Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook from his Harvard University dorm when he was 19 years old. Jungmin Kang founded SnoopSlimes with $200 from her allowance when she was 13 years old. Michael Dell founded Dell Computer Corporation one year after dropping out of his freshman year of college. Young entrepreneurs with creative, lucrative ideas and the ability to bring these ideas into fruition can prompt boundless success and prosperity. SnoopSlimes brought about 11 million dollars of revenue in 2022. Facebook generated 134.9 billion dollars of revenue in 2023, and Dell is currently worth about 88 billion dollars.  

Starting off as a young entrepreneur encompasses a variety of dimensions: 

Young entrepreneurs know no boundaries

Young entrepreneurs with innovative and eager spirits, yet not crushed by the “reality of being an adult”, are less encumbered by conventional thinking. Unlike their older counterparts, young entrepreneurs are rather untethered by the weight of adult responsibilities, allowing them to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams with more zeal and risk. 

Young entrepreneurs can take risks

When Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook and dropped out of Harvard, he was not concerned about his wife and children– because he did not yet have a wife or children. With fewer commitments and responsibilities than their older counterparts, young entrepreneurs can take more risks and pursue ventures that others may perceive as too ambitious or uncertain. The UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent suggests teens are more willing to “lean into uncertainty and explore situations in which there is a potential for a reward, [when] the outcome is not assured”. This concept also applies to investing in the stock market. Young people, particularly those under the guardianship of their parents, are in a favorable position to invest in more risky ventures without the burden of insurance, mortgage, or childcare expenses. 

Young entrepreneurs have less experience

Any person, younger or older,  can be entrepreneurially savvy enough to enter the realm of business enterprise. A young, introverted person who spends the majority of their time fixated on studying, sports, or on social media may not be as prepared to become an entrepreneur compared to one who actively seeks out real-world experiences. Although school, sports, and social interactions can inherently provide valuable lessons in teamwork and communication, there’s no substitute for actively engaging in real-world experiences and putting oneself in unfamiliar situations. 

These experiences tend to fall under the responsibilities that accompany professional employment. Many adults often juggle multiple responsibilities at work, including meeting deadlines, managing teams, and advancing their careers, responsibilities that are inherently aspects of entrepreneurship. A young person will have to navigate a brand-new world while an adult will have already had such experiences. 

Young people have higher stress levels

The Mental Health Foundation lists causes of stress for various age ranges. 60% of 18–24-year-olds have stress-related symptoms due to pressure to succeed. Furthermore, the American Psychological Association reports that teens have higher stress levels than adults. Being a teenager and entrepreneur means juggling various responsibilities such as maintaining grades, penetrating an already existing market, navigating friendship dynamics, and even just figuring out who they are. 

If you are a young entrepreneur, just remember you don’t need to be the next Mark Zuckerberg. Take things easy and go at your own pace.