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Busy being young in business
Opinion: The youth are succeeding!
We hear a lot of doom and gloom about the economy these days and the media is flooded with headlines about debt, un-employment and so on. It all seems to be a story of a de-moralized country lacking belief in itself. Yes, times are tough, but the Irish are tougher! Every day in our own communities we see innovation, enterprise and excitement about the future.
We can see this coming from all walks of life, but arguably most prominently, we can see enterprise from young people! Young entrepreneurship can be a shining light in turbulent times. It not only dismisses the negative stereotypes associated with youth, it also proves that young people have drive, determination and independence. These entrepreneurial traits refreshingly suggest that the future of our country is a bright one!
We should take pride in the successes of this country. It is important that people hear more about these young successful entrepreneurs and less about the bad stuff! It is only when the media start capturing the nation’s imagination that they can be inspired into the exciting, incredibly satisfying, limitless career that is enterprise!
Here are some young entrepreneurs we hold huge admiration for and whose enterprises are an inspiration to us all:
Vincent Coyne. Fellow-Galwegian Vincent developed this clever iPhone app, taking the free webtexts many of us have and making them much more accessible, and hence, usable. His programme, iPhone App EirText allows SMS subscribers to use their iPhone or iPod Touch to send their free SMS webtexts directly from their handset. It’s a great utility app that has surely saved many a fortune on their mobile bills, and I'm sure Vincent hasn't done too badly out of it either, with the Pro paid version selling in its thousands! He has released more iPhone apps since and has become a well-known figure in app development in recent years!
Tara Haughton. Kildare native Tara Haughton invented a product called Rosso Solini, (‘red sole’ in Italian) that has made a sweeping impact in the Irish fashion industry. Spotting the high price tag that comes with Christian Louboutin shoes, she decided to create her own ‘designer soles’, which could be placed on the sole of the shoe, transforming them instantly. Considered to be a simple, yet brilliant idea, Tara has begun to export her products and her future appears to be limitless.
These are only some of the many success stories around the country and we hope you can get a sense of the inspiration we feel when reading about these types of enterprises. It was these that inspired us to go with our idea, Flog.ie.
Our enterprise is still very young, in fact it is only a couple of months in existence, but we can already say that the experience so far has been one we will never forget! Life in enterprise moves fast, every day is different and the future is always an exciting, unpredictable prospect!
Now, I know very few things in life are definite, but you can be sure that if you don’t try you will never succeed. So if you think you have as little as the seed of an idea, our sincerest of advice is: Just go for it and don't put it off!
The very best of luck, Jack Collins (16) & Andrew Forde (17), co-founders of www.flog.ie.
By: Jack Collins and Andrew Forde.
