Starting a business in your 20s

If you are in your 20s and you desire to be an entrepreneur, good for you. Congratulations on making a career choice to start your own business at a young age. Most businesspeople are at least 35 when they start a business, but there is no reason you can’t be successful.

As a person who was born with technology at their fingertips, there are so many options for you. You can start a side hustle, or you can start a business. Maybe you’ll create the next "YouTube sensation," start a digital marketing agency, or become a social influencer? The world really is at your fingertips today if you’re in your 20s. However, you may need to make some sacrifices.

Stop Partying (all the time)

You don’t have to give up all your fun, but the truth is, partying every weekend is not the way to create a successful business - at least not in the beginning when you’re doing a lot of the work yourself that you can later outsource.

Get a Financial Education

Educate yourself in finance, both business, and personal. There is a lot of information that you likely don’t know, or even know how to ask to get the right answers. When you don’t even know what questions to ask, it puts you in a dangerous situation. Instead, accept that there are things you don’t know yet and educate yourself about them.

Explore Ideas

Make a list of your ideas that fit in with your skill set or things you’d like to learn. Take a course, find a mentor, or get a business coach to help you get started faster. Doing the research beforehand is better than jumping right in. Give yourself a few months to explore ideas.

Write a Business Plan

Once you are set on your idea, write a business plan. Visit the local SCORE.org office to get some help with this. Check out your local library, college, or university for classes, workshops, and more regarding starting a business to get some assistance.

Once you have chosen a business and have the plan, that means you’ve investigated all aspects and are ready to start. Set your intention by putting all tasks and actions in a calendar for you and anyone on your team. Then do the steps and start the business. You will be so happy you did. By the time you’re 35, you’ll have an established business while your friends are just getting started.