School for Entrepreneurship Hits the Road These young entrepreneurs take school for startups on tour.

By Scott Gerber

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

What: Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour
Who:Michael Simmons, 27, and Sheena Lindahl, 26
When:2006
Projected 2009 revenue:$1 million

The Pitch:The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour is the first-ever nationwide tour that teaches students about entrepreneurship. Founded by award-winning entrepreneurs, authors and lecturers Michael Simmons and Sheena Lindahl, EET's mission is to inspire participants to take action and pursue their entrepreneurial vision. The founders have developed a unique program that includes workshops, speed-networking sessions, panel discussions and keynote speeches by successful young entrepreneurs--most of whom are multimillionaires under the age of 30. Since EET's founding in 2006, the company has produced more than 100 events nationwide. Simmons and Lindahl plan to expand the Extreme Entrepreneur Tour to every U.S. college campus and also recently launched JourneyPage.com, a virtual business incubator that helps individuals turn their passions into scalable businesses.

The Startup Story:Michael Simmons, co-founder and CEO of EET, has been a successful entrepreneur since the founding of his first company, Princeton WebSolutions, at age 16. His entrepreneurial efforts have been rewarded handsomely with three Entrepreneur of the Year awards from Fleet, the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship and National Coalition for Empowering Youth Entrepreneurship. While attending New York University, he met Sheena Lindahl, president and co-founder of EET, an equally impressive entrepreneurially minded individual. Lindahl became totally self-sufficient from her parents at age 17 and paid completely for her $120,000 education.

EET's formation was the logical result of a lack of available resources. Frustrated by his inability to find resources written for young entrepreneurs, Simmons penned and published his own: The Student Success Manifesto. Soon after its release, Simmons was invited to speak across the country about his experiences and insight. It was then that Simmons and Lindahl realized that their collective experiences and wealth of entrepreneurial know-how had the potential to help thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs like themselves find happiness, success and purpose. The two partnered to launch the Extreme Entrepreneur Tour. Today, they are two of the speaking circuit's most sought-after experts on entrepreneurship.

Impressive Stat:The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour has educated more than 20,000 high school and college students about entrepreneurship.

Founder Fun Facts:In 2006, BusinessWeek named Simmons and Lindahl two of the top 25 entrepreneurs under 25 in the U.S.

Founder's Advice:"Anyone can achieve greatness. Start early and take action every day."

Are you a young entrepreneur with a unique venture? Email us about it at
youngentrepreneurcolumn@gmail.com

Scott Gerber is the founder of Sizzle It!, a New York-based sizzle reel production company specializing in promotional videos for PR and marketing professionals, and the Young Entrepreneur Council. He is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, columnist, public speaker and author of Never Get a "Real" Job: How To Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke (Wiley, 2010).

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

Costco Is Now Offering an Additional Exclusive Perk to Members in All 50 States

Members can now access discounted outpatient medical care through a partnership with healthcare startup Sesame.

Business News

8 People Hospitalized on JetBlue Flight Headed to Florida Due to Turbulence

The turbulent conditions occurred near Jamaica on a flight coming from Ecuador.

Starting a Business

'There Is No Success Without Failure': How to Turn a Pitch Meeting Setback Into Success

On the new episode of "Fix My Pitch," business coaches Anthony Sullivan and Tina Frey explain how to reboot yourself when a meeting doesn't go your way.

Marketing

If You're Going to Be a Guest on a Podcast, Don't Make These 4 Mistakes — They Could Cost You Leads.

Many entrepreneurs are using podcast guesting as their go-to marketing strategy. If it hasn't quite worked for you yet, check if you are making any of these four mistakes.

Business Plans

10 Simple Tips to Write a Successful Business Plan

In the new book "Write Your Own Business Plan," business expert Eric Butow takes the anxiety and confusion out of planning and offers an easy-to-follow roadmap to success.

Business News

These Are the Most (And Least) Happy States in the U.S. 2023, According to a New Report

Utah was found to be the happiest state in the country, while West Virginia was the least.