Youth Isn't Always Wasted on the Young
You might have mixed emotions—perhaps a blend of envy and awe—when you hear teenage CEOs discuss how they plan to secure venture capital for their second or third startup. But once you get past the novelty of their age, tales of their youthful success can provide you with an entirely new perspective.
In a video posted to the American Express Open Forum blog, Guy Kawasaki hosts a panel of entrepreneurs who are younger than 25. At nearly an hour in length it takes some time to watch. But we think it's worth it.
Among the guests is Ashley Qualls, CEO of WhateverLife.com, which provides graphic-design resources and began when her friends had difficulty finding MySpace layouts they liked. "It wasn't out there for girls," she explains. At the site's peak, it received 4 million pageviews a day from 360,000 unique visitors.
When Kawasaki asks Qualls about the first thing someone targeting the youth market should do, she answers: "Listen to your audience … Do you have a 15-year-old on your payroll? Because if you are targeting teenagers, you really need their perspective. There's just no way around it. I'm sure when I'm older I'll have to employ younger people just so I can connect."
Your Marketing Inspiration: "If teens are your market," says Kawasaki, "you'll learn something about how they think. If teens are your competition, you'll learn how they are coming after you. Both are valuable insights."
More Inspiration:
Valeria Maltoni: Email Marketing: Sent Does NOT Mean Delivered
Ted Mininni: How Retailers Are Teaching Consumers to be Disloyal
Paul Barsch: Zero Latency: The Next Arms Race
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