8個身家百萬的兒童創業者教你怎麼成功

There’s no age limit when it comes to being a millionaire these days, and a handful of kids have struck it rich well before they can legally vote. They’re small business owners, inventors and entrepreneurs. I started as an entrepreneur when I was around 11 years old with my first candy stand, which grew to four candy stands, but that was nothing compared to some of these kids!

如今，成爲百萬富翁不存在年齡的限制，許多青少年在獲得投票權之前便已經創造了大筆財富。他們是小公司的老闆、發明家和創業者。我也在大約11歲的時候開始創業——經營一個糖果攤，後來擴張到了四個！不過，與這些孩子們相比，我的經歷根本不值一提！

There’s is no age limit, either, when it comes to learning from others. These impressive kids learned from their own failures early in life but determined to keep going and to do it better the next time around. If you haven’t made your first million yet, the teen next door might actually be able to teach you something.

同樣，所謂學無先後，達者爲師。這些孩子很早就從自己的失敗中汲取教訓，但依舊決定堅持下去，讓自己在下一次做得更好。如果你還沒有賺得第一桶金，或許隔壁鄰居家的小朋友能夠教你兩手。

Check out these eight kids who made a million, or more, and what you can learn from their success:

下文介紹的八位小孩已經賺得百萬身家，看看他們的創業之路能夠帶給你什麼啓迪。

1. Evan of EvanTube

1. EvanTube頻道的埃文

With the help of his dad, this 8-year-old launched his own YouTube channel, titled EvanTube, and rakes in about $1.3 million each year. He reviews toys, talks about things that other kids his age are into, and he’s secured an audience that will grow with him. There are quite a few YouTube millionaires, so if you have the charisma to pull it off, it’s a free avenue for creating your own brand. Unfortunately, few entrepreneurs have the cuteness factor of Evan on their side.

在老爸的幫助下，年僅8歲的埃文推出了自己的YouTube頻道——EvanTube，每年能夠賺得大約130萬美元的收入。他在這個頻道評論玩具，談論同齡小孩關注的話題，已經培養了一羣將與他一起成長的小觀衆。YouTube上有許多百萬富翁。所以，如果你也擁有足夠吸引眼球的超凡魅力，這裏可以提供一個免費的場所，讓你創建自己的品牌。不幸的是，很少有創業者能像埃文那麼萌。

2. Christian Owens

2. 克里斯蒂安o歐文斯

His motivator was Steve Jobs, and that’s how Owens made his first million at the age of 16. He got his own PC computer as an adolescent (soon followed by a Mac) and taught himself web design in middle school. By the age of 14, he’d started his own design company. Founder of Mac Bundle Box, he negotiated with developers and manufacturers to offer simple, discounted packages for his customers. The lesson? Follow your passions, claim your mentors and find a way to give people what they want for less.

受史蒂夫o喬布斯的啓發，歐文斯在16歲時就賺到了他的第一個100萬。他在少年時期就有了自己的PC機（很快又換成了一臺Mac電腦），上中學時自學了網頁設計。14歲時，他成立了自己的設計公司。作爲Mac Bundle Box的創始人，他與開發者和製造商談判，爲客戶提供簡單的優惠套餐。要問他的經驗是什麼，那就是追隨你的興趣，結交良師益友，找出方法以更低的價格滿足人們的需求。

3. Adam Hildreth

3. 亞當o海德里希

When he was just 14, Hildreth got together with friends to create Dubit—a social networking site. It was wildly popular in the UK and by his sixteenth birthday he had nearly $3.7 million in the bank. He then moved on to developing Crisp, which is a software company that helps protects kids from online predators. There’s nothing wrong with jumping on a trending bandwagon, but if you want continued success then find a way to branch out from it and innovate.

海德里希在14歲的時候便與朋友們一起創建了社交網站Dubit。這個網站在英國非常受歡迎，到16歲生日的時候，他的銀行賬戶上已經有370萬美元。他後來又創辦了一家軟件公司Crisp，旨在保護孩子們免受網絡掠奪者的傷害。追隨潮流沒有錯，但如果你希望繼續成功，最好找到拓展業務的方式，並進行創新。

4. Cameron Johnson

4. 卡梅隆o約翰遜

Johnson was asked by his parents to develop invitation cards for a neighborhood party when he was 11. The guests adored the cards and started paying him to craft their own personal use cards. He founded “Cheers and Tears” by 14, then Cameron moved on to online advertising and software development. By high school, his monthly income was around $400,000. The lesson? Do everything well and don’t be afraid to try new things (or industries).

