I wanted to find some snappy way to reference “Charlie’s Angels” for this story, but I couldn’t think of one. So if you would be so kind as to humor me, please chuckle to yourself. Instead, I have paralleled these three entrepreneurs to Britain’s very own fab four (incongruently).

Let us begin with the mastermind of the operation. Maria Allen of Brighton, UK, made her start peddling hand-made greeting cards at-you guessed it-the playground. Playground salesmanship seems to be a decent indicator of future success. Take note, and teach your kids to be entrepreneurial from a young age. You’ll be proud as ever when your son or daughter comes home from school gleaming because they sold your Rolex for three bucks. I digress.

Allen claims to have “learned a lot about the basics of business” from her juvenile ventures, and proceeded to take a new business idea big time with the help of two unnamed partners. (Seriously, the article I referenced doesn’t mention the name of her partners. Sorry.)(Also, John Lennon is not affiliated with this business.) They began generating profit by hand-crafting jewelry and selling it on Etsy, all without any outside funding. Etsy got their name on the board, and nowadays their products are stocked by over 70 retail stores around the world. These ladies are pulling in pounds of pounds every year as their business grows upwards like a diligent sunflower.

If you are good with your hands, there is almost certainly a market online. I am struck by the amount of people see finding success in selling hand crafted things online. It seems to me that in a world where all appears synthetic and mass produced, hand made products are highly valued.

Tune in next semester for more exciting episodes of “Young Entrepreneurs Who Know What’s Up!”

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension—a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. Cameras are cameras; some expensive, some purchasable at five-and-dime stores. But this camera, this one’s unusual, because in just a moment we’ll watch it inject itself into the destinies of two people. It happens to be a fact that the pictures that it takes can only be developed in the Innovation Zone.

Enter two young ambitious minds, playfully taking selfies in a contemporary Manchester kitchen. These men-brothers since conception-stumbled upon a brilliant idea for a machine: digital booths for commercial events and retail venues; allowing users to pose for a photo and share it instantly via text, Facebook, Twitter or email, as well as offering a branded printout. As it turned out, in our self-absorbed, egotistical present-day society, demand was enormous.

Allow me to elaborate. These brothers, Hyrum and Josh Cook, found great success with their selfie machines in the UK; however, have not yet reached international markets. Unsurprisingly, the Cook brothers ran a Costco candy black market operation in grade school where they developed their shady methods of operation. All that can be derived from this story is the value of snagging hot trends. Creating new technology to adapt to fickle present day wants and needs is highly profitable, as the Cook brothers have exemplified.

It’s been said that science fiction and fantasy are two different things: science fiction the improbable made possible; fantasy, the impossible made probable. What would you have if you put these two different things together? Well, you’d have a couple innovative Brits who know what’s up, a whole lot of selfies, and a journey into the heart of the Innovation Zone.

“Kids these days…,” grumbles a man a few seats away.  With his face buried in the Sunday paper, he fails to notice a waitress approach. “Can I get ya some more coffee, sweetie?” He lowers his newspaper and replies “Fill ‘er up, Jeanette.” His gaze then switches to you. “You wouldn’t believe the crazy ways kids are making money nowadays.”

You sip your morning coffee gratefully as the man continues. “I’ve been reading’ this here write-up on a young girl named Ella Woodward, and it’s really somethin’. I mean she is. I mean they both are. You get the point.” Sympathy befalls you for this man and his severe dementia.

“It says here that there’s this new invention on the internet called ‘The Blog’ where young people write about everything under the sun and get paid for it if they develop a following or a fanbase. Little miss Squidward-eh, sorry, I meant Woodward- started blogging about why people should eat more vegetables, and internet health nuts ate that right up (no pun intended). She gets a whole fahve digits worth of viewers for each and ever write up and video. Back in my day, you had to make nationwide headlines to gain that much attention.”

