Starting a business is tough enough, and when you're young and inexperienced, the challenge of building credibility is an added pressure. But you shouldn’t let your age get in the way.
"Being young and not having entrenched experience can actually be an advantage,” says Susan Gregg Koger, 26, who founded ModCloth, an online fashion retail company when she was 17. The company now has 240 employees and offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. “Learning quickly and understanding what a Facebook user wants, what a Twitter user wants – there's something very valuable in being part of that demographic and user base," she says.
Still, it’s important to take a strategic approach to growing your business when you don’t have the power of experience on your side. Here are five tips to help young entrepreneurs build the kind of credibility needed to make their business a success.
1. Focus. Focus. Focus.
You've got a lot of ideas you're eager to try out. That's natural for many entrepreneurs in the early stages of business, but to build credibility, you need a very specific focus. "You never want to be good at 20 things," says Jared O'Toole, 25, founder of Under30CEO, a New York-based organization for young entrepreneurs. "There's always going to be someone who is better than you at each one of those things." Rather than strategizing about how to build the next billion-dollar company, focus on carving out a niche for yourself. "That focus builds your credibility," O'Toole says.
Related: Mashable's Pete Cashmore on Persistence
2. Build your business online.
The online world is an obvious place to begin building a track record as a business owner, says Neil Patel, 26, co-founder of KISSmetrics a San Francisco-based web-analytics company. “A web presence is cheap and it's a great way to show people what you are made of," he says. "As a young entrepreneur that's really important because age is not on your side."
Not only is blogging and using social media important in gaining exposure, reaching out to other businesses online is also key, adds Koger. "I did a ton of outreach in the beginning," she says, noting that she exchanged website links with other vintage retail entrepreneurs when blogging during her company's early years. "You never know who can help you."
3. Make time for face-time.
But Facebook, Twitter, and email will get you only so far. As part of a tech-obsessed generation, young entrepreneurs shouldn’t forget the value of face-to-face networking, says O'Toole. "You might have a good relationship with someone through email but they aren't going to offer that handshake that gets you to the next level with one of their buddies," he says. "You really have to make an effort to set up meetings, go to events and shake hands."
O'Toole suggests reaching out to people you admire in the industry and asking them to meet in person. When someone well-respected introduces you at an event, many people will assume you are doing something right, O'Toole says. "You don't need a hundred people, you just need to associate with a couple of people that everyone knows in the industry," he says. "That's your fast track to the next level."
Related: Top Five Social Media Mistakes
4. Deliver on your promises.
Building strong relationships with clients in the early stages of your business is also important in establishing credibility. Those are the people who will vouch for your company, so go the extra mile for them. For Aaron Batalion, chief technology officer and co-founder of LivingSocial, a Washington, D.C.-based daily deal company, those early relationships with merchants and customers were important in building the company's name. Batalion was 27 when he and his three co-founders started LivingSocial in 2007. Today they have 2,500 employees and 40 million members around the world. "Once you… go above and beyond what you said you would do, people see that and share it with their colleagues,” he says.
But while it's critical to make your customers happy, don't try to rope them in with lofty promises. "If you can't provide something don't promise it," says Patel. "Always under-promise and over-deliver."
5. Be yourself.
You may be tempted to make yourself seem older or conceal your age, but it’s an unnecessary and possibly detrimental precaution to take, says Patel. Instead, be confident and transparent. "If you can show that you're mature and smart for your age, why not show it?" he says.
Apologizing for your lack of experience and youth is also not a smart move, says Koger. "If you are working with someone you have to apologize for your age with, it's probably not a relationship you should be pursuing," she says.
Bottom line? Focus on what you're good at and age won't matter. "You build up credibility by being an expert in your field," Batalion says. "It's important to make sure the thing you're best at is what you're passionate about."
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Comments:
An awesome advice. You have the complete list for us young entrepreneurs. Thank you.
This is really great advice, both for young people like me and people who're older and more experienced. Being young occasionally works to your advantage if that age group comprises the majority of your customers and you can connect with them, but it's also very irritating when a fellow entrepreneur won't take you seriously.
Its incredible how this article reads my exact feelings, I think the situation has definitely been complicated by the exclusion of face to face human to human convo with things like social media it has made it both easier to reach a broader spectrum of people but also has made human interaction almost none, which minimizes someones chance of getting to know the actual you without you trying to advertise and seem like spam. you have to be well equipped these days to not end up like the billions of "Hopefuls" trying to get business yet not succeeding , and then be washed up on the shore of "unheard or known of" in the web sphere , yes it is difficult , trust me i know first hand- But it can also be extremely rewarding provided you listen,read,catch-up,do your own thing, and just have some goods on your side. I try to tell myself not to give up; Ive come waaaay to far to turn back now and im moderatley making my way in the scene , I Hope To See You Soon on the Success side of the Fence. minaspresents.blogspot.com
Yes I found these steps very helpful. I am just starting a bakery business but lack some knowledge. I'm over twice your age, but I have found over the years that you can learn from even a baby if you're willing to listen. I pray that you be blessed even more in your business and you will if you continue to share your experience with people like me.
