What is so remarkable about young entrepreneurship? Business planting does not necessarily take experience or other-worldly talent. John Magennis became a self made millionaire by the time he was 16. He did not earn his MBA at Yale or anything ridiculously difficult. All he did was pursue a passion: web design.
When Magennis was 14, he started making web sites for friends charging a forgiving price of $15. Eventually, as he gained recognition, he began charging more. Today, he charges anywhere in the range of $30,000 per web site. This young teenager taught himself how to design website and since it was a passion and hobby, it was not an overbearing task. Passion goes hand in hand with quality and Magennis delivers on both.
Students today can learn from his story because his is one of ordinary-ness. Everyone feels ordinary, but it is comforting to know that ordinary is not a bad thing. Web design is a playing field. Magennis goes head to head with some of the best. He is not heavily differentiated from competitors, but his work stands out for its quality and design. He exemplifies the new worker in the Conceptual Age. Understanding that skill can be taught but passion is innate. Cultivate the passion and love of something–like John Magennis did–and you can be successful also.
I find it both amazing and extremely inspirational that Magennis was able to create this web design business with no higher level schooling. I love stories like this in which an ordinary person can become great based on passion and talent. Thank you for sharing this!