MY LIFE GOAL: Through my work, I will positively impact the lives of over 1 billion people within my lifetime. I will pave the way for more teens to embrace their dreams at an early age. My work will continue to positively impact the lives of others well beyond my time on our planet.
I’m different. I’m the person who asks the waiter a dozen questions about the food because I’ve got a laundry list of food allergies. I’m the rare New Yorker who roots for the Boston Red Sox. I’m also an entrepreneur who started at a young age, and that’s probably how you learned about me.
I started my first blog as an 11-year-old. The Red Sox focused blog allowed me to do something rare: interact with other Red Sox fans (interacting with non-Yankees and non-Mets fans was hard enough). As I strived to reach more Red Sox fans, I fell in love with the marketing and content creation associated with running a successful content brand.
Hundreds of blogs later (no, I’m not confusing blogs and blog posts), I settled with this blog…a place where I can teach business owners how to conquer the digital landscape and optimize their productivity.
I will forever be a student of my niche. As a bookworm, I tend to read / listen to anywhere from 10-30 books in a given month. I have interviewed hundreds of influencers through my Breakthrough Success Podcast and various virtual summits I’ve hosted to expand upon my knowledge and share that knowledge with you. I truly believe that each of these interviews increases my personal and professional development.
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing several of my role models, including Seth Godin, who is without question, my favorite entrepreneur. He’s positively impacted my journey in more ways than I can count.
I’ve also written numerous books on digital marketing and productivity which can be found on Amazon.
I got featured in places like the Huffington Post and SUCCESS Magazine. I write for places like ProBlogger, Business2Community, and the Westchester Business Journal.
Getting to where I am now was not an easy journey. I am one of the lucky people who has extraordinary parents. My mom helped me get through a life-threatening sickness and my dad cheers me on at all of my track meets. I came a long way through my personal life before I was able to start my journey. Then came the journey of trying to build an audience of people who would listen and doing great things for that audience.
The entire process of building a powerful authority on the web had its own set of obstacles. Before I grew my audience into what it is now, I was criticized for being too young and not knowing enough about my niche. Just like anyone, I have received my fair share of critics. While I listened to some of them, I ignored most of them simply because they did not know my master plan (and listening to every single critic would have brought me down). Not only was I able to rise above the criticism, but I was also able to thrive. I have self-published several books and have no plans on stopping any time soon (or ever).
My journey has been a remarkable one. I have been able to touch the lives of many people at a young age. It is amazing what our technology has given anyone the ability to do. It used to be impossible to build your own audience, but now everyone has leverage and the ability to become the next sensation in their niche–even a teenager. My mission is to boost my legacy to provide a further testament to teenagers all over the world that they can be successful at a young age. Our technology has torn the age limit away. There’s no longer a reason to wait when anyone, including a teenager, can create their own thriving business.
Advice For Young Entrepreneurs:
I put as much time as possible into growing my business. However, this isn’t just about being successful and having financial flexibility. This is about creating a movement. I want to prove to other teens that it is possible to become successful at a young age
As mentioned before, I created my first blog as an 11-year-old. Some may start at a slightly older age. Others may start at a younger age than me.
- Taking the first step is the most important thing you can possibly do. Whether you create your blog on WordPress, put something up on eBay, or something else, start today.
- Age discrimination is a thing, especially in the beginning (it’s nothing close to other forms of discrimination, but it exists). I know an author whose book didn’t get published solely because she was a teen (as in the publisher said yes and then said no when they discovered she was a teen. She self-published her books soon after). As you continue putting in the work and getting the results, people will admire you for what you do. As long as you provide value, people will appreciate your work and then respect you for starting so early. Ignore the haters.
- A note about the second bullet point. I wish I came across GaryVee a little earlier. He touched upon this topic and said he wishes the internet existed for him as a teen as he could have accomplished so much more at a young age. The only opportunities most teens got were extremely low-tier jobs. He also mentions that he could have been born in a country that restricted his freedom. While it’s a problem that shouldn’t exist, it’s a great problem to have when you compare it with other options.
- Learn as much as possible about your niche. Read books, listen to audiobooks while doing easy exercising, listen to podcast episodes in your car, and do anything else to expand your knowledge.
Stay Updated On My Journey
My mission is to empower teenagers with the knowledge they need to become successful by doing what they love to do. By staying updated on my journey, you will also get my free eBook 27 Ways To Get More Retweets On Twitter.
Age is not a limit to success!
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