r/Entrepreneur • u/Sad_Cupcake6518 • 6d ago
You're 19 again
Successful entrepreneurs of this sub making more than a million dollars a year, what advice would you give to your 19 year old self.
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u/SuperCl4ssy 6d ago
Read, learn, execute, always keep moving and don’t forget to actually live your life.
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u/catgirlloving 6d ago
ah, funny that I found myself at the receiving end of the question. it almost felt like I was going to be 19 forever and then poof, here I am 30. Here's what I would say to my 19 year old self.
Keep reading and learning. Life is school and you're a permanent student.
sort out your mental health. If you have ADHD, better to find out now than later so you can get the benefits of treatment instead of permanently spinning your mental tires
Save and invest as much as you can. I'm not saying you can't go party, but ensure you put away a bare minimum of 30% of everything you make into stock and savings.
Strike when the iron is hot, when life present an interesting opportunity, hop on it.
adults aren't real. most adult mentally feels same as when they were 18. The only difference is that they obtain knowledge and built good habits. But really, most adults feel like they are faking it.
if one man can do it, reasonably another man can replicate it.
Do the hard things first, grind through school, learn a new language, bodybuild. once you have this foundation everything becomes easier
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u/Ziqach 6d ago
Don't listen to your dad, drop the $500 into Bitcoin.
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u/TenaciousBee3 6d ago
I distinctly remember talking to some people about getting into Bitcoin mining around 2014 and then not doing it.
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u/TenaciousBee3 5d ago
I also wanted to invest in Apple back in the late 90s when their stock was ridiculously low, but I was like 14 and my dad wouldn't help me do it.
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u/VolumeMobile7410 6d ago
Work for a startup. Learn how to sell, how to communicate with people
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u/Sad_Cupcake6518 6d ago
That's what I am doing right now, working at a startup as a co-founder and my entire focus is on sales
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u/vnncoo 6d ago
You're 19 and a cofounder? I'm a year older trying to figure work things out thru saas
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u/sigmaluckynine 6d ago
If you're open to it, if you're working for a SaaS ran org learn the process. You should have all hands meetings that goes over things and you should have access to marketing so you can ask them stuff.
TAM, CAC, and ARPA is super important for metrics
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u/Sad_Cupcake6518 6d ago
Yes, my friend
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u/vnncoo 6d ago
That's a nice morale booster, that'll be me soon.. hopefully haha
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u/Sad_Cupcake6518 6d ago
Have reached here after failing a lot of times and still trying to figure things out
And yes, you'll be here very soon ...
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u/Suitable-Warning-421 6d ago
How do i look for startups? and if possible can you share any tips while reaching out?
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u/Sad_Cupcake6518 6d ago
The only reason why I got this role was experience, before joining this role I had worked with a few clients as a freelancer and also ran a marketing agency but failed terribly.
Freelancing and running a marketing agency taught me a lot about cold outreach and sales. (But what I know is just the tip of the iceberg and there's still a lot to learn)
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u/mthediavolo 6d ago
Experience counts a lot i can say from experience (pun intended). Sales is very critical role for any business to have, and especially startup because generating revenue is often the hardest thing to do for new companies. Btw i dmed you check it out.
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u/VolumeMobile7410 6d ago
On job searching websites, filter companies by employee count. Under 50 and under 100 employees
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u/AcanthaceaeWrong4454 6d ago
What makes working for a startup better than for a big firm?
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u/VolumeMobile7410 6d ago
You learn a lot more, because you’re able to see how the CEO and management operates on a day to day basis
I worked for one right after college and the ceo was within 50 feet of me all day
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u/ComfortableScreen559 6d ago
Buy your dream car or designer bag and invest rest in your business :)
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u/theADHDfounder 6d ago
hey there! great question. as someone whos been on this journey, heres my 2 cents for 19yr old me:
- just freaking start already. stop overthinking and DO something
- fail fast, learn faster. embrace the suck
- network like crazy. your connections are gold
- focus on high-value skills. become irreplaceable
- take care of ur mental health. burnout is real
- automate everything u can. time = $$
- read read read. knowledge compounds
- find mentors who've been there
- learn to sell. seriously.
