By Chase Guelette
Make buckets of money. That has always been the goal for my friends and me. As a young entrepreneur, I’ve devised a hundred and one schemes to make money, from starting a tutoring business to large-scale lawn mowing to collecting hundreds of cans from across my hometown to turn in for 10 cents apiece. The money schemes are endless, and the entrepreneurial spirit has always been strong in my group. In the end, however, I’ve never been able to grow outside of my hometown. I didn’t know how build my network. I’ve never made the connections to create exponential growth.
I’ll repeat that idea because it’s significant; I’ve never made the connections to create exponential growth. The key to creating exponential growth is the network of connections in your life. Your net worth is dependent on your network. This post will tell you a few stories about the connections that have fueled my entrepreneurial journey!
Hi! I’m Chase, and I’m a 16-year-old student, athlete, and a young entrepreneur. As you already know, I have always been interested in money and the best ways to manifest my fortunes. I’m also a SheeksFreak, and it was my introduction into the SheeksFreaks community that first made me realize the inefficiencies of traditional money-making.
Surround Yourself with Likeminded People
My first strategy to build my network as a young entrepreneur is to be intentional about the people I surround myself with. I became a SheeksFreak back in July of 2020, and ever since then, I’ve been introduced to over 50 other Freaks like me. They are young people who, like me, have the burning fire of entrepreneurship inside of them. My family and friends’ typical response to my money-making ideas was to say “no” or “it won’t work.” After I surrounded myself with people who had that same entrepreneurial fire as me, that all changed. The responses to my ideas went from “No.” to “Yes! How can I help?”.
One of the biggest motivators for me, both in my personal life and in my entrepreneurial journey, has been the community surrounding me as I progress in my journey. I am blessed to be a part of the SheeksFreaks Mastermind group. Anyone reading this who doesn’t have a supportive group of like-minded people around them should take action and find that group! Facebook is a great place to look for like-minded individuals and existing groups of people like you! To join the SheeksFreaks Mastermind group, you can submit a request here.
Connections Are Key for a Young Entrepreneur
My strategy is about the connections you make and how they can help you grow.
One of the most valuable aspects of being part of the SheeksFreaks Mastermind group and a young entrepreneur is the ability to connect with amazing guests on our weekly Zoom meetings. Finance experts, real estate investors, young entrepreneurs: all people who had found financial success and freedom early in their lives. These meetings have had a dramatic effect on my mindset and view of the world.
There is so much value in these connections. So much so that I started to wonder how my friends could also hear these ideas and learn from these people.
And thus, “The Entrepreneurial Youth” was born.
Starting a Podcast to Spread the Entrepreneurial Mindset
“The Entrepreneurial Youth” is my podcast. The tagline is “The young person’s one-stop-shop for all ideas finance, business, and entrepreneurship.” The podcast is my way of bringing those revolutionary ideas to my friends and helping them see the world through my lens.
My podcast is up-and-running and doing well. And I am reaching my goal of helping others realize their entrepreneurial goals. But the unexpected reward of doing the podcast is the connections I’ve made with the people I’ve met since starting the show.
One of those people was Phil Pelucha, a 31-year-old veteran businessman who runs multiple British TV networks and a massive podcast. Another one of those people was Caleb Guilliams, the 24-year-old CEO of a flourishing finance company. They’ve both become mentors to me, and the advice they provide to me is invaluable.
Advice for You
If you want to build a similar network for yourself, my first suggestion would be to look at LinkedIn. LinkedIn has some of the most successful entrepreneurs and business people globally, all ready to connect with you. (But not without some work).
When you network with business people, providing value is essential. One way to provide value is to look at a person’s posts on their profile and see what problems they are dealing with. See if you can help solve that problem for them. Offer to help them in any way you can, even if that’s making cold calls. The connections you make are essential to your journey.
When it comes to entrepreneurial success, two of the essential factors in your journey are the people who directly surround you and the people you meet along the way. They become your network. Being a young entrepreneur is hard, but you don’t have to fight alone! I’d like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes, by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs,
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The troublemakers. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. But you can’t ignore them.”
I have my own little addition: “Here’s to the Freaks, the people you can’t ignore.”
To get started, join the Sheeksfreaks community, take a look at the previous blog posts, and sign up for the email list on the website.
Leave a Reply