Thank you !!! I am starting my own green roofing business , thnks :)
This is great advice for ANY entrepreneur--not just those with little experience. One of the great things about an online presence is that it's cheap, and it allows you to establish yourself as an expert in your niche; for younger entrepreneurs, an online presence can even mask your age, if you control your public profile info. Once people recognize your expertise, your age will be unimportant. If you need to do any market research, pick a niche, or find out how profitable your niche may be, check out a couple articles on my blog: http://startmyconsultingbusiness.com/ignore-this-at-your-own-risk-how-to-find-a-profitable-niche-for-your-consulting-business-part-1/ and http://startmyconsultingbusiness.com/ignore-this-at-your-own-risk-how-to-find-a-profitable-niche-for-your-consulting-business-part-2/.
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Great advice for any entrepreneur at any age. I am a Boomer entrep and really appreciate the encouragement of this article, especially focus on a single niche and deliver on my promises. I do get distracted. I haven't made many promises yet but tend to offer help with what I will be providing and not what services I have in place right now.
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How are these things different from what
This is very true!! I am also a YOUNG Entrepreneur and I can say this article is very true. Sometimes going the extra mile and meeting in person is the way to go. However, taking advantage of online social sites is also key. But the last part is something that YOUNG Entrepreneurs really need to grasp a hold of, BEING YOURSELF. Being Yourself and letting others know that you are a young but smart individual is the best route to take, rather than acting older than what your really are just makes you look like you are ashamed of yourself. Have Fun. Be Yourself. Crown Your Image.
I'm 26 and routinely ran up against this in commercial real estate. I found (as the article states) that my age didn't matter as long as I knew what I was talking about and worked hard. People don't care how old you are if you're making them money. Rob
How to build credibility? Just work and achieve success, act as professional and you would become one. http://path-of-power.com/marketing-flaws-inner-common-mistakes-business,398
I would like to add one more! Should not be taking up every opportunity coming the way - should wait for the right ones where one can deliver quality.
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Nice information that was presented here. Being able to focus is one of the most important things you could do. Everyone wants to be the best in every department but sometimes it's going to be best for you to just focus your attention just on one thing.
Great article Jane! Especially enjoyed your advice on remaining focused. It can be a real struggle at times to not bounce from one idea to the next. I'd love to hear more of your advice on how you would recommend one going about finding their own niche. Future article maybe?! Thanks again for the good read.
I think it is useful for young people in an entrepreneurship education program which targets high school students. So I will integrate it as a topic for future discussions.
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"Focus on what you're good at and age won't matter." love this! It's so true. I've found that just being me has helped me naturally attract more clients and it wasn't until I accepted that my age truly was irrelevant if I knew the information. It's helped me create better relationships with clients and attract more people who love my youthful energy. Good post!
Good advice to take
This article is very helpful to us young entrepreneur; many people call themselves entrepreneur nowadays and it's hard to gain trust from customers. I applied some of these tips to my business and it's been working great. Thanks Jane www.kemisbook.com
These are all great points! I'm meeting a number of startup wannabes in London now, and I can confirm this applies even more so to older entrepreneurs.
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Exceptional, thank you so much.
Great post! Very important things for any young entrepreneur like myself to remember, especially the part about building connections. It's tempting to try and do it without help instead of reaching out to people who have been there and done that. http://lawsonhembree.wordpress.com/
Nice article! Great points on managing the perceptions of you and the reputation that follows as a result. However, I think the last lines sum it up - if you want credibility, age and experiences won't matter so long as you focus on being a professional and expert in your field. I put a similar post out today that discusses this (click here for it http://bit.ly/qZsB2A). While I like this article, I struggle with the characterization that you "build" credibility here - rather, it feels like you are really building your reputation and the two are not the same.
So lovely and enriching, thanks
I loved the advice on focus. I find its one of my greatest challenges. I'm currently focusing on trying to build the best ICT training and web development services firm in my locality and this information will obviously help
Really enjoyed the article. The part about meeting in person really made an impact on me. I'm trying to get more press for my company and meeting reporters in person would be a great start.
Ok, Thanks!