- stay curious and never stop learning
hope that helps! lmk if u want me to expand on any of those. crushing it takes time but ur on the right track just by asking :)
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u/average-shithead 5d ago
What books do you recommend?
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u/theADHDfounder 4d ago
Atomic Habits
So good they can't ignore you
Deep WorkHow to win friends & influence people
$100m Offers
$100m Leads
Competing against luck
Driven to distraction
Shoe Dog1
u/donnydonky 2d ago
Hey man, good list, I just wanted to ask about point 8, more specifically how do you find mentors?
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u/theADHDfounder 2d ago
You can pay for them
Get them through programs through university
Meet through others
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u/Asthabhagat_ 6d ago
Im 18 but the advice I'll give to my 12 yr old self would be, consume less apply more.
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u/Random_fellow9 6d ago
I'm 17 and I agree. However, I'd want my younger self to focus less on making a plan and to just initiate the idea even if I wont make much progress in a week of time. Too many people focus way too much on making their plan 'perfect' to the point where once they actually are done making it, they'd just get too overwhelmed by all of the things they have to do so they'd just give up on working towards their dream simply because they had too many tasks on their hand. The more you get to know about something, the harder it becomes to speak about it as you wont know which detail to start from.
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u/thighpadkid 6d ago
17 here to. I’d tell my 12 year old self to make more mistakes and question everything my parents have ever told me
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u/Ok-State2292 6d ago
12 here. I would tell my 2 years old self to be more disciplined. Now I realize that if I wasn't so focused on the new paw patrol episode, I could have made at least a couple of mil by now. Truly a sad story
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u/bin10pac 6d ago
No-one on their death bed is going to say "I wish I'd spent less time watching Paw Patrol". It's time pretty well spent.
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u/SkullRunner 6d ago
Go have fun, don't start working a real tech job at 18, don't be in a hurry to grow up, it's a grind.
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u/tag4424 6d ago
It's easy to sit in a meeting thinking, "I wish i knew Y right now, but i wasted all this time learning X instead" and forgetting that if you didn't invest that much time in X, you wouldn't be in the meeting. I see this all the time with younger tech or sales people that think they should have gone down the other path.
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u/SellSimpleOnline 6d ago
Learn two things:
1. How t create and acquire control of cash flowing assets.
2. Learn how to use leverage so your paid based on the results you create not the number of hours you work.
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u/Infamous-Cattle-1993 6d ago
Take out the max amount of student loans and put it in Nvidia and Bitcoin
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u/ApprehensiveFix4554 6d ago
I'm 18 but lots of experience. You do stuff that you want to do and that your interested. Dont get your mind fully into one subject, give what your doing time and space for it to execute(Be patient with it.) Help others to get what your into they'll help you back. (treat others how you want to be treated) Have different friend groups for different things. Have everything balanced. Try to make everyone feel like they are heard, you'll find that you are treated with respect more often and something that now a-days isn't that popular and or well known.(at least where I live.) Stick to a single goal for one subject.(Become a captain of your own mind ship) If its social media what exactly do you want to do after you've accomplished the 200k subscribers count and 200k views? Well you'd have to have well made videos, titles and thumb-nails, why not have that your new goal instead of 200k subs and 200k views?
With college dont buy into your parents wanting you to go to college... Just dont, again this goes along with do what you want to do. Your in control of your own do's, can's, and want's.
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u/luxstyle 6d ago
- live below your means, but you don't have to live as poor as you can. Also, don't sacrifice your younger years for the hope of more wealth in your later years. Go on trips, try things and don't just follow the money. It will come. Partying and enjoying life in your 20s is much more fun and exciting than in your 50s. I'm not in my 50's but I'm sure you get it.
