How to be a Successful Young Entrepreneur

I have been blessed over the past year to meet some amazing individuals.  Most of the time these people are older and much wiser than me, however, there are a few individuals like David Siteman Garland, Dan Schawbel, Alex Shalman and James Wedmore (to name a few) who are younger than me… and still much, much wiser.

I’ll be showcasing some video interviews with these young super stars in the future, but in this article I want to share with you how James Wedmore is doing the right things to be a successful young entrepreneur.

1.  Education and Growth:

James is constantly learning and growing.  In fact, this is one of his greatest assets.  He is so eager to learn new things, read books, interview the top experts in the world, and etc…

Committing yourself to a “continuing education” mentality is a great thing, the only negative side I have seen to this is it has the ability to take away from us focusing on the current gold minds in front of us.  James is dedicated enough to stick to his game plan and focus on implementing until he achieves his goals, but for some, the “shiny ball syndrome” could come into play and distract you from the end goal.

2.  The “F U” Factor:

Being a young entreprenuer is a great feeling, however we sometimes face pressure from our family, friends, and society to get a J.O.B., and for those who have the “work for yourself” mentality, it becomes extremely frustrating to always hear from those you respect that it’s time to get a job (errrr!).

James is a class act, and his personality wouldn’t upset a fly, however, he doesn’t allow others to bring him down or try to convince him to get a 9-5 job.  It is that “F U” factor that allows James to keep stay focused on his projects and receive the results he is looking for.

3.  Fail Fast and Forget Quick

Carrie Wilkerson, A.K.A. “The Barefoot Executive” is a good friend and business mentor to both James and I, and she teaches people to fail fast if you know your project isn’t going to work out in the long run.  It’s tough because we get caught up in our “Big Idea” and end up spending to much of our time on something that isn’t profitable.  Some of us just can’t let go of a project, especially if we have put in months or years into it, but James is able tweak and test his processes, or move on from a project all in all if he knows it isn’t working for him.

Watch this short video to see what James has to say about being a young entreprenuer:

Whether you are young or old, what is your biggest struggle being an entreprenuer?  Also, share with me what you think makes a successful entreprenuer besides what James represents in the points above.