hmm….I can’t lie. I work LOTS of hours and often in my spare time I find myself working. However, I’m currently cooking all of Rachael Ray’s recipes, reading “Pour Your Heart Into It” (The Howard Shultz Starbucks Book), reading magazines like Inc, Self, In Style, Entrepreneur, etc. I try to work hiking and/or pilates into my schedule a few times per week, I enjoy lounging around with my friends and watching television or going to the movies, and over the past 3 weekends I’ve been to Disneyland, Wine Tasting, Apple-Picking, and watching football. I’m not sure I understand football – but I watch it  Oh and I go shopping whenever I can – Nordstrom is my favorite.

What qualities have you developed as a result of running your business?

I’m more goal and detail oriented. My time management skills have vastly improved – they had to. I’m able to delegate tasks better than before and as I’ve grown in my business, it’s become easier to feel confident in what I’m doing on a day to day basis. You realize that you are going to have bad days – and when they come around – they don’t affect you as much.

Where do you see in yourself and your business in the next 5 years?

The goal is to help any student in any industry – anywhere in the world. I hope to build this business up over the next 3-5 years and hopefully sell it and move on to the next project  Intern Queen will always have a special place in my heart.

What should a student try to get out of an internship?

EVERYTHING THEY CAN ! Read everything, meet everyone, volunteer as much as possible, work hard, stay late, be the first one there. Learn about that industry and if that is the right industry for you.

What plans do you have now to expand your business further?

We are trying to expand to a new location each month. I’m in the middle of my speaking tour and trying to bring the tour overseas. Right now it’s all about raising the platform. I’m shopping around a book deal with my agent in New York and working on some other fun projects – stay tuned !

Thanks for your time Lauren.

For more information about lauren: Lauren Berger
Check out her company website: Intern Queen Inc
Lauren Berger’s Blog: Blog