The man pauses to drag his Marlboro Red deeply and wheeze for a few moments. He taps his excess ash into a clear glass ashtray on the counter and resumes his rant. “But that was just her humble beginnings. The hors d’oeuvre to her entree, if you will. Nowadays the girl has her name atop a website, her own cellular phone application, her own book, and she even teaches the art of health nut cooking to many an eager speculative mind. How do ya think she got there? By digging ditches and sweating? Sadly, this ain’t 1957 anymore. She built her following by making every aspect of her life public via a whole menagerie of social networks. Check her out on Twitter. She’s probably scorning the winter roads right about now.”

It was at this moment that I decided to speak up for the first time. “Whattaya make of it, pops?”

“The world has changed, and I hardly understand it. Hell, I don’t even think today’s generation fully understands it. It’s not always about going out into the world and showing that you’re the hardest worker. Sometimes it’s about getting people to listen. If you can get enough people to listen- whether that be from eloquent communication or just being intrinsically interesting- you can make it. And you don’t need to be a superstar; just make an honest living. Have you ever heard of this chick that talks about vegetarian recipes on the internet? Neither have I. However, enough people have heard of her to keep her afloat and rising. It’s not for everyone, but it certainly seems to be an option.”

You thank the man for his engaging stories and promptly exit the diner. Something doesn’t seem right. Little did you know that the man would be visiting you again later in that day under darker circumstances. Find out what tricks this mysterious old man has up his sleeve in next week’s episode of “Young Entrepreneurs Who Know What’s Up.”

Oh, hello there. I didn’t notice your arrival. Come on in and have a seat by the fireplace, and I’ll read to you a tale from my most favorite book, “Young Entrepreneurs Who Know What’s Up.”

What were you doing when you were 14? Trying to steal a kiss from your sweetheart? Taking personality quizzes on Facebook? Struggling to cope with puberty?

Hey, don’t feel bad about it. We’ve all been there. That is, except for Christian Owens, who spent his awkward phase starting a successful business.

At 14, Owens launched Paddle, a tech startup offering developers the necessities for online retailing. Owens knew what he was talking about, and earned over a million dollars in angel investor funding. That was six years ago, and Paddle has since grown to include a staff of 20 and earned over a million pounds revenue (I still don’t understand how pounds translate to dollars, but that’s definitely quite a bit of money). Owens has also developed a solid network of other prominent startups he has worked with since his departure from high school at 16. Owens has always enjoyed the fast-paced business life, yet experienced quite a bit of struggle gaining credibility in his younger days.

“But Grandpaaa,” you ask, “what’s the point??” Settle down children, I’m getting there. If you have a business inclination at a young age, jump on it. The earlier you start, the better. Maybe you’re older than 14, but there’s still no better time to take action than the present moment. Put down your lollipops, smartphones, and perceived setbacks. Get out there and change the world. And mow my lawn while you’re at it.

On tonight’s riveting episode of “Young Entrepreneurs who know what’s up”: love, tragedy, and gaming videos.

You see, there once was a young visionary by the name of Billy Woodford who really liked to upload videos of himself playing video games to YouTube. Not that special, right? I mean, YouTube is crowded with lackluster “Let’s Play” videos where squeaky voiced teens cuss at Call of Duty like a sailor. The great problem that such entertainers face is that they are often harassed by music companies for royalties and copyright qualms.

Woodford wasn’t about to put up with that corporate malarky. He was intent on doing things his own way.

Woodford created NoCopyrightSounds, a record label which allows YouTubers to access its catalog for free. NoCopyrightSounds generates advertising revenue from Spotify and YouTube, and has been profitable for nearly its entire life span. So, boys and girls, what is the less to be derived? Record labels are evil. No, that’s not it. Let’s try that again. If there’s an issue you face, understand that it can usually become overcome through innovation and ambition if you are inclined to do so.  My man Woodford started a business to overcome his issue. So use that as your example. Get out there and start leaping over large metaphorical walls.