Out of Australia comes the interesting story of a number of young entrepreneurs with one thing in common. They all think that now, in this “recession”, is the best time to start a business.
“If we can start up in a recession and be successful, we can survive anything,” said 20-year-old Ryan Djurovich, who started Antevo, an online marketing and web development business, at 19.
Mike Jarocki is 19. Last month, he made $25,000 from the business he started less than a year ago.
Alana Maybus started an online gift store when she was 10 “just for something to do”. She now has customers across Australia.
And 16-year-old Mathew Carpenter might be studying for the HSC, but that hasn’t stopped him from starting his own consumer electronics business.
They are among a driven group of young Australians setting up their own businesses before they hit the big 2-0.
And they have one response to those hit by the financial crisis: harden up.
“You have to be ruthless in business – but that would be the same even if we weren’t facing a recession,” says 19-year-old Nick Ferguson who started Sustain Fitness at the age of 17.