在約翰遜11歲的時候，他的父母要求他爲一次鄰居派對設計邀請卡。客人們都很喜歡他的邀請卡，並開始付錢請他設計卡片。他在14歲時成立了“Cheers and Tears”，後來又投身在線廣告業和軟件開發。他在高中時的月收入已經達到40萬美元。他帶給我們的經驗就是：把每一件事都做好，不要害怕嘗試新事物（或新行業）。

5. Geoff, Dave, and Catherine Cook

5. 傑夫、戴維和凱瑟琳o庫克

These dynamic siblings are behind, “MyYearbook,” a (still) popular social media site that’s based on where you went to school. These kids had just moved to a new school and wanted to make new friends, so an online yearbook seemed like the perfect place to start. This was before Facebook was a household name. The lesson? Sometimes nepotism works, and if you find a disparity in the market, you can be the one to fill it.

這三位充滿活力的兄妹，就是目前仍然極具人氣的社交媒體網站“MyYearbook”的創辦者，該網站立足於美國的校園。兄妹三人當時剛剛來到新的學校，希望認識新朋友，而在線年鑑似乎是尋找新朋友最合適的地方。當時，Facebook尚未變成家喻戶曉的品牌。他們帶給我們的經驗就是：裙帶關係有時候是有效的，只要你能找到市場中的差異，你就有望成爲那個填補這個縫隙，並從中獲利的人。

6. Farrhad Acidwalla

6. 法勒哈德o埃希德瓦拉

In between attending school in Mumbai, India, this 16-year-old is the founder of Rockstah Media. It’s a comprehensive marketing agency boasting 20 employees around the world. “My team is the backbone of my company,” says Acidwalla. The lesson? Everyone has the same hours in the day, so if even those with limitations (like being a kid) can grow a company like this, so can you.

16歲的埃希德瓦拉是印度孟買的一名學生，同時也是Rockstah Media的創始人。該公司是一家綜合性市場營銷機構，在全世界約有20名員工。埃希德瓦拉說道：“我的團隊便是公司的骨幹。”經驗？每個人每天都擁有同樣多的時間，既然受到各種限制的人（比如孩子）可以經營好一家公司，你肯定也可以。

7. Emil Motycka

7. 埃米爾o摩迪卡

What started as a lawn mowing business when he was nine turned into Motycka Enterprises by the time he was 18. In order to keep up with all the demands of a teenager, he works the graveyard shift and says, “I sleep four hours a night on average” and call it sleep for the week. That amount of sleep might not be the best advice, but perseverance, and being willing to do what it takes to get the work done, can certainly get you to his level.

埃米爾o摩迪卡在9歲時成立了一家草坪修剪公司，等到他18歲的時候，這家公司變成了Motycka Enterprises。爲了跟上對一位青少年的所有要求，他經常會熬夜工作。摩迪卡說：“我平均每晚睡四個小時”。當然，如此少的睡眠或許並不值得鼓勵，但堅持不懈的毅力，以及爲了完成工作不惜付出一切的決心，肯定能幫你達到他的高度。

8. Ryan of “Ryan’s Barkery”

8. 賣狗糧的萊恩

One of the handful of kids featured on “Shark Tank,” as an elementary school kid, Ryan raked in $25,000 for 25 percent of his business. Now Ryan is 12 years old, and is the young entrepreneur and founder of a dog treat bakery. He is building his business in an industry (pet pampering) that’s recession-proof. The lesson? Find your own niche, it’s there waiting for you.

參加過《創智贏家》的孩子屈指可數，萊恩便是其中之一。上小學時，他出售了自己公司25%的股份，賺了25,000美元。現年12歲的萊恩是一位年輕的創業者，也是一個狗糧品牌Barkery的創始人。他所處的是一個能夠抵禦經濟衰退的行業（寵物用品）。他的經驗？尋找你自己的細分市場。它就在那裏，正等着你去發現。

Think you’re beyond the age limit to make a million? Think again. Experience and maturity come with their own benefits.

讀到這裏，你是否覺得自己已經過了成爲百萬富翁的年紀？不妨再想想。經驗和成熟自有其優勢。（財富中文網）