Down to Business: 51 Industry Leaders Share Practical Advice on How to Become a Young Entrepreneur

by Fenley Scurlock, Jason Liaw

You have a start-up idea but ... where do you go from there? Two teen entrepreneurs bring together 51 influential business leaders for Q&As about starting a business, finding success, and, yes, making money.

Fifteen-year-olds Fenley Scurlock and Jason Liaw had both started businesses by the time they'd reached middle school. In this groundbreaking book, these young entrepreneurs interview leaders involved with brand-name businesses like MasterClass, Hallmark, IKEA, Parachute, and more.

They ask questions every burgeoning exec wants to How can I get started? Is college worth it? What skills do I need? How did YOU make it big?

In a book that's unlike any book out there--for kid or adult entrepreneurs--Fenley and Jason give readers access to leading innovators, inventors, and executives as they tell their stories and provide tips to a new generation of bosses.

Genres: Business, Self Help, Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Brittany Stuhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

While definitely written with the Gen Z audience in mind, I found learning about these business leaders quite interesting. I also learned about new organizations to support and consider in the future.
Easy to pick up for a few minutes and read about a person or two, or to focus on business types and styles that attract you.

[MA · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many pearls of wisdom in this book from influential CEOs and founders from all over the world. In addition to their personal stories, which are very often vulnerable and heartwarming, they offer practical advice that budding entrepreneurs can use to get started while they are still young - everything they wish they'd known when they got started in business. The fact that this book was written by two teens is equally as impressive. Their questions to these leaders are insightful, smart, and relevant to their own generation and experience. There's nothing else like this on the market and I'm so glad these two teens decided to write this book! Highly recommend.

[SS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is wonderful book, both for younger children, as well as older kids and adults. This book is a gem of insights, written in a way that is clear and also fun to read. The interviewers clearly did their homework preparing questions that led to great answers (in both content and story telling). Highly recommend it! Great for kids to read on their own or as a family read too (I am always looking for an audio book that works for everyone to play in the car, and this is it, so I got both an audio and a text version).

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book and great resource! My two teen sons read it as well and felt it was really inspiring to learn real life stories and takeaways from multiple entrepreneurs at all different stages of their journey. There's also so many examples to draw from that it makes it really a very practical, thorough way to learn about different entrepreneur experiences.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two fifteen-year-old friends and award-winning entrepreneurs, interview 51, diverse, innovators, executives and inventors. Organized into seven leadership styles, from disruptor to champion, and searchable by industry, the brief targeted interviews reveal varied insights into what it takes to create a career that inspires you. This is not a book to read cover to cover, nor is it a practical manual to follow. Readers are best served dipping in: selecting backgrounds, businesses, or attitudes that resonate with them and using the inspiration as a jumping off point to dream and plan. The multitude of diverse ages and perspectives effectively busts the myth that there is any one criteria, or path, to being successful, but the brevity of each exchange leaves a substantial gap from the reader’s here to the entrepreneur’s there, especially as regards to initial funding. Backmatter includes relevant camps, programs fairs, competitions and four aspirational books, three of which are quite dated. Scurlock appears white and Liaw is Asian-American. The youthful perspective of the authors and the paucity of business nonfiction in most library collections up the value of this encouraging survey.

[Novelette Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always wanted to create a small business, apart from my job. Although this book is for kids and teens, it helped me. My business is to sell chocolate in my local city. I have some clients now, and is all cause of this book. 5 out of 5.