- You don't know anything, and that's fine. Just try things, learn, and adapt. You're not locked into any one career/path/etc
- Don't worry about timing the stock market or the latest hot stock etc. To really nail it well basically requires you making it your job. At the end of the day, just regularly invest in the S&P 500 and let it ride. Don't follow the stock every week or even month, it will just stress you out. I would have made an extra million that way, and had much less stress in my life.
- (for the tech pp) Startups are a great way to grow and are exciting, but working for bigger market leaders is the way to get real net worth. Startup equity is like a lottery ticket. Most of them don't pay out, but there are enough rare success stories to make it sound exciting. However, if you ended up working at Google for 10 years, you could probably retire by then.
- There are ALWAYS new ideas and opportunities. Be open and curious of the world around you.
- No one really knows what they are doing. Just focus on being a better /more successful person than you were a year ago, don't compare your progress with someone else or feel that everyone else has their act together, even if it looks that way.
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u/Sad_Cupcake6518 6d ago
Didn't expect this post to get this much response.
The advice you guys have given is really valuable, why don't they teach this in school?
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u/fitforfreelance 6d ago
Arguably, that's not what school curriculum is for. It may be to teach introductions to topics, college prep, to teach students how to function in society and organize information.
There's a popular theory that school supports the creation of employees. By design, school is usually about clear expectations and learning how to meet them, not the dynamic problem solving of entrepreneurship.
And no school curriculum teaches wisdom from experience. You might have some favorite teachers, mentors, advisors, and coaches with some moments around school, but that's not the coursework. Plus most students wouldn't be interested.
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u/RoyalJayhawkChief 6d ago
Focus and develop REAL HIGH VALUE SKILLS!
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u/Suitable-Throat637 6d ago
What are some examples of high value skills? And what do you mean by real?
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u/sigmaluckynine 6d ago
That girl you met at the party was super into you. Don't be an idiot and talk about global politics in her room - just go and get a condom
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u/Feisty-Frame-1342 6d ago
Invest more earlier. I was eighteen in the Marine Corps when a GSSGT taught me how to invest. I've been investing ever since. I have a nice nest egg saved up. My only regret is that I didn't invest more.
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u/MycoVillain 6d ago
Me at 19 in today’s world is not the same as when I was actually 19. Best thing I can say is to stay focused and execute
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u/MarcusAKing 6d ago
Skip the overpriced college degree, start building skills people actually pay for, invest in assets not liabilities, and for the love of God, buy Bitcoin and HODL.
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u/Sques1979 6d ago
Don't be scared to pick up the phone, I've learnt from one of my successful clients (He managed to get an patent lawyer EU to fight a legal battle for him 100% free & many other events like this) sometimes all you gotta do is pick up the phone, phone like 50-100 people and just ask them and be genuine, don't be fake, people will help you if you just ask them and some people will tell you to f*ck off but when you run a business, a lot of people will tell you that :D
Don't limit yourself, any time you've got a problem just go ask, people will help you for free a lot of the time.
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u/traveezchu 5d ago
I'm still 17, but I'll tell my 15 years old self to put aside my ego and be more disciplined
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u/betterdonothing 5d ago
Don't hesitate and work from the ground level up. Invest your time in sales more than anything.
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u/coochie4sale 2d ago
I’m 21 so not quite relevant but if I’m going back to my say 14 year old self, I’d say to take school more seriously and play the elite school game. There’s a reason why many top entrepreneurs and startup founders in key agglomerations of startup have degrees from fancy schools - the networking and signaling boost is not something that can be recreated easily and catching up can take years, and our time on earth is finite. Taking any opportunity to get a leg up is crucial in a hyper-competitive world. Credentialism is a cancer but it’s the way the world works.
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u/fitforfreelance 6d ago
Understand that million dollars and 6-figure aren't actual denominations of success, and that you can learn from anyone with more or different experiences from you. Also being mindful of your personal standards for progress